The history of the origin of the mailbox. How the mailbox appeared Parisian couriers dropped them into mailboxes

In the 16th century, stone mailboxes were installed near the Cape of Good Hope by the crews of British ships to transmit letters to other ships. Dutch sailors also had similar stone boxes. In present-day Poland, Legnica is claimed to be the birthplace of the mailbox, where they first appeared in 1633. Mailboxes are mentioned in the documents of the city post office of Paris, founded in 1653, and their invention is attributed to Renoir de Villaye.

In the 18th century, captains of ships sailing from England to America used canvas bags to collect correspondence, which were hung in hotel lobbies and coffee shops to collect letters. In Austria, the postman carried a mailbox with him on his belt.
Mailboxes in Germany were large in size, distinguished by elegant decoration and wood carvings. Express mail boxes were created in London (Great Britain). The sender put a letter and a coin into such a box to pay for services and pressed a special lever, with the help of which a signal was sent to the nearest post office that the letter had arrived. Having received the signal, a courier was sent from the post office to pick up the letter.

The U.S. Post Office began installing mailboxes to collect mail in the 1850s at post offices and at street corners in major cities. Mailboxes were first hung on lamp posts. As mail volumes grew, the Post Office gradually replaced small mailboxes with larger models. Install a free-standing mailbox on four posts with the inscription U.S. Mail (US Post) was first proposed in 1894 after the successful use of mailboxes of this design in Canada. Mailboxes of this design quickly became commonplace at the intersections of American cities. Unlike Canadian mailboxes, which were painted red, American mailboxes were originally dark green to avoid confusion with fire-fighting equipment, then red and blue in the 1950s, and finally... completely blue with a contrasting inscription. The advent of the automobile also influenced the design of mailboxes in the United States, and in the late 1930s a special chute or spout was added to allow a letter to be deposited by driving up to a curbside mailbox without getting out of the car.

Mailboxes first appeared in Russia on the streets of St. Petersburg and Moscow in 1848. In 1928, 200 boxes were installed on Moscow trams where Muscovites could drop off correspondence. During a tram stop near the main post office, postal workers took letters from boxes installed on the tram.

If under by mailbox mean any special container where different people put their correspondence, then its appearance can be dated back to the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries.

So in 1500, the expedition of the Portuguese navigator Bartolomeo Diaz tried to circumnavigate Africa and open an eastern route to India. However, halfway along the route - off the southernmost coast of the African continent - the ships encountered a terrible storm. Although Diaz himself died, one ship managed to reach the shore.
The surviving sailors were not sure whether they would be lucky on the way back, so wrote a message, in which they talked about the tragedy and death of the captain. Then letter They put it in an ordinary shoe, which was hung from a tree on the shore.
And the message found its recipients. Soon he was discovered by another captain, Jovo de Nova. In memory of the tragedy, he built a chapel on the shore, and the shoe served for a long time by mailbox for sailors entering an African harbor. Much later, a concrete block will appear in the same place. Mailbox, made in the shape of... that same memorable shoe.

Stone mailboxes Other Dutch sailors also built at similar “transshipment” points. As evidenced, for example, by the traveler Adam Alearius: “The Dutch have a special place on the pier and a stone in which they place letters so that other visiting Dutch people will be informed about their travels, where they came from and where they sailed, and what happened to them.”.

In the 18th century, the likeness mailbox appeared on the ships themselves sailing along a certain route (for example, from England to America). In appearance it was a simple canvas bag, which arriving sailors hung in hotels. Those who wished to put it there letters, the ship carried the bag to its destination, after which the captain handed over the correspondence to the nearest postmaster.

And now let's go down to land - to the lands of the Italian cities of Venice and Florence, where its likeness appeared mailboxes. True, the letters contained strictly defined contents...
It all started in 1310, when a major conspiracy against the Doge (ruler of the city-republic) was discovered in Venice. After which two new authorities were immediately organized - Council of Ten And Advice of forty. These were a kind of special services designed to track down conspirators and other enemies of society. They met secretly at night, hiding their faces under masks. The powers of the Soviets were extremely broad - sometimes people simply disappeared without trial or investigation. Even the Doges could not sleep peacefully. When one of them - Marino Falieri - wanted to usurp all power in the city, he immediately “fell on the knife”, and a less ambitious doge was elected in his place...
You probably already guessed which ones mailboxes there will be a speech... So on the wall of the Council of Ten hung a terrible mug, the mouth of which served as a slot for letters of denunciation, which “conscious” townspeople generously scribbled against the “enemies of the republic.” Something similar happened in Florence, where churches had wooden boxes - “vestibules” - all for the same revealing anonymous letters.

