Good to know.

Thanks Catherine for the link. I searched all over the usps site and couldn't find that. You are a saint. This package was sent priority mail...so I am guessing that they would say that it doesn't contain private correspondence and therefore can be opened. ARG!

You're welcome, lefty...I'd still complain to the postmaster!

lefty, did the package or letter originate here in the US or overseas? If it came from overseas there are Customs Agents assigned to military post offices and they are required to open every (insert number here) package and even sometimes letters.

I worked as a Customs Agent for awhile and you would be surprised at what people attempted to send through the mail. Just let your imagination go.

I know you weren't refferring to innocent things like sweet treats, but I had to chuckle. This is what I had to do to send my brother treats when he was in South America.......

My brother was in the Peace Corp and living in Paraguay I would send him Twinkies. He never recieved them because when his mail was searched the Twinkies were always taken.

I got smart. Started putting the Twinkies in a Kotex box. He recieved them after that.

Smart Sadie!

My husband buys booze that comes in some pretty neat containers...just right for packing full of cookies for mailing.... after he's taken his booze out of them, of course.

When my son was in Kuwait with the Army, I'd cover those containers with pretty contact paper before I filled them with cookies to send to him. My son said the cookies always arrived intact, and very little crumbling had occurred. I'm sure that had I not covered the containers, those cookies would never have arrived at their destination.

Another thing we were told not to send into Kuwait were magazines like Playboy...

If I might since we are discussing post office and such. I liked to tell a couple of stories.

When I was a agent in Korea we had to go to post housing prior to the furniture and things being packed up to be sent back to the states. The packers would be there and we would basically make sure no batteries, food etc was sent or anything flammable besides of course the obvious of drugs and alcohol

I was in the house of a Col who happened to be gone somewhere and his wife was there. I was just spot checking things around the house, went into the bedroom and opened boxes etc. I opened one and my mouth dropped open and I think I may have said something. I reached in and pulled out the biggest, thickest aaaah bedroom aid that I have ever seen. It was operated by batteries and the lady came in and said.

"The batteries are out of it and my husband is gone a lot." I turned beet red, replaced it and walked out of the room.

But back to the post office. Yes Sadie I was not talking about sweets. LOL.

But some of the stuff, I would have certainly preferred they had been washed prior to putting them in a box.