By me
@dfollin (26944)
United States
December 21, 2025 12:19pm CST
I remember when I was a child our mailman brought the mail to our porch door where we had a black metal mailbox hanging and placed our letters in there. If there was a package he would open the screen door and place it in there on the floor! If we had letters to mail we stuck them in the box with them sticking out the top and he would take them.
When I was about 10 years old we moved to another house that had the mail slot opening on the front door and our mail was put in and outgoing removed the same way. Packages would just have to be left sitting on the porch. Oh well! Then people weren't stealing packages from people's porches!
As an adult most places have started where there is not door to door mail service anymore. We have to walk for blocks in whatever weather, no matter if we are sick or not to get out mail from a locked box.
I have received packages crammed in my box that was too tight for me to remove and I needed to get help. I have had things also broken which wouldn't of happened if the mail carrier would of brought it to my apartment like they were supposed to! And the outgoing mailbox are now shut. We were told both outgoing mail and mail to be returned because the person it is addressed to is not you has to be brought to the post office!
One apartment complex I lived at the mailboxes were in the buildings, the mailman brought the packages to our doors and there was outgoing mailboxes! He even gave us Christmas cards everyyear.
Over a month ago I mailed a package that got lost, then finally found. When I moved I had to pay $1.10 for a change of address that they didn't process! Ok $1.10 is not a lot but it's my $1.10.
And every July 13th USPS raises their rates!
Over a month ago I mailed a package that got lost, then finally found. When I moved I had to pay $1.10 for a change of address that they didn't process! Ok $1.10 is not a lot but it's my $1.10.
And every July 13th USPS raises their rates!6 people like this
5 responses
@DaddyEvil (164181)
• United States
21 Dec
Oh, I forgot you live in an apartment.
We still have the black mailbox on our front porch beside our front door and they pick mail up as well as take it away. I only have to go to the Post Office if I'm mailing a package. They'll drop packages off on the front porch behind the porch wall so nobody can see it from the street.
2 people like this
@dfollin (26944)
• United States
21 Dec
Like I said I have lived in other apartments that the mail boxes including outgoing letters in the hall. There are plenty of housing developments that have gazebos that you have to walk to and get your mail. Some are where there is no sidewalk for the mail carrier therefore the homeowner or renter has to have their mailbox at the driveway on the road where the carrier can just pul up and put your mail in.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (164181)
• United States
22 Dec
@dfollin We had a mailbox on the farm when I was growing up. The mailman would drive up, put the mail in the box and drive off again. If we had outgoing mail, we'd raise the flag on the box. Even if there wasn't any incoming mail, the mailman knew to stop and collect the outgoing mail.
1 person likes this
@dfollin (26944)
• United States
16h
@DaddyEvil That's how those mailboxes are that sit at the road. I was told that the reason the USPS stopped mail boxes being at the houses was because they would have dogs in their yard.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (183563)
• Boise, Idaho
22 Dec
Did you know that the mail used to be delivered up to 12 times a day? At least in London during the Victorian Era. No email back then and it was the way of communicating between households and high society.
I guess I am lucky to live where I do. I have rarely had any issues with the mail. (I hope that now that I have said that that it doesn't now go downhill around here.) I have heard of others in the US are having a lot of issues with their mailing too. USPS has had it's issues. Not enough money to make the upgrades it needs to stay relevant is among them. I wonder what will happen with it in the future.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (183563)
• Boise, Idaho
1h
@dfollin ......This back in Victorian times when mail was probably only a few pennies. This was how they kept in communication and a very important part of social interaction during that time.
@JudyEv (367915)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 Dec
Our mail system is nowhere near as good as it once was. No-one seems to really care anymore.
@LindaOHio (209099)
• United States
22 Dec
We never had to pay for a change of address in the past. Service has been acceptable for the most part except when I mailed that appeal for my hubby. I paid big bucks for guaranteed delivery by a certain date; and it didn't get there in time.
1 person likes this
@dfollin (26944)
• United States
16h
I know, it surprised me too. They apparently started it sometime between December 2017 and June 2022. And I had to do it online. The lady at the post office told me that they didn't have those cards anymore. When it didn't work when we changed to a bigger apartment in February the mail carrier told me that it didn't about a month later. I went down to the post office and a man there told me that they don't tell someone about how they can do it free and he handed me a packet.
1 person likes this
