CARRIERS NOT REQUIRED TO STOP FOR MAIL PICKUPS

When you have a letter or package to mail, there are literally thousands of ways to get it to the United States Post Office.

One of those ways is NOT placing a letter into a personal mail box in city residential areas which have door delivery.

"Carriers will pick up mail only when making deliveries to a door mail box," said Matthew Peters, manager of customer service at the Cape Girardeau Post Office. "Many of our carriers will stop by as a good-will gesture, but it is not a requirement."

The explanation comes in response to some recent criticisms from residents who have left mail in their door boxes to be picked up. Another criticism concerns delivering mail to the wrong address in recent weeks.

The Post Office, like many businesses, turned to more part-time help during the holidays. "This may have resulted in some deliveries to the wrong address," Peters said.

As for getting mail to the post office, there are over 40,000 post offices around the country where you can deposit mail. There are also over 292,000 regular and 26,000 Express Mail collection boxes.

If you live on a rural route, you can buy stamps from your rural carrier to place on your letters, which you can then put in your roadside box. Raise the flag and your carrier will pick up your mail and carry it to the post office.

You can also mail parcels (up to 16 ounces), send registered or certified mail, insure your packages, or buy almost any other postal product or service through your rural carrier.

If you receive curb-line delivery service from a city letter carrier -- and there are some of these in Cape Girardeau -- you can place postage-affixed mail in your mailbox. Raise the flag and your carrier will collect the mail.

But according to "Publication 201, Consumer's Guide to United States Postal Services & Products," in residential areas with door deliveries, carriers will pick up mail only when making deliveries.

In the northern areas of Cape Girardeau, residents receive mail about 90 percent of the time. That's not the case in southern areas of the city, said Peters. The percentage drops to 60 to 65 percent there.

For a small fee, the post office will make a special trip to you to pick up as many prepaid Express Mail and Priority Mail packages as you have to mail, along with other pieces of mail that you wish to deposit as long as they fit in the vehicle. Information for scheduled pickups is available by calling 1-800-222-1811.