# How do the new mailboxes grasp letters?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-new-mailboxes-grasp-letters/914752>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 8, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-new-mailboxes-grasp-letters/914752 "2020-07-08T16:55:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-new-mailboxes-grasp-letters/914752/1 "2020-07-08T16:55:04Z")

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I’ve noticed that the new USPS mailboxes have some sort of mechanism that grabs letters that you deposit and pulls them in. Does anyone know how that works?

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-new-mailboxes-grasp-letters/914752/2 "2020-07-08T17:52:31Z")

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They have inward-pointing metal fingers that the letters can slide past going in, but which interlace after the letters go past so nothing’s coming back out through the entrance chute. It’s a bit annoying if you have a dozen letters to mail (which may sound like it would be a rare occurrence but consider “thank you” letters). You can no longer shove a bundle of letters in. But other than that, and being a little bit futzy, it seems like a good solution, although I’m still unclear on what non-hypothetical problem it was a solution TO. (asked in a different thread—some folks said to prevent vandalism, e.g. open cans of tuna fish shoved in; some said it was to prevent fishing letters out using chewing gum and a stick or equiv; some said it was to enforce existing rule about max size/weight for deposited mail; no one had a link to any story about a precipitating incident or ongoing phenomenon, more like a decision being slowly implemented over time)

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**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-new-mailboxes-grasp-letters/914752/3 "2020-07-08T20:27:17Z")

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OK, but it seems that something is actively grabbing and the pulling the letter in. I’m wondering if that is electrical, magnetic, or what?

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-new-mailboxes-grasp-letters/914752/4 "2020-07-08T20:31:07Z")

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Not that I’ve noticed. I think it’s just the mechanical action of the fingers that create that impression.