[Coworking] Ideas for flexible mail delivery?

[Megan Holcomb]

Hi All,

I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.

Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New to
this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.

Thanks!

[Alex Linsker]

Get a mail rack/shelving unit with shelf slots that easily remove, or get
nametags that easily remove (Velcro or tape on the back or laminated sheet
inserts).

Leave enough blank shelves in between every 5 or 10 members, so when new
people come, you only have to move 5 or 10 slots (or whatever), not 100.

If moving slots is still hard, you could give each member a number and have
a searchable sheet on the iPad or whatever device is near your slots, with
autosuggest, that shows number, face, and name, to just add new members to
the last number available and find them pretty easily.

For overflowing mail, you could have a 2-week (or whatever) limit, where
every two weeks you do something with mail that has been there more than 1
month. You could add a manila folder on top of the mail ever week and date
it, or something. We do that with the fridge, every week the food that
looks old is thrown out by a staffperson, and otherwise we date the food so
we know how long it's been there. It actually is super-quick to do that,
after the first few times.

How much value does the mail add to membership, and how much cost
(emotional and time and financial) does the mail add to you? Could you pay
someone to do it or find another way to make your work on it fun?

-Alex Linsker, Collective Agency, Portland Oregon
http://colllectiveagency.co

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New to
this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!

[Jeannine van der Linden]

We have a simple alphabetical expanding file like this for people who

<http://odeu.scene7.com/is/image/odeu01/3089667?$lg$>

It is kept in a cabinet in the hallway, next to packages and archived mail.


Some of our members pay to have their post archived, this is kept either in
presentation folders or archive boxes depending on how much mail they are
keeping, like this:


<Loading Image...>

Only with their name/logo/whatever on them.


We also have a catch all archive for folks who are out of town/work
nomads/sick/whatever, which is kept by the Community Manager.


We don't have mailboxes any more. Not enough space for a row of empty
mailboxes, it's just another thing to dust, and takes up too much room.
Besides nobody gets a lot of paper mail any more other than junk mail.
This goes in the recycle.


Members who don't pick up their mail are the problem of the community
manager if it is so long that s/he is getting nervous. :-) At some point
it goes into the box by tthe Community Manger


Post for past/nonmembers is returned to sender. Unless it's somebody we
are fond of, then we let them know and keep it in the box by the Community
Manager.

[Jeannine van der Linden]

Just realized I forgot to add: if somebody is just coming by to pick up
the mail, they get it out of the folder. But if they book in to come in or
have regiular days (that is, we know they are coming), then we put it on
their desk before they get here so it's waiting for them.

Cheers,

Jeannine

[Mike]

Hey Megan,

We've been working on a mail solution for coworking spaces like yours. I
think the ideal solution is not dealing with mail at all, which is where
Earth Class Mail would step in to process and deliver the mail to the
recipient.

Outside of the actual hassle in dealing with mail, there are also risks
associated with handling mail addressed to other businesses. You can learn
more about USPS rules <https://about.usps.com/forms/ps1583a.pdf> for CMRA
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_mail_receiving_agency>s, but
let's just say it's more work than you'll likely want to do and not a core
function of your business.

Let me know if you're interested in learning more and we can setup a time
to talk. Our program can be setup in a way that has no upfront costs for
you.

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New to
this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!

[o***@gmail.com]

Hi Megan,

Thanks for raising the question and thanks for the colorful responses
everyone, especially Jeanine's photo-narrated reply.

There's one point Megan raised that we face a lot of as well, which is,
what to do with mail for past/non-members.

So far our solution has been to end up stashing it, but it's beginning to
pile up and some people have moved or are unreachable with current contact
info.

Does anyone have a good solution for that?

Thanks!
Oren

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New to
this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!

