Submitted by Joe Boyle.
For many decades our local US Post Office provided us with a drop-off mail box in the parking lot across from Little Church On The Prairie on Whitman Av SW close to Motor Av SW.
While my wife and I did not use the mail drop box all the time, we used it frequently when our travels and errands took us in that direction. It was so comfortable and convenient to drive up to and use. This location was much safer to negotiate when compared to other parking lot locations. Alternative parking lot locations made it feel like I was participating in a demolition derby.
Disappointment struck several months ago when the box was removed. We suffered in silence for several months.
Good news. The box is back. More good news. The color of the new box matches the color of my car. Good thing I do not drive a pink car.
I tried to find the answers to two questions by calling the Post Office. 1. Why was the box removed? 2. Why was a new box installed?
When I called the post office the helpful man I talked to could only give me his best-educated guess. He told me one of two explanations probably provide answers to my two questions.
The first theory was that boxes are removed if the Density Test shows the box is not being used often enough to justify maintaining a box in a particular location.
The second theory is boxes are being removed as a part of a regular security maintenance program and then replaced with an upgraded anti-theft style box.
Why did it take so long to complete this task? One explanation is the maintenance division for the post office has been moved out of Tacoma to Seattle. Whenever Seattle is involved, Pierce County can typically expect poor service.
If you do not think Seattle can be a self-serving bully, just look at the history. There was Seattle’s effort to change the name of the Seattle – Tacoma International Airport to the Seattle International Airport. Then there was Seattle’s self-serving effort to alter the name of Mt. Tahoma to Mt. Rainier. Seattle did not want any name that sounded like Tacoma. How about the license tab tax for rapid transit for their city that will not help us in Pierce County for decades?
Be sure to use the mail dropbox as frequently as you can. We do not want to fail our Density Test and have the box removed again.
If any of my readers know why the box comes and goes, please share your insider information.
I’m glad to have it back. I have a rental neighbor who’s guests keep parking in such a way so close to the mail box that much of the time, the postal carriers can’t make the swing into the easement next to the mail box, and they don’t like to get out of their vehicles.
If they can’t take my mail, I have to take it to the post office, which is a hassle. I only live just around the corner from this mail box. I was irritated when it disappeared. Happy to have it back.
The same removal/replacement of a drop off mail box occurred with the mail box located near the Key Bank on Steilacoom Blvd. Health wise, it is probably better to get out of my truck and walk a short distance to the box located at the Oakbrook Center. But, I agree with Joe it is very convenient to just drive up and drop off the mail.
And the drop off mail box on Phillips Road has been removed, apparently not to be replaced, most likely because of the sidewalk installation.
Yea!! So happy the box is back. The traffic jams at the other areas were such a pain. Thanks for sharing this information.
I was told by a postal worker that both boxes were removed and replaced with more secure ones because each had been broken into. Placing mail into boxes after pick-up time increases the risk of theft .
With so much mail theft I use the mail box exclusively. For my incoming mail I had a locked mail box. However, these are only as good as the local service. I have been missing so much mail lately. My state retirement statements are constantly not delivered. Insurance renewal notices not received have led to temporary loss of health insurance. You can imagine the mess that made when visiting the ER!
When I say anything at the post office all I get is a blank stare. I even had two packages ( ordered weeks apart) mailed from Grants Pass, the first when to NYC and then on to Boston and finally here. The second got a tour of. Washington DC before going onto the Maryland Eastern Shore before coming to my mailbox. Unfortunately neither had the verbal skills to tell how they enjoyed their free “tours”. Thank goodness we have tracking on packages.
As much as I like having postal drop boxes in convenient locations, I now limit my use of these boxes. Any mail containing a check gets mailed at the post office. Like many others, I have had checks stolen from drop boxes. Although going to the post office may be inconvenient, I urge everyone to reconsider their use of drop boxes.
Who sends snail mail anymore, or writes a check? WOT