Trying to create a cute aesthetic or personal touch when mailing something is a great idea in theory, but one USPS Mailman is warning viewers that this may actually result in your mail never making it to its destination.
In a clip that’s been viewed over 831,000 times, viral TikTok mailman Chad Huber explained to viewers what happens when they try to make an envelope fun by putting “cute little return address stickers” on the back of the envelope instead of on the front in an attempt to seal it.
@chadhuber #mailmenoftiktok #mailmanproblems #mailman ♬ original sound – Chad Huber
“Most of the mail is sorted by a computer, you’ve given yourself a 50/50 shot at getting this letter back,” he explained. “I’m going to have to take a sharpie and cross out all the barcodes on here and it’s not going to look cute anymore, basically. So just put it in the upper left corner.”
Many were in stitches in the comments, agreeing with Huber and not grasping how people would willingly send letters that weren’t formatted correctly.
“You know what’s cute? Doing it the way it’s supposed to be done,” one user said.
“And don’t use your cute pink or red pen to address them, y’all. The computer can’t read it as well,” another pointed out.
According to the USPS, return addresses should always be placed on the “upper left corner on the front of the envelope.”
The service also urges senders to “use common sense” because “if you can’t read the address, then automated mail processing equipment can’t read the address.”
