The White Falcon - 26.10.1990, Blaðsíða 4

Christmas Mailing
Packages
must be handled with care®
Halloween is only five days away but it’s
time to start thinking about mailing packages
and letters to family, friends and loves ones to
ensure they arrive on time for Christmas.
According to Chief Petty Officer Karl Paul-
son, Naval Air Station postal officer, “Make
sure packages are addressed, wrapped cor-
rectly and mailed early.”
Post Office patrons should also remember a
few simple rules and hints regarding the mail-
ing of packages.
• Cushion. Make sure contents are well-
cushioned with no empty space in the box.
Crumpled newspaper, bubble wrap, styrofoam
popcorn or shredded wood shavings work
well. Put it around the item — side, top and
bottom.
• Don’t overwrap. Just use your carton.
Brown paper and twine are not necessary. In
fact, they’re not desired. Paper can rip and
twine can become entangled in mail-process-
ing equipment. If paper is used all edges must
be taped.
• Seal properly. Close your parcel with one
of the following types of tape: filament, pol-
ypropylene or paper tape (also called Kraft
sealing tape). Don’t use cellophane tape or
masking tape.
• Avoid smudges. Use smudge-proof ink
for addressing the package.
• Position addresses properly. Put the
recipient’s address in the lower right portion
of the package and your return address in the
upper left comer. Put them on the package
only once. Remember, a return address helps
in case of any problem with delivery. Also,
include to and from addresses on a slip of
paper inside the parcel.
• Use ZIP codes. No ZIP code will delay
your mail, but be careful because so can an
incorrect ZIP code.
• Insure your packages. Any gift sent by
mail should be insured. You can insure your
package in varying amounts up to $500. The
cost is minimal and you have the added secu-
rity of knowing that in case anything does
happen to the package you will be reimbursed.
If you are mailing something that is worth
more than $500, or if you are sending an
irreplaceable item through the mail, send it
registered mail. It’s your best security option,
for every mail handler along the way must
sign, indicating that he did, in fact, receive the
package.
• Request special markings. Certain
phrases printed on the outside of your parcel
will alert postal service employees to the na-
ture of its contents. Mark breakable objects
FRAGILE in three places: above the address,
below the postage and on the reverse side.
Packages of food or other items which can
decay should be marked PERISHABLE in the
same locations. The words DO NOT BEND
on your package will signal a fragile item, but
the sender must have first protected these and
similar articles with stiffening material. When
you bring your packages to the post office for
mailing, ask the clerk to stamp them appropri-
ately.
• Customs forms. Letter mail containing
merchandise, letter packages and all parcels
that contain merchandise mailed at military
post offices from outside the continental United
States and addressed for delivery in the United
States shall be accompanied by a Customs
Declaration Form (either PS Form 2976, PS
Form 2976A, PS Form 2966A or PS Form
2966B).
The class of mail does not determine the
form to be used. However, as a general guide,
PS Form 2976 should be used on parcels to
accomodate a PS Form 2966A or 2966B.
When the sender prefers not to show the
nature of the contents on the outside of the
article being mailed, only the upper part of the
PS Form 2976 shall be affixed to the address
side of the article and PS Form 2976A shall be
completed and enclosed inside the article.
Classes of Mail:
• Priority Mail. Packages receive the same
attention as first-class letters. Shipped by air,
these parcels can be sent to any address in the
U. S.
• Parcel Air Lift (PAL). Extra fee, flies to
destination.
• Space Available Mail (SAM). Once the
mail is flown to the U.S. it travels to its
destination by surface.
• Military Postal Service (MPS). Only for
the European theater for letters and packages.
Write MPS in the upper right-hand comer
in place of postage. This is a free service.
As with any organization, there are certain
restrictions that apply to the Post Office. No
checks can be accepted at the NAS Post Office
and no express mail service, or COD services
to or from an APO/FPO is authorized, while in
the military postal channels.
The maximum weight allowed for packages
is 70 pounds. To check the size of your
package, add: length plus two times the height
plus two times the width. This gives you
length and girth combined. Mail cannot
measure more than 108 inches length and girth
combined.
Christmas stramps are now available for
purchase at the Post Office.
Money orders
Do not send cash through the mail. Money
orders are a safe way to send money. You may
buy domestic money orders at the Post Office
in amounts up to $700. If your money order is
lost or stolen, all you have to do is present your
customer receipt for replacement. You may
obtain copies of paid money orders up to two^^^
years after the date of purchase. A fee of
cents is charged for each money order pur^B^
chased regardless of amount. Money orders
are insured until cashed.
The NAS Post Office located in the Viking
Mall, Bldg. 771, is open for the sale of stamps,
money orders and mailing of packages 9 a.m.
to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Friday and Saturday. Package pickup is
available at the side entrance from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday. The NAS Post Office is closed on
Sundays and holidays. For information about
postal operations call 2203.
Christmas Mailing Deadlines
The NAS Post Office has announced the cut-off-dates for sending mail back to the
United States so that it will arrive in time for the Christmas holidays.
Destination PRI LTRS PAL SAM
U. S. Dec. 7 Dec. 10 Dec. 7 Dec. 1
If you want your friends and loved ones to send packages to Iceland from the
United States they must be mailed by :
Destination PRI LTRS PAL SAM
Iceland Dec. 1 Dec. 1 Nov. 24 Nov. 13
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The White Falcon