[Randall Arnold]

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html><head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
</head><body><p>Oren, this may be a stupid question-- but is marking it &#34;no longer at this address, please forward&#34; and putting back out for (re)delivery not an option?</p><p>Randy</p><br><blockquote type="cite">On December 10, 2015 at 11:51 AM &#34;***@gmail.com&#34; &#60;***@gmail.com&#62; wrote:<br><br><div dir="ltr">Hi Megan,&#160;<br><br>Thanks for raising the question and thanks for the colorful responses everyone, especially Jeanine&#39;s photo-narrated reply.&#160;<br><br>There&#39;s one point Megan raised that we face a lot of as well, which is, what to do with mail for past/non-members.&#160;<br><br>So far our solution has been to end up stashing it, but it&#39;s beginning to pile up and some people have moved or are unreachable with current contact info.&#160;<br><br>Does anyone have a good solution for that?<br><br>Thanks!<br>Oren<div><br>On Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 1:55:11 PM UTC-6, Megan Holcomb wrote:<blockquote><div dir="ltr">Hi All,<div><br></div><div>I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels (alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member&#39;s mailbox and they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.</div><div><br></div><div>Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New to this google group so thought Id ask. Haven&#39;t seen it in previous topic threads.</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks!</div><div><br></div></div></blockquote></div></div><p>&#160;<br></p>-- <br> Visit this forum on the web at <a href="http://discuss.coworking.com">http://discuss.coworking.com</a><br> --- <br> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups &#34;Coworking&#34; group.<br> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to <a href="mailto:coworking+***@googlegroups.com">coworking+***@googlegroups.com</a>.<br> For more options, visit <a href="https://groups.google.com/d/optout">https://groups.google.com/d/optout</a>.<br></blockquote><br>&#160;</body></html>

<p></p>

-- <br />
Visit this forum on the web at <a href="http://discuss.coworking.com">http://discuss.coworking.com</a><br />
--- <br />
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups &quot;Coworking&quot; group.<br />
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to <a href="mailto:coworking+***@googlegroups.com">coworking+***@googlegroups.com</a>.<br />
For more options, visit <a href="https://groups.google.com/d/optout">https://groups.google.com/d/optout</a>.<br />

[o***@gmail.com]

Randy, without providing a forwarding address, I think it's the same as
just throwing it away, but not sure.

Also, I'm a bit weary of that since I don't want the post office to think
"Fort Work" is no longer at the address, just the individual in question.

Given the chance of ambiguity, I'd rather avoid the risk that we'll lose
mail we do want to receive.

Oren, this may be a stupid question-- but is marking it "no longer at this
address, please forward" and putting back out for (re)delivery not an
option?
Randy
Hi Megan,
Thanks for raising the question and thanks for the colorful responses
everyone, especially Jeanine's photo-narrated reply.
There's one point Megan raised that we face a lot of as well, which is,
what to do with mail for past/non-members.
So far our solution has been to end up stashing it, but it's beginning to
pile up and some people have moved or are unreachable with current contact
info.
Does anyone have a good solution for that?
Thanks!
Oren
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New to
this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!
--
Visit this forum on the web at http://discuss.coworking.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Mike]

In general, the CMRA and USPS rules limit your responsibility to 6 months
after they stop being a customer - at which point you can just
recycle/shred it if they haven't taken action. I definitely recommend you
read the info in the links I posted earlier.

You're certainly exposed to liability if notices are being served, such as:
corporate documentation renewals, tax notices etc. Although the language
from USPS is certainly convoluted, as is the case with most bureaucratic
organizations.

Post by o***@gmail.com
Hi Megan,
Thanks for raising the question and thanks for the colorful responses
everyone, especially Jeanine's photo-narrated reply.
There's one point Megan raised that we face a lot of as well, which is,
what to do with mail for past/non-members.
So far our solution has been to end up stashing it, but it's beginning to
pile up and some people have moved or are unreachable with current contact
info.
Does anyone have a good solution for that?
Thanks!
Oren

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New
to this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!

[o***@gmail.com]

Interesting Mike, I'd never seen that or read that before.

My question is does a coworking space have to be a CMRA to handle mail or
can we handle mail the same way an employer would? (which is typically what
we do)

Seems excessively formal for a community. If mail was the only service we
offer, I'd certainly understand the need.

Post by Mike
In general, the CMRA and USPS rules limit your responsibility to 6 months
after they stop being a customer - at which point you can just
recycle/shred it if they haven't taken action. I definitely recommend you
read the info in the links I posted earlier.
You're certainly exposed to liability if notices are being served, such
as: corporate documentation renewals, tax notices etc. Although the
language from USPS is certainly convoluted, as is the case with most
bureaucratic organizations.

