Why Your Mailbox Arrangement Matters: Insights From Mail Carriers

There’s something your mail carrier is doing to your bills when putting them in your mailbox, and there is a good chance you haven’t even noticed it/

It’s easy to take mail delivery for granted when it seems like there is rarely anything in your mailbox worth keeping besides a couple of bills that need to be paid. But if you pay close attention, you might just catch your mail carrier doing something few notice along their routes.

Don’t Use This Envelope Color To Avoid Delays

Before we talk about what your mail carrier can do for you, let’s first discuss what YOU can do for your mail carrier when it comes to envelopes

An envelope that isn’t white usually means something fun, like a birthday card or an invitation to an event. But there is one particular color that could cause headaches for your mail carrier.

The week of Valentine’s Day typically means heavier bags for carriers. Unfortunately, issues connected to the annual celebration of love occur even before mail carriers head out for their routes.

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One mail carrier interviewed by Reader’s Digest revealed that the red envelopes most often sent around Valentine’s Day can delay processing. The outlet reported that the machines take longer to read addresses on red envelopes.

You’ll run the risk of your red-enveloped Valentine’s Day taking even longer to arrive at its destination if you use colored ink to write the address. That also causes the processing machines to work harder.

Maybe show your post office some love by not using a red envelope on Valentine’s Day.

Need another reason? Let’s look at something thoughtful your carrier is doing with your mail that you probably haven’t noticed.

Your Mail Carrier Organizes Your Mail A Special Way

While you may just bring your mail inside and toss it down on the counter, your mail carrier is likely using a rather smart system to organize everything in your mailbox.

Pay attention to the order of everything the next time you grab your mail. According to a Mental Floss report on the secrets of mail carriers, many organize your mail in a way that is more pleasing to the recipient. 

One carrier who spoke to the outlet revealed he puts things like birthday cards, letters and possibly checks on top of the pile since they tend to be “good news” items. Mail that likely has a bill inside is put toward the bottom of the stack along with any magazines or catalogs.

This is done along with organizing the mail by size. Smaller items are on top of the stack while larger items create a base on the bottom of the pile.