Ask the Free Press

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN

Q

I remember when the school district used to reverse its bus routes every year for the sake of fairness-so that a family that would be the first stop one year would be the last stop the next year. I was wondering, would the local post office ever consider reversing its route every year so those who get their mail late in the day one year could get it early in the day the next year?

A

Norman Bouwie, postmaster at the Hillsboro Post Office said, “We tell them we can’t do that because the route is based on a data base out of Memphis, Tenn. “And for us to do something like that, we’d be changing up everything for all the customers in the data base.”

Customers get their mail according to two factors-a line of travel and walk sequence, Bouwie said. Line of travel is based on the four-digit zip code, and walk sequence is how the carrier actually carries the mail.

“If we were to reverse it every year, then every year the customer would incur a big expense of changing their data base (in Tennessee) to match the new route changes,” Bouwie said. “And that would be at a tremendous cost for the customer.”

Bouwie said it was unfortunate that some people get their mail early while others get it late.

“That’s one of the things within an eight-hour day we can’t avoid,” he said.

Do you have a question about Daily Life? Send it to the Free Press, 1161/2 S. Main, Hillsboro, KS 67063; e-mail: staff@hillsborofreepress.com

More from article archives
Swimming pool issue resurfaces on Hillsboro city council agenda
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF A new swimming pool may be part of...
Read More