Home surveillance cameras are picking up incidents of mail mayhem, from packages being tossed onto porches to worse – and homeowners are posting the videos to YouTube.
That may explain a new campaign from the US Postal Service called #PostalProud. The new initiative is designed to emphasize USPS principles and convey the pride and dedication of its employees.
The Postal Proud campaign will include workplace posters, stand-up talks and other communications that emphasize organizational principles, such as accurate scanning, delivering mail with care and treating customers with courtesy.
Some of the posters include cartoons showing postal carriers delivering mail with home surveillance cameras pointed right at them. One says, “Say no to the throw,” a warning for carriers not to throw packages onto porches and front steps.
Another poster is more explicit, featuring the following text: “Smile, you are on carrier camera. Do what’s right even when no one is looking.” The accompanying cartoon shows a postal worker delivering mail with a home camera trained on him, as well as a hand holding a smartphone with camera, and a laptop computer showing a postal carrier giving a thumbs up on YouTube.
Clearly the USPS wants carriers to be aware that they could end up on YouTube if they are caught mistreating packages, as was the case earlier this month when a Washington State news outlet featured such a video in its report.
Delivery misdeeds are not the only problem shipping carriers must deal with, and in the UK, Royal Mail is testing the use of photographs to prove carriers have left packages in a “safe place” designated by the householder, as explained on the AuctionBytes Blog.
Weigh in with your thoughts about delivery disasters and how to avoid them:
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