Mail Call

[twogypsies]

It's best to go to the U.S. Post Office site and enter the 'small' town you want mail shipped General Delivery. When the information comes up you can see what services they offer.


Bryce Canyon City, UT is located in Ruby's Inn/RV Park. According to their information they do not accept General Delivery.


Panguitch, UT (& other closer post offices on Hwy 12) do accept General Delivery according to their services offered as listed on the website.

[okmunky]

I checked the USPS website for the Post Office at 4700 W Valencia Rd in Tucson, AZ and it says that one of their services is General Delivery. See for yourself.

https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorD...ude=-111.06501

But when I stopped to see if my mail had come in the clerk told me that the website has incorrect information and only the main Post Office in downtown Tucson accepts General Delivery mail. I've been checking the tracking numbers daily, but I bet I'll end up chasing all over Tucson to get it.

My point is ASK a human, the website cannot be trusted to be accurate. This is USPS after all.

[paz]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

Huh? We did it for 20 years with no problems and we never called beforehand to alert them. We even has one shipment sent to a small post office in Arkansas and when we walked in the first thing they said was "you must be the .....'s". We were waiting for you and want to hear your story.

Another one had just received a shipment for baby chicks for a local farmer. They were chirping in the background.

It's the big cities where you'd have problems, not small towns.

I said SOME towns don't accept General Delivery. Most do, but there are a few, rare instances where they don't. We never called ahead either - at least we didn't until that time I referred to in my first post when we had our mail returned to sender by the postmaster of a small town. Now we always call if it's a town we have never had mail sent to before.

[RMD3819]

I'll share my first experience with general delivery.

Went to the post office and the 82 year old woman at the counter was the postmaster (postmistress?). She said they do accept GD but it must be addressed exactly as I tell you. She writes it down and hands it to me, adding that the zip code for GD is the same as for their PO boxes. Found out later that in the USPS system this zip code is only used for PO boxes and not street addresses or anything else, including GD.

It turns out that the USPS site does not list them as accepting GD. This means that a GD address will be rejected by the USPS "standardized address" system many online websites use. Sometimes you can override this, sometimes not. The address verification system wanted to change the GD postoffice to the one in the larger next town. This meant that I had to contact every seller and tell them to accept the address on the order and not the USPS suggested address.

Worked out in the end but I do a lot of online buying and this was a pain.

[okmunky]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

I'll share my first experience with general delivery.

Went to the post office and the 82 year old woman at the counter was the postmaster (postmistress?). She said they do accept GD but it must be addressed exactly as I tell you. She writes it down and hands it to me, adding that the zip code for GD is the same as for their PO boxes. Found out later that in the USPS system this zip code is only used for PO boxes and not street addresses or anything else, including GD.

It turns out that the USPS site does not list them as accepting GD. This means that a GD address will be rejected by the USPS "standardized address" system many online websites use. Sometimes you can override this, sometimes not. The address verification system wanted to change the GD postoffice to the one in the larger next town. This meant that I had to contact every seller and tell them to accept the address on the order and not the USPS suggested address.

Worked out in the end but I do a lot of online buying and this was a pain.

I shop online as well and when I'm in or near a larger city I try to buy on Amazon. They have lockers outside many 24 hour businesses. They put your package in a slot and then send you an email with a bar code and a code you can type in on the screen. Enter your code and a door pops open and there is your package!

[Sue46]

We encountered a post office that will only accept General Delivery from USPS. If Fedex or UPS tries to deliver a General Delivery package it is rejected. But then, we have had PO's that accept any General Delivery. The USPS is very inconsistent from PO to PO.

[oatmeal]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

Huh? We did it for 20 years with no problems and we never called beforehand to alert them.
...
It's the big cities where you'd have problems, not small towns.

I don't get it. In another thread, I told you about a problem I had with general delivery in a Kansas town (population 4,000), where they were fixing to send it back because I hadn't told them it was coming and I just happened to get there in time.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f92/simpl...ml#post3296974

And paz, in the post you're replying to, recounted a similar general delivery problem in a small town, but with less happy results.

And you reply that general delivery isn't a problem in small towns.

Maybe things have changed since you actually used general delivery, or maybe they haven't andyou just didn't happen to have any problem with it. But unless you think we're lying, or unless you can't remember what we said, I don't understand how you can say that general delivery won't be a problem in a small town, and it isn't even necessary to call in advance. Or why you'd want to say it.

My experience has led me to this procedure: check the website to find general delivery locations, call that location and speak to a person, and ask them how exactly the package should be addressed.

[Barbaraok]

This will be our 11th summer, never, ever have called a PO and asked if they take General Delivery. I pick the town, go to the PO web site and get the ZIP code for that town with the street address as General Delivery. Since our mail comes as a priority mail, with a tracking number, they will be the ones trying to retrieve it if they don't have it when I go to pick it up after they have scanned it in as received.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by Barbaraok

This will be our 11th summer, never, ever have called a PO and asked if they take General Delivery. I pick the town, go to the PO web site and get the ZIP code for that town with the street address as General Delivery. Since our mail comes as a priority mail, with a tracking number, they will be the ones trying to retrieve it if they don't have it when I go to pick it up after they have scanned it in as received.

Exactly.

OATMEAL: I was just relating how it worked for us during many years as recently as two years ago. I didn't say you were lying. Our experience was just different than you for some reason. Furthermore, as we have many full-timing friends, they seem to do it the same way. I honestly haven't heard of anyone in our circle having problems with this way. Ours was always sent Priority by Escapees so I don't know if that would make a difference but I can't imagine it would. Our friends use Escapees, also. Strange, indeed.

[JFXG]

My guess is that the instances of difficulty with GD are few and far between-- almost statistically insignificant. We haven't had a GD problem. But small towns are so much better and direct at problem solving.

A couple of years ago we were headed east on I-80. We only do about 200-225 per day. I had had my mail sent to Cozad, NE (I think it was Cozad) for GD because I knew we'd be passing there. Of course, something altered the plan and our whole route had to change. I just called the PO and they kindly offered to forward my GD mail to any other PO I wanted.
Another time, in New England, my forwarded mail from SKP was marked as delivered to us on Coldbrook Rd. Not so. I went to the PO and spoke to the man there. Without a word he picked up his phone and dialed. "Hi Sally, it's Tommy. You got a package 's not yaws?" "OK, thanks, I'll have Murph pick it up. See ya". Turns to me: "Those guys that bring the Priority don't live heah, so they don't know the streets perfect. We'll have ya stuff heah this afta."

Turns out the town has a Coldbrook Rd AND an Old Coldbrook Rd, and Sally and I had the same address number.
Gotta love it!

[vsheetz]

America's Mailbox here. Recommended.

[okmunky]

I have had problems with some large retailers like Amazon not allowing me to enter an address exactly like a mail service wants it addressed. I was in Quartzsite Jan and Feb and used a local mail service so I could get packages sent via FedEx and UPS as well as USPS mail. They wanted me to use an address that had a Zip code that indicated it was a PO. Amazon's "smart" system would say there was an error and would not allow it to be used. Sometimes you have to out smart that "smart" system. Royal PIA!

[oatmeal]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

Ours was always sent Priority by Escapees so I don't know if that would make a difference but I can't imagine it would. Our friends use Escapees, also. Strange, indeed.

I also can't imagine how the identity of the person addressing the parcel could possibly make a difference in how the receiving post office accepts general delivery mail.

And okmunky, I'm with you on the tyranny of the "acceptable" addresses. I wish they'd just let me put what I want if I'm willing to take the risk.