PHOTO: A USPS driver allegedly left this note on a vehicle in Lakewood

“This was put on my guest’s from out of town car parked a few feet before the box,” a local resident told TLS.

He added, “The mailman has done this before. He screamed at someone and said, tell the guy who lives here he’s not getting his mail because you parked like a (moderated)!”

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35 COMMENTS

  1. Good for the mail carrier.
    They have a job to do and nincompoops don`t make their lives easy.
    It`s bad enough that kids tail them like they are giving out free candy.
    Remember these are people who just wanted to make an honest living delivering mail they don`t want to network and socialize.
    Let them park and do their jobs
    Your guest was very inconsiderate of everyone in the complex.
    There is not heter not to obey simple parking rules

  2. Why is it that the mailman has no problem getting out of his truck to deliver into the mailboxes affixed to the older (Mexican) houses, yet the new houses who have mailboxes at the street, they get so mad 8f someone parks there????

    • The note left by the mailman was uncalled for and so was your reference to older Mexican houses. Who lives in them doesn’t matter. The Post Office use of curb side delivery and mail trucks is meant to expedite mail delivery and reduce personnel costs. The frustration of the mail carrier is because the amount of time he is expected to complete his route factors in both door delivery and curb delivery.
      .

  3. Although I understand the mailmans frustration there is no law against blocking the mail boxes and in a lot of developments there is no choice but to block them especially on Shabbos

  4. When you don’t have competition you don’t have to be nice to your customers. That’s why government offices are such unpleasant places to visit. Their technology is behind the times, the people who work there don’t have to exert themselves or be polite and there doesn’t have to be any customer service. Even if the car was blocking the mailbox and the driver had to leave that card, that message was totally uncalled for. In a normal competitive business situation that driver would not have behaved that way for fear of losing his job.

  5. Typical government employee behavior.

    As already stated, they don’t have any competition, and therefore can act in any which way they want, with no consequences.

    DMV, USPS, Social services office, etc etc. All the same story.

    P. S. USPS in lkwd moved into a brand new location a year or two ago.

    They built the front counter with TWO desks for cashiers. TWO for the whole lakewood.

    Sometimes the line is 45 minutes long.

    • They did not build a new location for the USPS, they updated an old building to cut costs. the old building only had 2 desks in the past because it was used ONLY for businesses in the past. To remodel the building would have cost thousands of dollars that why where trying to save at the time (this was all in the papers).

  6. no one should block any mailbox, let the mailman do his or her job, there are no rules about it. , the mail boxes are placed on the side of the road for that reason don’t be inconsiderate

  7. As one that lives near a school and has my mailbox often blocked (even though there is a sign requesting not to block the mailbox) I often wonder if the people parking and blocking my mailbox know how to read!

  8. A mailman’s job description is to deliver mail……..
    It doesn’t matter if someone’s blocking the mail box there’s no law against it and that maip man is not doing his job

    • From USPS manual:

      3.1.4 Clear Approach
      Customers must keep the approach to their mailboxes clear of obstructions to allow safe access for delivery. If USPS employees are impeded in reaching a mail receptacle, the postmaster may withdraw delivery service.

      • Thank you for the USPS code. It is true you have to keep the approach to mailbox clear or the post office does not have to deliver your mail. Just comply and there will be no issues. How hard is it to do the right thing?

  9. I sometimes don’t get my mail either, even though there’s lots of room on my block, some people still park too close to the mail box. The mail person puts a note inside my box to tell me, as if I even know who is parking there!
    Some homes have mail boxes right up by their front doors and the mail gets delivered there, so the mail people have to get out of their trucks and walk to the boxes, but, where I live the mail person has to be able to drive up to the box and then way from the box, so he needs clearance. In developments, I suppose the mail boxes shouldn’t be obstructed. I think it isn’t really fair that people in developments have to walk so far to get their mail. I used to live in the Yeshiva apts. years ago and every entranceway had its own boxes, then everything changed and boxes were put only in one spot, outside at the end of the block. I don’t think it’s fair that mail delivery isn’t the same for everyone. I wouldn’t want to have to walk to the end of my street to get my mail. (I know in some rural areas mail may be delivered at the bottom of a road or across the road from where one lives.) Well, c’est la vie

  10. Let’s not lump all government workers together just because of this one bad apple. The Postmaster General saw fit to put only two service desk at the Swarthmore location. Yet I always find the clerks very polite, even when the lines extend down the hallway and the customers are getting edgy.

