Why Some Tyler, TX Mail Carriers Don’t Take Outgoing Mail

(KNUE-FM) So, some Tyler, Texas residents shared their personal issues with certain mail carriers ignoring their outgoing mail, even when their "flag was up" on the mailbox.

Have You Experienced This in Tyler?

Have you found this to be true?

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I haven't personally experienced this. Then again, I rarely send outgoing mail in my mailbox. I usually handle all my business-related matters online, or I drop off letters and other personal correspondence at the post office or leave them in a blue box somewhere around town.

Tyler Residents Are Noticing a Pattern

In an online social media group, quite a few Tyler residents--and others from other surrounding East Texas communities--say they've been perplexed at noticing that their mail carrier just leaves their mail in there and/or stacks new mail on top of whatever was in there. Sometimes, they even lower the mailbox flag as well.

Why Don’t Some Carriers Take the Outgoing Mail?

So, why do some mail carriers take the outgoing mail, while others seem to ignore it altogether?

One Transplant Asked for Insight—And Got It

A transplant to the Tyler area was baffled when she noticed this happening on a regular basis. So, she posed the question to other Tyler residents to see if they'd had the same thing happen to them. Their responses were interesting in varied:

Resident Reactions Were Mixed

Some Tyler residents said they'd NEVER had this happen to them.

Others said it used to, but they are waiting to speak with their mail carrier to ask them why. In some cases, the mail carrier agreed to take their outgoing mail with them from then on--which was nice.

Still, others recommended that the lady who posed the question call the post office to ask about it, as they'd not had that experience. Another commenter said she already had done so and...I learned something new:

Postal Workers Are Not Always Required To Take It

Apparently, U.S. Postal Service mail carriers aren't required to take our outgoing mail. Many do as a courtesy, though.

Could It Be About Mail Theft Concerns?

Some people made comments that, although sad to read, raised some valid points.

We've been hearing more stories of porch piracy and mail theft lately. Certainly, we are NOT suggesting it's the mail carriers engaging in these criminal activities.

Precautions Are Being Recommended

At the same time, anyone could drive or walk by and take your outgoing mail with them.

A few Tyler residents shared their own experiences with this issue. They suggested that people take extra precautions and drop off their mail themselves, particularly if it contains account information or personal notes they don't want to be shared with the world.