Ever wondered if postal workers ever read your postcards?
(I did. So, I actually searched for “do post office staff read my postcards.”)
Here’s what a Quora thread had to say.
Perhaps I’ve always secretly imagined the sorting of mail as a scene from something out of a Christmas Pixar animation. So, I was initially surprised by the answers (from people who claim to work/have worked with the US Postal Service): postcards go through sorting machines; or there’s no time for such things; or at most a quick flip to see the photo on the reverse; or all messages are pretty much the same.
Nevertheless, as practices and systems vary between countries and individuals, the thought remains: do postal workers read postcards? Perhaps that is the charm of a postcard. It’s somewhat public yet personal.
I’ve previously likened postcards to posting tangible Tweets. But unlike hiding behind an online avatar, the sender has to be accountable for the words they’ve chosen to put onto paper.
Should anyone nose their way into reading a postcard as it makes its way to the recipient, simply think of them as mere eavesdroppers in a cafe or on a train. Never to be seen again.
Because at the end of the day what really matters is that the intended recipient hears from you amid the clutter and noise.
