A United States Postal Service mail driver’s public service announcement for those who let cars park in front of their mailboxes has provoked a varied response on TikTok.
In her video which has been viewed more than 300,000 views as of Saturday, USPS driver Lacey (@punkinsmiff) tells viewers that their mounted mailboxes must be unblocked in order to receive their deliveries.
She starts by informing viewers of the type of mailbox they might have, and why that is important in the context of their deliveries.
“Hey TikTok, it’s a lot of people on here who think they know everything there is to know about everything that goes on at the post office,” Lacey says in the video. “So, if you have a box that looks like this, is posted up like this, that means that it’s a mounted box. My route is mounted, which means that I do not have to get out and walk, OK. I drive from box to box to deliver the mail.”
She says that a customer who was not aware of this policy had recently cursed at her because she couldn’t access the mailbox to make a delivery.
“I had one of my customers call me a lazy bitch today because I skipped her house because she had a car blocking her mailbox,” she says. “You cannot have anything blocking your mailbox. If you have anything blocking your box, we do not have to deliver it. That’s the policy. We don’t have to. It’s not us being lazy, but if we can’t get to your box, then we can’t give you your mail. Help us help you, thanks.”
@punkinsmiff #usps #mailladylife #mailmanproblems #mailladyproblems #BeTheReasonVisa #lazybiyatch #mailladychronicles #locgang🤙🏽 #workingmom #locgoddess👑 #blacktiktok #customertips ♬ original sound – Lacey
Several viewers felt they were entitled to their mail delivery regardless of whether their box is blocked, especially if it is out of their control.
“What about the times when they were working on the main road and decided to take up our access road with equipment?” one commenter wrote. “I can’t control that.”
“Then they need to change the policy because we need our mail,” another commenter wrote.
“What about when strangers just park in front of our house?” a viewer said. “Public road we can’t control it? What can we do to help this?”
Others were quick to support Lacey in her role as a mail delivery driver, pointing out that the policy has been in place for a long time.
“The people commenting that she should get out or do better should do this job and let’s see if they’ll do it,” one commenter wrote.
“People are getting mad at you for not going the extra mile but how hard is it for them to not block their mailbox?” another said.
“Excuse me but its always been that way,” a user said. “You never block the mailbox.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the USPS via email for comment regarding the video, as well as to Lacey via a comment on the video as other methods of communication were not available.
Update 10:48am CT December 21: In an email to the Daily Dot, a USPS spokesperson confirmed that customers are required to keep the area around a mailbox for delivery carriers’ access.
“The customer is responsible for keeping the approach to the mailbox clear to facilitate delivery (see 632.14),” they wrote. “If the carrier continually experiences a problem in serving curbline boxes and where the customer is able to control access or on–street parking in front of his or her mailbox but does not take prompt corrective action after being properly notified, the postmaster may, with the approval of the district manager, withdraw delivery service.”
