How Does a Post Office Work?

The Post Office works using an elaborate system consisting of 32,741 post offices nationwide. There are over 663,000 employees ensuring that everyone receives their mail in the United States. The Postal System has a few different steps to ensure that it works methodically.

1. Place your outgoing mail into a mailbox, which is picked up by a postal employee.




2. Trucks gather the mail and take it to the local post office.




3. Machines sort the majority of the mail. Most of it is done with machines, but need people to oversee and work properly.

   
   
   

   • The Advanced Facer Canceller System verifies stamps and places all the mail in the same direction.

   
   

   • The Delivery Bar Code Sorter sorts the mail and reads bar codes, if one is present.

   
   

   • The Automated Package Processing System processes all mail.

   
   

   • The Delivery Input and Output Subsystem verifies addresses and then prints out a bar code that is placed on the mail to use for sorting.




4. Sorted mail is then shipped to a regional post office by airplane or truck.




5. Once at the regional post office, it is sorted by the mail carrier's route.




6. The mail carrier then delivers the mail.