Postal Service

United States Post Offices are located throughout the Boston area. You can check www.usps.com for locations and hours of operation.

Many Post Offices are open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, and some are also open Saturdays from 8 am to 12 noon. Mail is delivered once a day, Monday through Saturday, except on certain holidays. Mail will not usually be left at your apartment unless your name is on your mailbox.

Mailing Packages/Registered and Certified Mail

For mailing very important documents:

• Use registered mail so that mail can be traced if it is lost
• Use certified mail if you need to request a receipt that is returned to you when the item is delivered.

These services cost more than regular mail. You may also want to purchase insurance if the package contains valuable items.

Stamps

Stamps can be purchased at Post Offices, from vending machines in local stores, and online at www.usps.com. Some supermarkets and automated teller machines (ATMs) also sell stamps.

Because the price of stamps goes up every once in a while, the U.S. Postal Service now sells “forever” stamps for mail within the U.S. Once you buy these stamps, you can use them to mail letters even if the price of stamps goes up in the future.

Letters can be mailed in blue mailboxes found on street corners. Airmail charges to other countries are higher. Ask at a Post Office about the cost of mailing a letter or package overseas.

Zip Codes

All addresses in the U.S. are assigned a 5-digit zip code number, according to the state and city, and sometimes even to individual areas within a city. These numbers speed mail delivery. If you do not know the zip code number, check www.usps.com.

Other Delivery Services

There are also private companies that offer secure express mail services for letters and packages. These include:

• DHL – www.dhl.com
• Federal Express – http://www.fedex.com/us/
• UPS – www.ups.com