  11. Everyone knows this but not everyone abides by it. TIP YOUR MAILMAN, Say thank you and you will never have a problem. It can be a cold drink or some warm food and you will get whatever you need with a smile. Your mail will be delivered to your door. BUT DON’T FORGET to TIP HIM at least once a year. I have never had a problem with any of the shipping companies. JUST REMEMBER to TIP them. I get my mail everyday and delivered to my door during high Snows.

  12. If a mailbox is blocked as per the postmaster a mailman does NOT deliver mail and check I thought it is a federal offense to block/tamper with mail

  13. I would like to remind the wonderful beautiful Lakewood community that there is another job that every single USPS driver has to do during his regular job and that is ; as he approaches the curb to deliver your mail to your box, he has to slow down and take a good look on the street to make sure that there are no broken beer bottles near the curb. Imagine getting a flat tire at 12 noon and it’s 90 degrees outside.

  14. One person blocks the mailboxes and everyone else has to suffer. Just more of the lack of common sense and courtesy that keeps the focus on us all. There is no excuse for it and please don’t use Shabbos as an excuse.

  15. Something doesn’t add up. Either it becomes against the law to park near mailboxes or the mailman must deliver regardless. How can I prevent people from parking in front of my house and “blocking” my mailbox? The mailman won’t deliver my mail if a car is too close, but I can’t stop people from parking there!

  16. I notice alot of times pple from outside Lakewood block mailboxes cuz they don’t know any better. Another problem is blocks with huge driveways and no parking. They make pple have 4 car driveways. It’s hard for pple to park one car behind the other so they park in the street which has barely any parking besides by mailboxes

    • The developers are required to make 4 paring spaces per unit. They often request, and are granted by the Lakewood Planning Board a design waiver to pave them the long way (where you need to pull in behind the other car).
      I suggest that prospective home buyers relate to the developers that they find the regular parking driveways more appealing to them and that in turn will set the ball rolling to alleviate these issues.

      Alternatively, citizens of Lakewood can attend public hearings at the planning board and request that these design waivers not be granted.

  17. Some basic manners don’t need to be written in a law book. There is no law to hold the door for someone or to say thank-you. Just use your head and think, it’s the basics. I’ve seen my neighbors park their cars sticking out blocking the sidewalks, only because they don’t think. People don’t straighten out their cars properly in parking lots, to leave room for others, because they don’t think.
    Let’s start thinking, most troubles won’t even begin.

  18. Cars should absolutely 100% not block mailboxes which may cause the mailman to exit the vehicle. With that said i say to the Lakewood mailman to take a chill & not get so worked up because the car was blocking & had to leave the vehicle. Lakewood Mailman look at the bright side & appreciate what you have that A mailman from Brooklyn doesn’t have.you have a mail truck to go in to do your job & yes sometimes you have to exit to put a box on the porch or because a car is blocking so live with it. A mailman in Brooklyn does not have a vehicle & walks the streets with 2 feet delivering in RAIN,SUN or SNOW. So tomorrow morning when you sit down in your mail truck look at the staring wheel & say out loud “Thank G-D I Deliver Mail In The beautiful Town Of Lakewood”

  19. Treat others as you want to be treated and park your car in front of a home the way you want other cars to be parked in front of your home. Simple as that.

  20. For the one who published the laws about blocking mailboxes you skipped parts out.
    It says if the mailbox is blocked consistly the service can be pulled . In the meanwhile the driver has to get out to deliver the mail.
    I had a driver pass my mailbox bec. The garbage cans were a few feet away . I tried with my car and as able to reach no problem.
    I went down the block to talk to him but he wasn’t interested. Unfortunately he thought I was the resident of the house he was up to so he did not pull up to the mAil box and tried to hand me the mail. I explained I just wanted to talk to him. He ended up driving off without delivering that fellows mail either !

  21. You are not allowed to block anyone’s mailbox whether it be on a township street or a county or state road. If you do,as in my case, I have been instructed by the Lakewood Police Department to call them so they can issue summonses. The same thing applies to blocking garbage and recycle cans as well as driveways. People on the West side of the township had better take note of this. Today my garbage stuff was not picked up probably because of you parking your vehicles on my street.

  22. The mailman is instructed to not get out of vehicle due to dogs, injuries, etc. If the box is blocked, he will try again the next day. For their safety they are required to drive on if box not accessible. Granted, bad choice on note! They are overworked and under appreciated!

Comments are closed.