"Mailbox" of the Council of Ten in Venice.

Normal mailboxes first tried to introduce it in 1653, the organizer of the Parisian city ​​post office- Comte de Vilaye, who did not want to spend extra money on paying messengers. However, this mail it soon went bankrupt, and the count's innovation was forgotten for a long time.

In 1772 mailboxes appeared again - this time in Vienna. But they didn’t stand still. Letter boxes were carried with them on a belt by workers of the so-called “ratchet” mail. Collecting correspondence, they cruised around the city and announced their arrival using a special rattle.

On the left is the “ratchet” postman, on the right is the “ratchet” itself.

The "ratchet" post office existed until 1783. At the same time, the first Mailbox, attached to the wall and decorated with a design of a post horn.
The same trend was observed in Berlin. Observing the huge queues at the post offices, Privy Councilor Pistor reasonably remarked: "It's better to get mailboxes and install them where needed. You can hang the boxes in places where they will be under the supervision of a sentry; postmen can take them to the post office three times a day and replace them with others.”.

Distribution mailboxes Difficulties in paying for letters interfered. Therefore, they began to come into wide use only in the middle of the 19th century, when stamped envelopes and stamps.
But even after this mailboxes there were opponents. Here's what one of the Hannover newspapers wrote: “If someone harbors a grudge against someone, wants to bring suspicion on someone, spread slander, separate an engaged couple, set parents and children, husband and wife, servants and masters, etc., against each other, in general sow discord and discontent, guided by malice and deceit, it is enough for him to sit down at the table, write a letter full of slander and throw it unsigned in the mailbox. On the other hand, such a box provides an excellent opportunity to convey tender messages, love letters, etc., which are usually difficult to deliver in person. It must be admitted that this contributes to the establishment of criminal love affairs...”.

However, such sanctimonious scruples could not resist the conveniences that he promised Mailbox.

First in Russia mailboxes appeared in 1848 - in Moscow and St. Petersburg. They were made of boards covered with iron, but when it turned out that they were easy to break into, they began to install 40-kilogram cast iron ones.
At first mailboxes were located in different shops, which was very beneficial for the shopkeepers themselves. Firstly, they were paid a fee postmen , secondly, those recipients who were illiterate and asked to have the message read to them. However, quite quickly the state decided that it was not worth paying to someone unknown and took over the service mailboxes under your control.

Ordinary boxes were painted in Blue colour, and in orange- those from which correspondence was taken out more regularly - several times a day. There were even hour hands installed on some boxes, thanks to which postman noted the time of retrieval of correspondence.

One of the most interesting mailboxes there were "express mail" boxes installed in London. A person who urgently needed to send a letter put not only the letter into the slot, but also a payment coin. After which he pressed the lever, it emitted a signal, and the courier immediately hurried to the box to pick up the letter.

Last major improvement mailbox produced in 1896 by a Swedish engineer. Before to the postman I had to retrieve the letters manually. The Swede came up with a design where the frame of the bag was inserted into the guides of the bottom of the box, after which the movable bottom was pulled out, and the letters instantly fell into the bag. This design has been preserved in most mailboxes to this day.

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The fastest and convenient way to send a letter. Door-to-door delivery - the letter is picked up and delivered by a courier within the city, to another city, or abroad.

EMS Express Letter is a registered shipment and its delivery and delivery can be tracked using a tracking number.

How to send

1. The letter can be sent by courier or from a specialized post office that accepts EMS shipments. The envelope is provided free of charge. Find a branch with EMS
2. To order additional services of declared value, cash on delivery, inventory of the attachment or SMS notification, please inform the courier or post office employee.

Additional services

• Inventory of attachment. You will receive confirmation from the postal worker of the contents of the letter and the date it was sent.
• C.O.D. To receive the letter, the recipient will have to pay the amount you specify. The amount of cash on delivery cannot exceed the amount of the declared value.
• Declared value. Your letter is insured. If something happens to the letter, you will be able to receive full or partial compensation. The maximum value of an EMS letter is RUB 50,000.

Job search. This problem confronts a person in full force when he loses his position due to staff reductions or due to the closure of an enterprise - who knows, for what other reason... This is a serious life test that everyone copes with to the best of their own strengths and abilities.

