The following surprised me, what with all the concern today over recycling, global warning, the energy shortage, etc.

Someone mailed me some stuff in a USPO priority mail box. I made some cuts in the box and turned it inside out and re-taped it -- so I had a new box with no priority mail markings and that inside brown color on the outside now. I used the "new" box to send off some merchandise via parcel post (not the higher priority mail rate).

Lo and behold, the person I sent it to told me that the post office suspected it was a priority mail box, so they OPENED it, took a look, resealed it, and charged the recipient either the priority mail rate or the difference between the postage on it and the priority rate! And remember, when they opened the package they could see that the box had once been used for priority mail and that priority postage had been paid in the past!

If I had nothing better to do, I'd complain to the government (and newspapers) or sue them.

Robert