So you missed the letter carrier today at your home, but need to get something in the mail TODAY, but don't want to head all the way down to the Post Office? This happened to me the other day, my Dad called me and asked me if I could mail him something.

Of course I didn't say no. It was totally implied that I get it in the mail that day. Yes, when it comes to my Dad, I am probably 12? Maybe 16, but only because I drive him home after he's had one or two many pints, if you know what I mean.

Where can you bring your letters to be mailed if you can't leave them at your house?

So, I knew I had missed the carrier at my house, so I started to think, the post office is in the opposite direction from where I am going, so where is the nearest blue USPS Mailbox drop box? I am in Poughkeepsie and I need to head to Newburgh. Dang! So I started searching my brain, then I started searching online. Yes, if you are thinking that there is one at a certain spot in front of the grocery store, bank, etc.  You might have been correct some time ago, but in the interest of public safety (and fewer letter carriers) those blue mailboxes are not as prevalent as they were in the past.

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Where are all the blue USPS mailboxes hiding?

So how can you find them? There is a really cool "USPS Mailbox locator" with a super simple to remember name, Mailbox Locate. I tested a few zip codes that knew I could drive to verify, and sure enough. The blue mailboxes were there.

Where can you buy stamps, other than the post office?

I also thought that this locator was pretty great because it also showed you where else you could purchase stamps that wasn't a post office, i.e., banks, grocery stores and pharmacy's. That is awesome.

There are a few more locator sites, each one has different perks:

  • Yes, the USPS website has a drop box locator, but I found it wasn't as easy to use and if gave priority to the actual post office locations, which may or may not be near where you need to be.
  • Postlocations.com, has all the locations searchable by zip code, but when it gives you the results it doesn't say if the box is on the street or if it is inside a building or business.
  • Payphone Project, has a similar search by zip code, but I found that the anti virus that I am running on my computer didn't care for that site, but the info did seem accurate.

READ THIS Before You Buy a New Mailbox for Your House

I also tested zip codes around the United States and all of the sites had listings for and addresses for the blue USPS mail drop boxes. So the next time you are looking for a blue mail box, you will know how to track one down.

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