GREENSBORO, N.C. — What is going on at Greensboro Post Offices? New mailboxes are going in and changing the direction, flow, and access.
WFMY News 2 viewer Janice wrote in and said:
I tried to mail a letter at the Post Office on Murrow Boulevard. They changed the direction of the mailboxes. I had to get out of the car. Will people have trouble, especially handicapped adults?
2 BIG CHANGES AT THE POST OFFICE
#1 DIRECTION
The line of new blue mailboxes at the Murrow Boulevard location are all facing the direction, but it's not the direction they used to face. You now have to get out and step up on a median to go to the box. The drive-thru lane is still there, but it's essentially useless because the boxes don't face the right way.
A USPS spokesperson said in an email:
We continually balance security with customer convenience when determining the location of blue collection boxes. There are also collection boxes inside the lobby of the post office, which is open 24 hours and accessible by wheelchair.
#2 THE NEW BOXES ONLY HAVE A SMALL SLIT
The new blue drop-off mailboxes have a slit. And it's small. There's no pull-down door and there's no opening big enough for a package.
The USPS says this new design is for security. but you know what else won't fit in here--something thieves use to steal mail.
2 Wants To Know did a story on a woman whose check was stolen out of a blue mailbox. Security experts at Norton Lifelock explain how thieves use old mailboxes to their advantage.
"They take a water bottle put some sticky stuff on it and kinda go fishing in the mailbox, they swirl it around, the sticky stuff picks up the mail, they pull it out and then they have all this mail," said Paige Hanson of Norton Lifelock.
The new mailboxes make it much harder for thieves to use that water bottle trick versus the older versions. A good rule of thumb to stick with is never to put mail in boxes after pick-up time--to sit overnight gives thieves an opportunity.