Yes, you can be led by your own ambitions and live on benefits for years, waiting for a vacancy in your previous specialty, inevitably losing your qualifications over time, and therefore your chances of getting what you want.

Or you can do like Mikhail Averin, with whom today the magazine Reconomica intends to introduce the reader. This man was convinced from his own experience of the correctness of the famous expression: “If you cannot change something, change your attitude towards it,” and agreed to new job, which he will talk about.

My name is Mikhail Aleksandrovich Averin, I am 31 years old. I live in Yaroslavl, and have been working as a courier for the City Courier Service organization for several years now.

The crisis has affected many people in one way or another. I worked for 8 years as a deputy warehouse manager at a large grocery company. The introduction of sanctions and high competition had a negative impact on us and all staff were laid off. The first thing I did was go to the labor exchange so that while I was looking for a new job, I could at least receive benefits.

Of course, I didn’t receive any offers in my specialty; they started offering me vacancies without work experience. They gave me a referral to the city courier service, where a vacancy was found for “courier”. I’ve seen similar vacancies before on websites and in newspapers, there are quite a lot of them.

A courier is not a pizza delivery person

I imagined that a courier is a person who delivers pizza or sushi according to orders, but during the interview it turned out otherwise.

The courier's duties include delivering correspondence throughout the city. The bulk of correspondence is delivered from courts, judicial districts, from bailiffs, from the tax and pension funds.

As a foot courier, you can't sit still.

Foot couriers are not entitled to transport. The entire city is divided into segments at the discretion of the organization. Each segment must be visited once every 3 days, in accordance with current legislation or in agreement with customers.

Absolutely no education is required, nine years of school is enough. A resume is also optional.

They didn’t ask me about my previous jobs; one desire was enough. The interview was conducted in one stage. The HR manager provided examples of delivered correspondence from all customers, a sample of how to correctly fill out documents, and delivery rules.

Why would it be simpler - but no, and this has its own requirements

There were many requirements, such as good knowledge of the city. Delivery happens to different areas, and sometimes to those where you had to appear infrequently before. Of course, they print a map of the area, but you still have to constantly walk around unfamiliar terrain with your phone in your hands.

The speed of movement is also specified (there is a clearly established standard for delivery and you need to have time to fulfill it). If correspondence needs to be distributed to the private sector, then the distance traveled per day can be up to 50 kilometers.

The courier must always be neatly dressed.

Required and neat appearance, because the courier is the face of the company, and he needs to go to addresses not necessarily in a suit, but cleanly and neatly dressed.

The required quality is attentiveness. It is necessary to ensure that recipients fill out notifications for receiving correspondence correctly and in accordance with the law. Last but not least is self-control, since the recipient may be drunk, inappropriate, or under stress.

Each recipient needs a separate approach, as well as a willingness to communicate constantly. Often you have to explain the procedure for filling out documents, the principles of the company’s work, and, if possible, offer new services to recipients. It is not always possible to quickly leave the recipient; sometimes you have to listen to all sorts of life stories for a long time.

Probation

They didn’t provide me with a curator; so to speak, they immediately sent me on a free voyage. When hired, the courier is assigned the status of “newbie” for 3 months.

During this period, the quality of work is checked using internal indicators.

• Delivery percentage - the ratio of the number of registered letters delivered to the number issued. For me this percentage is within 70, and this is a very good indicator. If the percentage is less than 50, then the courier is given a verbal reprimand - either take longer, or deliver more carefully. The only way to increase the delivery percentage was to go to work later, around 6-7 pm, but then I myself got home closer to 10 pm.

They're calling - open the door!

• Percentage of receipts based on notifications - this is when the addressee is not found at home and a notice of the established form is left for him so that he can receive ordered letter, addressed to him, at the company office the next day. The optimal rate is from 10 to 20 percent. I always fall into 15–17 percent, but this figure is generally arbitrary; it is greatly influenced by the human factor. Some of the recipients are more responsible and always come when notified to receive correspondence, while others, excuse me, don’t give a damn. I myself only use notifications as a last resort.
• No complaints from recipients. This is where you get lucky... There are a lot of recipients who always like to complain about everyone, especially about couriers. Such complaints may not be punished; this is at the discretion of management.

Not the last topic - courier earnings

If we talk about payment, it depends on the remoteness of the destination. Average earnings per day are 1000–1200 rubles. You can, of course, try to increase it, but there are few ways.