Post by o***@gmail.com
Hi Megan,
Thanks for raising the question and thanks for the colorful responses
everyone, especially Jeanine's photo-narrated reply.
There's one point Megan raised that we face a lot of as well, which is,
what to do with mail for past/non-members.
So far our solution has been to end up stashing it, but it's beginning to
pile up and some people have moved or are unreachable with current contact
info.
Does anyone have a good solution for that?
Thanks!
Oren

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New
to this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!

[Mike]

Technically, yes a co-working space needs to be a CMRA to handle mail. It's
no different from a Regus/Davinci (which mainly re-sell CEC space) or even
a UPS store in that regard, both of which are CMRAs.

Many don't do this and operate fine, with no repercussions. But, at any
point a USPS auditor can show up and ask for 1583s for all of the
businesses you receive mail for, and refuse mail service if you can't
provide the documentation.

The level of enforcement tends to differ from post office to post office,
and you may hear different requirements about CMRAs depending on where
you're located - that's not intentional, it's just a lack of knowledge by
most PO workers on the matter.

In response to an earlier question, the USPS doesn't acknowledge business
change of address notices any more. Otherwise someone at a co-work location
could forward all that location's mail somewhere.

In the end it's just another business decision you need to make. Some
decide that a certain level of liability exposure is acceptable for their
operation, and that can be fine.

Post by o***@gmail.com
Interesting Mike, I'd never seen that or read that before.
My question is does a coworking space have to be a CMRA to handle mail or
can we handle mail the same way an employer would? (which is typically what
we do)
Seems excessively formal for a community. If mail was the only service we
offer, I'd certainly understand the need.

Post by Mike
In general, the CMRA and USPS rules limit your responsibility to 6 months
after they stop being a customer - at which point you can just
recycle/shred it if they haven't taken action. I definitely recommend you
read the info in the links I posted earlier.
You're certainly exposed to liability if notices are being served, such
as: corporate documentation renewals, tax notices etc. Although the
language from USPS is certainly convoluted, as is the case with most
bureaucratic organizations.

Post by o***@gmail.com
Hi Megan,
Thanks for raising the question and thanks for the colorful responses
everyone, especially Jeanine's photo-narrated reply.
There's one point Megan raised that we face a lot of as well, which is,
what to do with mail for past/non-members.
So far our solution has been to end up stashing it, but it's beginning
to pile up and some people have moved or are unreachable with current
contact info.
Does anyone have a good solution for that?
Thanks!
Oren

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently
we have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New
to this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!

[Jeannine van der Linden]

Hi, Oren,

I think the King has the answer for you my friend:

<iframe width="420" height="315"
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YUWMSVDPdGQ" frameborder="0"
allowfullscreen></iframe>

Aanyway.

Whether you are a CMRA depends on the A it seems to me. That is to say,
whether you are an agent and handle your coworkers' mail. There was a
dustup about thisover Regus and similar at the USPS some years ago, and my
recollection is that they published some amendments to the regs defining
how you know whether youa are a CMRA (which is a mail drop) or an OBC. And
it amounted to whether you are or are not the agent of your coworkers, whch
then amounts to, do they actually have space or are they primarily
receiving business services. See the Postal Service Mail Manual
<http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/508.pdf>, on this link you can
start at page 10 to get to the meat of it.

The Global Workspace Association reccommends becoming one, they explan it
and give their reasons here
<http://www.globalworkspace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Virtual-Office-Best-Practices-International.pdf>
.

I had a big (I mean big, large, like in, Texas size) ol' rubber stamp made
which says (in Dutch obviously), "No Longer Coworking in Kamer52". It was
big enough to cover the bar code at the bottom becuse all these things are
automated now and (here) if you do not cover the bar code the damn thing
turns up again like a bad penny.

I think the very best thing to do is to wander on down to your local Post
Office and have a chat with the Postmaster. OR send them an email if they
don;t have those any more.

Cheers

Jeannine

Post by o***@gmail.com
Hi Megan,
Thanks for raising the question and thanks for the colorful responses
everyone, especially Jeanine's photo-narrated reply.
There's one point Megan raised that we face a lot of as well, which is,
what to do with mail for past/non-members.
So far our solution has been to end up stashing it, but it's beginning to
pile up and some people have moved or are unreachable with current contact
info.
Does anyone have a good solution for that?
Thanks!
Oren

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New
to this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!

[Jeannine van der Linden]

Well hell. Screwed up the embed code. And it was such fun, too. Sorry.

