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What's The Deal With Those Mysterious Green Mailboxes?
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 9, 2012
Modified Feb 10, 2012
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 9, 2012
Modified Feb 10, 2012
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Have you walked by those green mailboxes before and wondered what their purpose was, but by the time you were near the Google Machine the question had vanished? Someone asked about them on Reddit NYC recently, which prompted us to start digging into what may or may not be a United States Postal Service conspiracy. Okay, it's probably not a conspiracy, but the whole green mailbox thing is a little weird, and here's why...
When we contacted a rep for the USPS, she told us, "The green mailboxes are referred to as Relay Boxes. These boxes are for official postal use only. Any further information regarding them is proprietary." Well, that was oddly mysterious. So we asked, if they are used, why were they removed in parts of Queens under the orders of Mr. Weiner, who called them "ugly" and "a thing of the past"? Our rep told us they may have been removed "If they were no longer needed," and has promised to find out if there are any specifics regarding their removal. But why would they be needed in parts of New York City and not in other parts? It just doesn't add up!
In the meantime, the USPS website apparently once had a definition on their website, though we can't find it now (the mystery deepens!). It allegedly said these boxes are "where letter carriers leave mail on the line of travel for later pickup and delivery by another letter carrier." So basically, if what they are saying is the whole truth, these boxes are used for the further delay of mail delivery/receival.
To FURTHER the conspiracy, now these bees make A LOT MORE SENSE:
Photo by Phillip Pond and Nim Lee
Tagged
drop box
green mailbox
mailbox
relay box
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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