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Discussion => Shipping => Topic started by: weedhead on April 20, 2012, 03:44 am

Title: How do USPS collection boxes work?
Post by: weedhead on April 20, 2012, 03:44 am
Hi there,

I'm wonder if anyone has ever seen what they do when they get the mail from the blue USPS collection boxes.  Is there a big bag in each, and they just switch the bags when they pick it up?  Maybe those plasic USPS Boxes inside that everything falls into?

If they use bags, does anyone know if they have serial numbers?

I guess what I'm asking is can the PO Really trace a package back to a specific collection box without the mail person just happen to remember where they picked it up from?
Title: Re: How do USPS collection boxes work?
Post by: wretched on April 20, 2012, 04:10 am
plastic boxes and yes I think they can trace it back to the box
Title: Re: How do USPS collection boxes work?
Post by: hunter2 on April 20, 2012, 04:21 am
They can narrow it down now to what drop box the letter has been put into.
I have seen them do this.
They put the letters in separate trays for each different mail box and they scan each letter and assign it to that tray, Ever since the anthrax scare, they needed a way to track mail better.
Title: Re: How do USPS collection boxes work?
Post by: mdmamail on April 20, 2012, 05:41 am
You can look up the USPS employee handbook or union book and I bet it will have all the procedures there. In Canada they only scan the box to show they were actually there, it's not to trace the mail, rather make sure the employee isn't slackin and skipping boxes to pickup.



Title: Re: How do USPS collection boxes work?
Post by: Regicide on April 20, 2012, 06:15 am
You can look up the USPS employee handbook or union book and I bet it will have all the procedures there. In Canada they only scan the box to show they were actually there, it's not to trace the mail, rather make sure the employee isn't slackin and skipping boxes to pickup.

I can confirm this fact about Canada Post. There is no traceability to the drop box that was used other than knowing what package you're interested at the time of pickup.

It is interesting to know that USPS actually tarces the origin of all their mail. How do they do this? Do they stamp the mail? Not all mail has tracking numbers and/or barcodes so this seems like a lot of work.
Title: Re: How do USPS collection boxes work?
Post by: nugz on April 20, 2012, 08:00 am
Quote
It is interesting to know that USPS actually tarces the origin of all their mail. How do they do this? Do they stamp the mail? Not all mail has tracking numbers and/or barcodes so this seems like a lot of work.

Everything is supposed to be post marked before it leaves its origin PO.  Guess I'm not sure what your refering to unless they optically scan everything, which I wouldn't put past them...