On Thursday, December 10, 2015 at 8:09:34 PM UTC+1, Jeannine van der Linden

Post by Jeannine van der Linden
Hi, Oren,
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="
https://www.youtube.com/embed/YUWMSVDPdGQ" frameborder="0"
allowfullscreen></iframe>
Aanyway.
Whether you are a CMRA depends on the A it seems to me. That is to say,
whether you are an agent and handle your coworkers' mail. There was a
dustup about thisover Regus and similar at the USPS some years ago, and my
recollection is that they published some amendments to the regs defining
how you know whether youa are a CMRA (which is a mail drop) or an OBC. And
it amounted to whether you are or are not the agent of your coworkers, whch
then amounts to, do they actually have space or are they primarily
receiving business services. See the Postal Service Mail Manual
<http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/508.pdf>, on this link you
can start at page 10 to get to the meat of it.
The Global Workspace Association reccommends becoming one, they explan it
and give their reasons here
<http://www.globalworkspace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Virtual-Office-Best-Practices-International.pdf>
.
I had a big (I mean big, large, like in, Texas size) ol' rubber stamp made
which says (in Dutch obviously), "No Longer Coworking in Kamer52". It was
big enough to cover the bar code at the bottom becuse all these things are
automated now and (here) if you do not cover the bar code the damn thing
turns up again like a bad penny.
I think the very best thing to do is to wander on down to your local Post
Office and have a chat with the Postmaster. OR send them an email if they
don;t have those any more.
Cheers
Jeannine

Post by o***@gmail.com
Hi Megan,
Thanks for raising the question and thanks for the colorful responses
everyone, especially Jeanine's photo-narrated reply.
There's one point Megan raised that we face a lot of as well, which is,
what to do with mail for past/non-members.
So far our solution has been to end up stashing it, but it's beginning to
pile up and some people have moved or are unreachable with current contact
info.
Does anyone have a good solution for that?
Thanks!
Oren

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New
to this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!

[Glen Ferguson]

We did the CMRA thing about 3 years ago. The local postmaster had to call the major USPS branch for the state to find out what a CMRA was, so don't be too surprised if you encounter something similar.

Overall, it hasn't been much work at all, even with filing the quarterly reports. I made up stickers with the approved wording for the mail that gets rejected - it was cheaper than getting a stamp made.

Glen FergusonTummler, Cowork Frederick

Well hell.Screwed up the embed code.And it was such fun, too.Sorry.

Post by Jeannine van der Linden
Hi, Oren,
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YUWMSVDPdGQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Aanyway.
Whether you are a CMRA depends on the A it seems to me.That is to say, whether you are an agent and handle your coworkers' mail.There was a dustup about thisover Regus and similar at the USPS some years ago, and my recollection is that they published some amendments to the regs defining how you know whether youa are a CMRA (which is a mail drop) or an OBC.And it amounted to whether you are or are not the agent of your coworkers, whch then amounts to, do they actually have space or are they primarily receiving business services.See thePostal Service Mail Manual(http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/508.pdf), on this link you can start at page 10 to get to the meat of it.
The Global Workspace Association reccommends becoming one, they explan it andgive their reasons here(http://www.globalworkspace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Virtual-Office-Best-Practices-International.pdf).
I had a big (I mean big, large, like in, Texas size) ol' rubber stamp made which says (in Dutch obviously), "No Longer Coworking in Kamer52".It was big enough to cover the bar code at the bottom becuse all these things are automated now and (here) if you do not cover the bar code the damn thing turns up again like a bad penny.
I think the very best thing to do is to wander on down to your local Post Office and have a chat with the Postmaster.OR send them an email if they don;t have those any more.
Cheers
Jeannine

Post by o***@gmail.com
Hi Megan,
Thanks for raising the question and thanks for the colorful responses everyone, especially Jeanine's photo-narrated reply.
There's one point Megan raised that we face a lot of as well, which is, what to do with mail for past/non-members.
So far our solution has been to end up stashing it, but it's beginning to pile up and some people have moved or are unreachable with current contact info.
Does anyone have a good solution for that?
Thanks!
Oren

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels (alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New to this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic threads.
Thanks!

