USPS General Delivery

[modemem]

Hi All,

Does anyone know of a "list" of general delivery post offices? We will be traveling south this winter and will be moving weekly/monthly and our kids will be sending our mail from home to us from time to time.

I know FMCA and the PO will forward mail for a fee but as we will move frequently I think general delivery will work better for us. When we are going to be settled for 2 weeks or longer the kids will just box up our mail and send it priority 2-3 days.

It would be nice to have a list of which PO's are general delivery pick up locations.

Thanks in advance for any and all assistance. I have found these forums to be a goldmine of helpful information.

[rossboyer]

I thought that all USPS postal office would handle general delivery. It is best to select a small town that has only one post office/zip code. Larger cities that have multiple offices which can be a problem locating which one has your mail.

[fmcastaff]

This is a main number you can call for post office information 800 275 8777

Hope that helps.

Cecilia

FMCA Mail Forwarding Dept.

[modemem]

I thought that all USPS postal office would handle general delivery. It is best to select a small town that has only one post office/zip code. Larger cities that have multiple offices which can be a problem locating which one has your mail.

Thanks mrboyer, only the larger PO's will accept general delivery. It is possible to find a PO that takes GD at usps.com but you must click on each PO link and search it's services offered to if does in fact accept GD. Not a big problem but a "list" would be simpler.

[modemem]

This is a main number you can call for post office information 800 275 8777

Hope that helps.

Cecilia

FMCA Mail Forwarding Dept.

Hi bettyjo, I called that 800 number today as it is listed on the usps.com website as the go-to number for GD PO's amazingly the lady I talked to had no idea what GD was. She gave me a second number to call. The second number was a PO in St.Pete FL and they gave me a third and fourth number to call. Luckily the Gal at the 4th number was very helpfull but said the PO does not have a "list" of PO's that accept GD. I'm hoping there is a 3rd party list out there somewhere.

[hermanmullins]

modemem,

When you get to the town you plan to stay for a period of time go to the Local Post Office and ask about General Delivery. That way they can be expecting your delivery. However if you will be staying in a CG, you can have them send it to the Park.

Herman

[desertdeals69]

I always assumed that all P O's had general delivery. I have used them for my ebay purchases, even the smallest towns, without a problem.

[medico]

When you are staying at a particular RV Park for a couple of weeks, just ask for their mailing address and have the kids send it to them.

We have had our mail forwarded to the RV Park we have been in this summer with nary a hitch (no pun intended). Most RV Parks will accept mail for renters who are there for a while. Just ask them.

[desertdeals69]

Thousand Trails parks will not accept US mail, thats why we use general delivery. They will accept Fedex and UPS.

[modemem]

Thanks to all, General delivery will work! Thanks again, Bill & Chris.

[tbutler]

For years I have just gone on-line to determine if a post office has general delivery. If you go to www.USPS.com then to the top choice on the left, "find USPS locations." Input the city and state of your desired post office. When it comes up with a list from the area, you can go through and find one that has general delivery listed in its services. Little post offices in small towns almost all have general delivery service. Where you run into trouble is in larger towns. The main post office will handle general delivery but the smaller neighborhood post offices will not have general delivery service. If you send mail to one of those neighborhood post offices, your general delivery mail will be at the main post office instead. Now with the many independent contractors, you have a long list of USPS locations, many of which are not full service locations. It takes a little more patience to dig through the list. The town where our mail is going next week has 11 listings, several indicate stamps only while others have names like a bank or an office supply store which indicate their contractor status. Those will not have general delivery service. For that location, there is only one post office that has the city name and it is the general delivery location. So you get a long list but a careful look eliminates all but the main post office pretty quickly in that case.

While I'm on the page with the post office information, I copy the complete street address of the post office so I can find it. Sometimes I'll check the map on that page to see about where the post office is located. I also copy the days and hours of service and drop that information into my calendar for the day that I expect the mail to be delivered. There is also a phone number listed that goes directly to that post office. They won't tell you if your general delivery mail is there but you will have the number if you need to call about other questions.

We've used general delivery since we went full time in 2001 and have had few problems. Twice (in over 12 years) the post office clerk didn't know what to do with the mail addressed to someone they didn't know but the mail is immediately bounced back to that post office when that occurs. The postal regulations require that the mail be held for 30 days before being returned to sender.

One of the funnier problems occurred when we were on our Alaska trip in 2006. On our way back to the lower 48 we made one last stop in Hyder, AK. Hyder is on the coast far to the south of Juneau. The mail at Hyder is routed through Ketchikan. It is only brought from Ketchikan twice a week and then is delivered by float plane. When the weather is bad the plane can't fly and the mail doesn't come until the next delivery date. We always allowed some extra time between the mail would arrive at a post office and when we would be leaving an area, just in case there was some delivery problem. We hadn't allowed for this situation. Camping in Hyder was pretty bleak so we moved across the border to Stewart for another week while waiting for the mail. When we went back the next week to retrieve the mail our mail had been returned. It turns out the postmaster was the husband of the lady who ran the RV park. She told her husband we had left so he returned the mail. When we walked in to collect the mail he took one look at us and immediately got on the phone and had them hold the plane before it took off for its return to Ketchikan. He left the post office, not locking up anything. Ten minutes later he returned with our mail and a sincere apology for his mistake. We laughed about this for years.

[dickandlois]

Tom, That is a good story !! You are correct about Hyder, not much there but quiet and nature.

Being born into a family of adventurous souls I have been so lucky to have flown in float Planes and old DC3's from Happy Valley, Labrador to the Brooks Range, Alaska. Flying with Sled Dogs, chickens, large LPG tanks and numerous other items tucked under the sets makes for some interesting conversation.

Have you ever considered writing all of you stories in a book?

Thanks for sharing the tale of the mail with us. !!!

Rich.

[tbutler]

Thanks Rich,

Sounds like you have some good stories as well. I've been posting some of mine on the FMCA Blog. Over the years I've accumulated quite a few. I think it would be fun to put them all in a book but then I'm having too much fun living the life to spend time on a book. Someday...

So I assume you were piloting the DC3's and float planes. You were from an adventurous family! You should post some of your adventures on the FMCA Blog.

[dickandlois]

Never got my hands on the controls of a DC3! That would have been fun!!

To get through college, I worked building Private Aircraft and over the years and the background I did get to hold the controls of a few.

The only thing that I have missed was a chance to get my license. All I had to do was buy the fuel and our test pilots and instructors would have been glad to give me the lessons. Most likely the second best deal in town, but paying for collage trumped that.

The wife is a good sport and always wondered why I would just pack up my things and fly off with my father and brother to desolate areas. then the opportunity came for her and my mother to go with dad and I to Labrador.

The Loons, Geese, eagles, caribou, wolves and unspoiled nature grabbed her heart. That lead to our first trip to Alaska with the kids in tow. The best summer ever.

After the kids where grown my DW said that she would not stand in the way of me learning to fly.

Turned down the chance for a second time. She had never traveled before we where married and I just want to take her to places that many just dream of. Hay, one only goes around once.

Still paying some college bills and that lowers the fun funds. Would never trade the decision made.

Oh! That reminds me of one of those special items that fall in ones lap.

On one fishing trip to West Yellowstone. I and some fishing friends where the last passengers on a 737 that would land and stay the night at there airport, when the pilot walked back and asked if we had seen the park from the air, with a resounding No from all passengers aboard: We got a private circle flight around the park and later, dinner together with the flight crew.

Rich.