Editordude: Our good friend and OBcean Judy Miller had a letter to the editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune printed the other day about the mailboxes in front of the OB Post Office — and it’s quite shocking actually. Here it is:
OB Post Office changes seen as unhelpful and dangerous
After 5 p.m., you can no longer mail a letter at the Ocean Beach Post Office. Outside, there used to be four mailboxes, accessible 24/7, but now there is only one, a strange-looking potbellied creature that is padlocked after 5 p.m.
Even worse, this new mailbox can be accessed only from the street side, which is dangerous for pedestrians: You must step off the curb, into the street, to use the only mail slot This is fine for vehicles, but unsafe for people on foot
The USPS should bringback the old mailboxes, which had safe access, 24/7, from both street and sidewalk.
— Judy Miller, San Diego
First, thank you Judy for bringing it all to our attention. Plus, we have to ask, are these missing mailboxes victims of the government shut-down — or are they victims of the DOGE-like cutbacks to the federal post office system? This new arrangement does not make any sense.
This is unbelievable! I know mail volume has gone down but this is ridiculous. Can’t post a letter after 5pm and only from the street side!!?? We have ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos. Somebody needs to complain to the PO staff (I’m sure it wasn’t their decision.)
Mail for people has become a luxury. It is for corporations to send purchases to people. My aunt used to knit sweaters for me and mail them to me. This was not unusual. How long has it been since you got a package from a person? A letters instead of a text? Even email is growing out of favor. How many people cannot read cursive? It’s a new world.
Agreed. I encountered this problem the other day. The front door is locked during these hours as well. I was taught to mail things from a post office as there’s less chance of a loss and I could not believe I could not mail a letter from the OB post office unless it was open. I knew there was a blue box on Santa Barbara and Newport so I walked there to mail the letter.
Almost the same thing in Hillcrest–four easy to access from you car mailboxes beside the P.O. now down to one and they took away the shoot so you have to get out of your car to drop your mail. Not as bad as OB but still another reduction in service with no notice. I assume it will get worse–specially as we near election time.
This was inevitable. I was advised by PO workers not to put any mail in the outside mailboxes due to theft. I mail things intermittently by handing my mail personally inside. I know this does not help with folks working full time but in these days of increased theft of checks it is the change we need to embrace.
Presumably all of those derelict “news” stands are still at the PO for decoration?
Scarcity of old-fashioned standard mail boxes is all about epidemic mail theft and “washing” of checks written in non-gel ink.
Two years ago my November property tax bill payment was stolen from the box in front of the La Jolla Post Office (on Wall Street!) The result was a month-before-Christmas without access to any credit card or bank account and a long secretive investigation in which I felt as suspect as any evil-doer. The matter was resolved in the new year without my ever finding out a single detail of the theft. I also issued a new check to the Tax Assessor, got a new credit card, purchased a gel pen and ever since have mailed any bill payment at the counter inside the Post Office.
Same scenario in Linda Vista at the Post Office on Comstock next to the fire station & across the street from the library. One box for the drive through lane.
Judy Miller sent the Rag the following update:
“I noticed on Saturday that the USPS had replaced the “strange-looking potbellied creature” with a slimmed-down mailbox, outside the O.B. Post Office. Replacement occurred the same week my letter appeared in the U-T. Could there be a connection, haha?
But, one still must step off the curb, to mail a letter; no mail slot on the sidewalk side, and, to me, that’s an ongoing safety issue.
I’m not sure if that street-side mail slot is still being locked at 5 PM; padlock is still there, however….”