Despite the development of high technologies, people continue to use regular mail: a parcel with books or any other goods cannot be sent via the Internet, important documents also have to be sent in printed form, and ordinary letters and greeting cards have not yet become obsolete. All this is collected in a mailbox, which can be inconvenient and very unreliable. There is also an alternative to it - a subscription box. What is it, why is it needed and how to use it?
What is a mailbox and how does it differ from the usual
A subscriber box is a special lockable box that is designed for incoming correspondence. Unlike a regular mailbox, it is not located at the actual or legal place of residence of the addressee, but at the post office. Therefore, on letters, postcards and parcels sent to such a mailbox, only the index, city and mailbox number are indicated, so that the information about the addressee can remain secret.
In the post office, the subscription box looks almost like a regular one: it is a metal box with cells, each of which has its own number. The cell, as well as the mailbox in the entrance, is locked with a lock, to which only one key fits.
All the correspondence that comes to the post office box remains in the post office, so this box is very reliable: no hooligans will set it on fire and will not get any important letter out of it. On the other hand, to access it, you don’t have to defend a long queue, submit documents or fill out forms: it is enough to visit the post office during its opening hours, open the box with your key and pick up everything that has accumulated in it.
How to use a subscription box
First you need to choose a post office, which is located in the most convenient place and works at the right time. First, the future subscriber writes a statement, then fills out the contract with his individual number, which will subsequently become the number of his mailbox, and the post office will register the mailbox. Russian Post provides this service for a fee, unlike, for example, mail in Switzerland or Germany. Therefore, after completing all the necessary documents you need to pay a certain amount. And in a few days, finally, get a certified contract and a key to the box.
But not so simple. This service is quite popular. And it is far from always possible to find a free mailbox in the right post office. In such cases, it is possible to rent a mailbox: Russian Post allows this possibility. The lucky owner of his own mailbox needs to inform the interested party of his number, draw up and conclude a lease agreement and receive payment. There may even be several tenants, and then the owner of the mailbox assigns each of them additional numbers and sorts all incoming correspondence in accordance with them.