The following is an open letter to Canada Post in Walkerton regarding post office staff directing mail into post office boxes.
Recently our son died, and we were the recipients of a flood of sympathy cards and letters from all over the province. At least half of them were returned to the senders as a result of the new policy of not delivering mail without a post office box number. And of course, post office staff are forbidden to disclose box numbers to customers.
We live in a small town, and most post office staff know our box number (and did place several pieces of mail in our box, in spite of the order) but the rule generally prevailed, and those cards and letters were returned to the senders.
We appreciate that looking up a post office box number is an extra step that takes time (and therefore money). However, in the next town, eight kilometres away, letters arrive at the post office, get sorted by neighbourhoods, are given to paid letter carriers, and get dropped into house mailboxes all over town. For the same stamp!
I think it is contemptuous of your customers who use post office boxes, that you could not provide a paid employee, half-days, to assist in directing mail to the correct box, when it seems to be no problem in other towns to have a small army of people to walk the streets providing household delivery.
Robert McCulloch
Walkerton
