The Postal Service helps keep American commerce moving — literally. The organization has more than 228,000 vehicles, one of the largest civilian fleets in the world. On a typical day, these vehicles help USPS to deliver more than 470 million mailpieces to about 160 million addresses, including more packages to homes than any other business. […]
Earth Day, which is Wednesday, April 22, was first celebrated in 1970 and is credited with starting the environmental movement in the United States. Here are three facts to mark its 50th anniversary. 1. An oil spill led to the creation of Earth Day. On Jan. 28, 1969, an oil well off the coast of […]
Rural Carrier Lisa Floyd was delivering mail on a hot day last year in Alexander, AR, when she spotted an older customer in distress. The man relies on a mobility scooter, which had overturned in a ditch near his home. Floyd rushed to the customer’s aid but was unable to lift the scooter on her […]
The Postal Service is sharing new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the use of face coverings to help guard against COVID-19. CDC now recommends that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures, such as standing 6 feet apart, are difficult to maintain. USPS […]
In a time when the nation’s commerce is increasingly moving online, the USPS Click-N-Ship service makes it easy for customers to send packages from their home or office. To use Click-N-Ship, customers must set up a free usps.com account, which they can use to make labels for their packages. For each label, the customer must […]
The Maine Statehood Forever stamp, featuring Edward Hopper’s “Sea at Ogunquit” painting, was released March 15. Here are five facts about the artist (1882-1967). 1. Hopper studied at the New York School of Art and Design. While at the school, which later became the Parsons School of Design, he was influenced by the works of […]
City Carrier Assistant Peter Duncan was recently delivering mail in a Canton, MI, neighborhood when he spotted an 86-year-old customer sprawled out on her driveway. Duncan rushed to check on the woman, who had fallen and struck her head. The Postal Service employee immediately called 911 and comforted her until paramedics arrived. The customer is […]
“Her story” was a fabulous read. I enjoyed learning about Sgt. Hilda Griggs, who helped process mail during World War II as a member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a group made up only of African American women. […]
The Postal Service is providing retail employees with new guidelines to help them practice social distancing on the job during the coronavirus pandemic. The guidelines are based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which advises people to stay at least 6 feet apart from each other in public to help prevent […]
Here are some things you may not have known about April Fools’ Day and its history of good-natured humor. 1. The origins of April Fools’ Day are unclear. Some historians believe the day’s customs stem from a calendar change in 16th-century France, when the Gregorian calendar was adopted and New Year’s Day moved from April […]
USPS offers a variety of services to help customers manage their package deliveries — a particularly useful benefit in a time when people are having more products shipped to their homes. For example, Package Intercept allows a sender or recipient to stop delivery or redirect an incoming package or letter. Most domestic mailings with a […]
City Carrier Assistant Brittany Buck was recently delivering mail in Hartford, MI, when she spotted two toddlers in harm’s way. The girls, around 1 and 2 years old, were in the middle of a road, clothed only in soiled diapers. Buck immediately called 911 and protected the children from traffic until emergency responders arrived to […]
I’m a big Benjamin Franklin fan, so I enjoyed the “Franklin’s mint condition” article. It was informative and useful. […]
The Postal Service is encouraging employees who don’t use direct deposit to receive their paychecks to sign up as soon as possible to avoid potential network disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. While no disruptions are expected, the organization wants employees to enroll in the direct deposit option as a precaution. Employees who already have […]
As the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic evolves — disrupting daily life from coast to coast — Postal Service employees are continuing to proudly serve their communities, reinforcing the fact that USPS is part of America’s critical infrastructure. “People are depending on us,” said Joseph Kittles, a mail handler at the Northern Virginia Processing […]
The Postal Service wants employees to know there are specific shipping restrictions for hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes that contain alcohol. As result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the organization is seeing an increase in the number of customers attempting to ship hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes, which are widely used to help prevent transmission […]
When it comes to communicating, word-of-mouth is sometimes the best method. This is why the Postal Service uses stand-up talks to deliver important information to employees. Managers, supervisors and others deliver the talks, which tend to focus on a single topic at a time, such as safety, customer service and business matters. Most talks last […]
To help mark the release of the Maine Statehood Forever stamp, here are five facts you should know. 1. Maine is a product of the Ice Age. A glacier cut the coastline into the hundreds of bays, inlets and harbors that make up the state we know today. Viking explorer Leif Erikson and his crew […]
Congratulations to Link on receiving a Ragan’s Employee Communications Award. I truly enjoy reading the news site and “Heroes’ Corner” every day. […]
It was the first day of school last September in Honeoye Falls, NY, when Letter Carrier Kim Neder Carey came upon a 7-year-old boy sobbing outside his apartment. When Carey asked the child if she could help him, at first he declined, saying he wasn’t supposed to talk to strangers. But it soon dawned on […]
If you work for the Postal Service, you’re required to provide the organization with your current mailing address. This allows USPS to send you communications about health, payroll, benefits and other important matters. You can use the Life Changes LiteBlue page to update your address and other information, including your emergency contacts and beneficiaries. If […]
The Postal Service knows that informed customers are the best customers. This is why the organization works to keep the public updated on service disruptions caused by emergencies, bad weather and natural disasters. Residential customers and small businesses can go to USPS Service Alerts, a section on usps.com, to find out if mail is being […]
To help mark the arrival of the Arnold Palmer Forever stamp, here are seven facts about the golf icon. 1. Palmer helped transform golf into a sport for the masses. The native of working-class Latrobe, PA, learned the sport from his father, who worked as course superintendent at the Latrobe Country Club. This allowed young […]
Rural Carrier Kathryn Lidstrom was recently delivering mail in a Fairfield, MT, neighborhood when she noticed an older customer operating a weed trimmer near an irrigation ditch on his property. Shortly afterward, the man was nowhere to be seen, which worried Lidstrom. She stopped to check in the ditch, where she spotted the customer, who […]
The “Heroes’ Corner” story about Sara Mikoulinskii, a Neenah, WI, city carrier assistant who helped a girl having a seizure, was great. Kudos to Ms. Mikoulinskii. […]
The Postal Service has again been named the top government agency for multicultural business opportunities. For the ninth consecutive year, Omnikal, a social media and networking organization that promotes business inclusiveness, has given USPS its top Omni50 Award in recognition of the Postal Service’s efforts to offer opportunities to multicultural small businesses and entrepreneurs. USPS […]
The Postal Service has a reminder for employees: Voyager credit cards are to be used only to purchase fuel for postal vehicles. If you have a USPS-issued Voyager card, don’t use it to buy food, drinks, or fuel for a personal vehicle. Doing so violates the misuse of property provision of the standards of ethical […]
USPS offers a variety of products and services at affordable prices — as well as a lot of material at no cost to customers. For example, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express boxes, envelopes and labels are available at no charge, along with international mailing products and customs forms. Customers can order these materials at […]
This Friday is the month’s 13th day. To help you get ready, here are seven facts about a date that some consider to be anything but lucky. 1. Friday the 13th’s unlucky origins are a mystery. It’s unclear when pairing Friday and the number 13 became synonymous with bad luck. Historians have linked the day […]
Letter Carrier Kirk Miller was delivering mail on an August day last year in Danville, PA, when he came upon a customer facedown in a yard. Miller rushed to aid the man, who had passed out and hit his head. The Postal Service employee immediately called 911 and, suspecting heat-related illnesses, shielded the man from […]