USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail, Starting Now
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The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is no stranger to change, but these days, it feels like the agency is always switching things up. There are a few reasons for that, of course. For one thing, the USPS is in the midst of a major 10-year operational overhaul under its Delivering for America (DFA) plan, which began in 2021 and has included a number of changes designed to help get the agency out of its financial hole. Then there are other necessary updates outside of the DFA. Lately, stopping the spike in mail theft has been a priority for the USPS—and, of course, there’s also the need to give customers new mailing options to keep them loyal. With all that in mind, read on for a look at some of the newest USPS changes.
RELATED: USPS Is Asking for These Changes to Your Mailbox .
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If you’ve noticed your community’s blue collection mailboxes looking a bit different, you’re not alone. A woman from Billings, Montana, recently reached out to her local news station KULR to ask about a change in some of the post office drop boxes in her town.
Resident Barb Tuell said the new mailboxes require people to get out of their car to put their mail inside, when they were previously able to drive through and drop things off with the old ones. The team at KULR also found that the gap is much smaller than before, limiting the drop box to letters and envelopes only.
“That was a pain,” resident Charles Williams told the news outlet. “It defeats the whole purpose of the mailbox being a drive-thru.”
RELATED: See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says .
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Despite frustrations from customers, the USPS is well aware that its new drop boxes may be harder to use. But that’s because they’ve been designed to make it harder for criminals to steal mail from inside.
In a May 12 press release , the USPS announced that it would be cracking down on mail theft by rolling out expanded crime prevention measures, including the installation of 12,000 “high security” blue collection boxes nationwide.
Kim Frum , a strategic communications specialist with the Postal Service, told KULR that the new post office drop boxes spotted in Billings are part of the agency’s efforts to protect its collection boxes.
“These boxes are being deployed across the country through the next fiscal year,” Frum explained to the news outlet. “The post office will continue to evaluate additional existing blue collection boxes with these enhanced boxes.”
The agency has also made it clear that it has no plans to pull back when it comes to changing mailboxes across the U.S.
“Recognizing these ongoing safety threats, we have been—and will continue to—implement an engaged, robust nationwide initiative to harden blue collection boxes,” a Postal Service spokesperson told WKRC.
RELATED: USPS Warns “Mail Service Could Be Halted”—Even If You’re Following the Rules .
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The rollout of new high security blue collection boxes is not the only USPS change causing controversy at the moment. As part of its larger DFA initiative, the Postal Service is also planning to modernize its delivery and processing network by consolidating facilities across the nation.
In an April 27 press release , the agency announced that it already has six new “larger, centrally located” Sorting and Delivery Centers (S&DCs) opening, and designs underway for 11 “purpose-built or purpose-redesigned” Regional Processing and Distribution Centers (RPDCs).
The Postal Service isn’t stopping there either, as it revealed that it is expecting to open about 60 RPDCs across the U.S. in the coming years, and that it is currently evaluating over 100 new S&DC locations nationwide. But the USPS is now experiencing bipartisan pushback on its planned consolidation changes, Government Executive recently reported.
In a July 26 letter addressed to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy , Republican Congressman Bill Huizenga expressed concerns around how the agency’s plans to open an S&DC near Kalamazoo, Michigan, would affect mail delivery in the community.
“Mail carriers would be required to divert to this single center to pick up the mail before proceeding on their route,” Huizenga wrote. “As a result, the workforce would be stretched thin, having to travel much farther to reach the communities they serve. Residents in these areas, including the many older households, rely on prompt mail delivery for time-sensitive materials like medical bills and financial documents.”
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Not all changes are controversial, of course. On the lighter side, customers will soon be able to get their hands on new USPS stamps.
In an Aug. 3 press release , the agency announced that it would be rolling out a series next month to “celebrate the fun of piñatas.” This piñata-based collection is set to drop on Sept. 8 as a “booklet of 20 colorful and festive Forever stamps,” according to the announcement.
“The Piñatas! stamps feature four vibrant illustrations of the traditional Mexican party favorite,” the USPS said, noting that they were designed by artist Victor Meléndez . “Two are of a donkey with either a bright pink or orange background, and two feature a seven-point star set against either a purple or green background.”