I chose to work on weekends. To do this, on Friday morning I receive correspondence not only for the current day, but also for Saturday and Sunday. On weekends, however, many recipients are unhappy: people are on vacation, and I bring them a letter from the court... And not everyone can work six days without days off.

My earnings depend entirely on the volume of letters delivered.

On initial stage(the first 2 months) I managed to earn 15–18 thousand rubles. I thought that this was not much, and I was offered to additionally deliver correspondence to neighboring segments. Now, in order to keep up with everything, I had to study the area and choose routes. I fully got used to it only after about a year and a half.

My salary is half white, so to speak. Regardless of earnings, the official portion is transferred approximately on the 15th of each month. bank card. The rest of the amount is handed over to the branch manager approximately on the same day.

Opportunity for career growth

Couriers are not divided into categories; after a probationary period, everyone is assigned the same position. After 3 years, I was transferred to the status of master courier. The difference from usual is that I deliver correspondence throughout the city, and for this I am paid an additional 3,000 rubles.

Judging by my organization, the courier position in it is both initial and final. You can only advance up to master courier. There is simply no further career advancement for couriers.

The hardest thing is to deliver correspondence individuals.

Vacation, bonus, etc.

I also have a social package. Sick leave is paid, vacation is provided twice a year, in agreement with management. But vacation may be denied when there are not enough couriers. Initially, it was assumed that I would also be paid for work in adverse weather conditions. This means an additional payment for delivery, for example, in severe frosts. But during my work there were never such additional payments, although it was minus 32 outside.

Weekends are also paid without extra charge, that is, one to one. The bonus is small - everyone who has worked for more than 3 months is paid extra for length of service in the amount of 500 rubles, and the rest of the bonus is purely at the discretion of the management and its maximum value is 1000 rubles.

And in the rain and in the heat...

Correspondence must be delivered all year round. Handing letters legal entities It’s easier, just go to the office and offer to receive the specified letter, not forgetting about the formalities. Somewhere they can give you tea in winter.

Delivering correspondence to legal entities is much easier.

The main difficulty is delivering letters to individuals. You walk around apartments, but it’s not always possible to catch a person at home.

If the addressee is not at home, then I leave a notice by registered letter in the mailbox, which is located in the entrance. Over time, it became easier to get into the entrance, as my voice began to be recognized. And at first they often didn’t let me in, they thought that I was sending out advertisements.

Different people meet

Problematic situations often arise with individuals. The most common case: “You did not leave me notice, and I was unable to receive court correspondence addressed to me.” It can be difficult for a courier to prove that it is not his fault. The notice is subtle, often it ends up in the newspapers, and then it can be thrown out along with all the other spam from the mailbox.

Case two, no less common: “You left a notice even though I was at home.” Again, it is useless to prove. Many recipients simply turn off the sound on the intercom or turn off the intercom altogether, and doorbells Not everyone has it. For example, a complaint was received from the addressee: “I live at the specified address and am registered, but nothing was delivered to me for six months.” The most I could do was write an explanatory note.

There are even more serious cases when the recipient is drunk or inappropriate. Then it is not always possible to leave peacefully.

Dangerous case

I once delivered a registered letter, the recipient lived in a communal apartment with 7 rooms. There was no intercom at the entrance; we had to walk up to the fourth floor of the residential building. There was no bell on the door either, so I knocked.

The neighbors came out, and I introduced myself, as expected. The man was sleeping after work. They woke him up, and it turned out that the man was slightly drunk, but quite aggressive. At such moments it is not advisable to hand over letters, so I tried to leave. But as soon as I turned away a little, a hand with a knife flew at me. The body was not hurt, only the new jacket was damaged.

The management then spent the whole day trying to persuade me not to quit after this incident.

When delivering correspondence to individuals, you often find yourself in unforeseen situations.

Being a courier has its advantages.

But there are also advantages to working as a courier, one of which I have highlighted for myself is communication. I used to have big problems with this.

In addition to constant communication with people from different classes of the population, when delivering letters to legal entities, it is possible to agree on additional part-time work. I also like to be constantly in the fresh air, I don’t like working in a dusty office. Working as a courier, you can constantly keep yourself in good physical shape, especially when letters are delivered to distant villages, and you also have to walk up stairs.

The courier profession is ideal for students.

You can also consider it as a part-time job for the weekend; if desired, you can use it to combine it with your main place of work. If we consider individual delivery segments, we can also work for people with disabilities, or those who are on maternity leave, or on leave from their main place of work.