Americana: The Postman Rings Twice

What neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night should be able to do has now been accomplished by an oversized envelope: in Georgia, 96,000 employers tried to mail their quarterly wage and tax reports in self-addressed envelopes provided by the state labor department. Presto! The post office returned the forms to the senders and demanded 7¢ more in postage. Reason: the envelopes were larger than the 6 ⅛-in. by 11 ½in. maximum set by the U.S. Postal Service on July 15.

After a flurry of irate phone calls from employers, the department had to send a letter to all 96,000 employers telling them to tack on an extra 7¢ or cut the forms down to fit a smaller envelope. A post office spokesman insisted that the snafu was not in vain. Said he: “It’s a good way to educate the public.”