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0512-usps-postal-inspection-service-roll-out-expanded-measures-to-crack-down-on-mail-theft.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0427-usps-improving-service-reliability-in-first-two-years-of-dfa.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0803ma-celebrate-your-festivities-with-usps-pinatas-stamps.htm
See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says
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Your mailbox serves a very simple purpose: receiving mail and leaving outgoing mail for a carrier to pick up. Still, some of us enjoy sprucing up our mailboxes, adding personal flair, color, or even decals to help an otherwise standard mailbox stand out. But if you notice a paw print sticker on your mailbox that you didn’t add, don’t start peeling it off just yet—it’s likely part of a program run by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to help keep carriers safe. Read on to find out what these stickers mean and why you shouldn’t remove them.
RELATED: USPS Wants to Raise the Price of Your Mail Again—Here’s When It Could Happen .
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In 2023, more than 5,800 Postal Service workers were attacked by dogs while delivering mail, up from 5,300 in 2022, according to a USPS press release.
Larger cities had the highest numbers of attacks, with Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cleveland claiming the top five spots.
“Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day,” said letter carrier Tara Snyder . “I know, from experience, even when a dog is in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t push it open and bite the letter carrier.”
To her point, the USPS writes that “all dogs can bite, even those perceived as nonaggressive.” In fact, many of the attacks that letter carriers report are by dogs whose owners told them, “My dog won’t bite.”
Such an attack can result in consequences for the homeowner, too. According to data from the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite is $64,555, the USPS states.
“When a postal employee suffers an injury, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee,” they explain.
RELATED: USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail, Starting Now .
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To combat dog bites, the Postal Service shared tips on how pet owners can “support safe mail delivery.” These include keeping dogs inside the house or behind a fence, away from the door or in another room, or on a leash.
“Pet owners also should remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child,” they state.
Mail carriers also follow protocol to keep them aware of areas where dogs might be present, and they’re equipped with scanners to remind them of possible dog hazards, as well as dog warning cards that are added during mail sorting.
In 2020, the USPS added another preventive measure: the PAWS Program . First introduced in Pennsylvania, the program uses mailbox stickers to keep carriers safe.
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The PAWS Program uses color-coded stickers affixed to mailboxes to inform mail carriers about dogs in the area. An orange sticker with a black paw print tells carriers that there is a dog at this home, while a yellow sticker with a black paw print tells them there is a dog at the next house.
Citizens are informed ahead of time that the stickers may appear on their mailboxes. In a notice sent to Lakewood, Ohio, residents, the Postal Service wrote, “Carriers will soon be placing a paw sticker on mailboxes to indicate that a dog or dogs live in the area —yellow indicates dog nearby/orange indicates dog at residence. The sticker will act as a reminder to the carrier that they should proceed with caution, especially when delivering packages to the door.”
RELATED: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Resigns—What It Means for the USPS and Your Mail .
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Removing these stickers may do more harm than good, as your mail service can be halted if your carrier feels unsafe. Not only does this affect the home of the dog owner, but it also applies to the entire neighborhood, the USPS said in a previous press release . Service isn’t restored in these instances “until the aggressive dog is properly restrained.”
At the end of the day, these stickers are put in place to “reduce the risk of dog bites and attacks that occur while delivering mail,” which is just another reason you should leave the sticker on your mailbox.
“We all love our dogs,” Kimberly Tilley , acting postmaster for Winston-Salem, told WGHP. “We love our animals, but we … have to take responsibility to protect the carrier and the people around us as well from our animals.”
Tilley added that dog bites are more common than you think, and they can be traumatic for carriers. “Once a carrier has been bit, it sets some fear in them long term for the rest of their life,” she told the outlet.
However, although these stickers are strongly recommended, if you object to having a sticker placed on your mailbox, you can opt out , Kyle Stevens , Southwest Carrier Annex station manager in South Dakota, told KELO in 2021. To do so, the first step would be to contact your local post office.
This story has been updated to include additional entries, fact-checking, and copy-editing.