--
Visit this forum on the web athttp://discuss.coworking.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group.
For more options, visithttps://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Mike - earthclassmail.com]

USPS does go into specifics on what types of OBCs are required to have a
CMRA, you can find them here: http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/508.htm

I think the section below is most telling (emphasis is mine), although
still convoluted. If you want to not worry about this at all, just reach
out anytime.

1.8.4 Office Business Center Acting as a CMRA

The procedures for an office business center (OBC) or part of its operation
acting as a CMRA for postal purposes are as follows:

a.An OBC is a business that operates primarily to provide private office
facilities and other business support services to individuals or firms
(customers). OBCs receive single-point delivery. OBC customers that receive
mail at the OBC address will be considered CMRA customers for postal
purposes under the standards set forth in 1.8.4b
<http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/508.htm#1071575>. Parties considered CMRA
customers under this provision must comply with the standards set forth in
1.8.1 <http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/508.htm#1045168> through 1.8.3
<http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/508.htm#1045494>. *An OBC must register as
a CMRA on Form 1583-A and comply with all other CMRA standards if one or
more customers receiving mail through its address is considered a CMRA
customer.*

b.An OBC customer is considered to be a CMRA customer for postal purposes
if its written agreement with the OBC provides for mail service only or
mail and other business support services (without regard for occupancy or
other services that the OBC might provide). Additionally, an OBC customer
receiving mail at the OBC address is considered to be a CMRA customer for
postal purposes if each of the following is true:

1.The customer’s written agreement with the OBC does not provide for thefull-time
use of one or more of the private offices within the OBC facility.

2.The customer’s written agreement with the OBC does not provide all of the following:
(a) the use of one or more of the private offices within the facility for
at least 16 hours per month at market price for the location; (b) full-time
receptionist service and live personal telephone answering service during
normal business hours and voicemail service after hours; (c) a listing in
the office directory in the building in which the OBC is located; (d) use
of conference rooms and other business services on demand, such as
secretarial services, word processing, administrative services, meeting
planning, travel arrangements, and video conferencing.

c.Notwithstanding any other standards, a customer whose written agreementprovides
for mail services only or mail and other business support services will not
be considered an OBC customer (without regard for occupancy or other
services that an OBC may provide and bill for on demand).

d.The USPS may request from the OBC copies of written agreements or anyother
documents or information needed to determine compliance with these
standards. Failure to provide requested documents or information might be
basis for suspending delivery service to the OBC under the procedures set
forth in 1.8.2 <http://pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/508.htm#1045195>.

On Thursday, December 10, 2015 at 1:09:34 PM UTC-6, Jeannine van der Linden

Post by Jeannine van der Linden
Hi, Oren,
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="
https://www.youtube.com/embed/YUWMSVDPdGQ" frameborder="0"
allowfullscreen></iframe>
Aanyway.
Whether you are a CMRA depends on the A it seems to me. That is to say,
whether you are an agent and handle your coworkers' mail. There was a
dustup about thisover Regus and similar at the USPS some years ago, and my
recollection is that they published some amendments to the regs defining
how you know whether youa are a CMRA (which is a mail drop) or an OBC. And
it amounted to whether you are or are not the agent of your coworkers, whch
then amounts to, do they actually have space or are they primarily
receiving business services. See the Postal Service Mail Manual
<http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/508.pdf>, on this link you
can start at page 10 to get to the meat of it.
The Global Workspace Association reccommends becoming one, they explan it
and give their reasons here
<http://www.globalworkspace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Virtual-Office-Best-Practices-International.pdf>
.
I had a big (I mean big, large, like in, Texas size) ol' rubber stamp made
which says (in Dutch obviously), "No Longer Coworking in Kamer52". It was
big enough to cover the bar code at the bottom becuse all these things are
automated now and (here) if you do not cover the bar code the damn thing
turns up again like a bad penny.
I think the very best thing to do is to wander on down to your local Post
Office and have a chat with the Postmaster. OR send them an email if they
don;t have those any more.
Cheers
Jeannine

Post by o***@gmail.com
Hi Megan,
Thanks for raising the question and thanks for the colorful responses
everyone, especially Jeanine's photo-narrated reply.
There's one point Megan raised that we face a lot of as well, which is,
what to do with mail for past/non-members.
So far our solution has been to end up stashing it, but it's beginning to
pile up and some people have moved or are unreachable with current contact
info.
Does anyone have a good solution for that?
Thanks!
Oren

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New
to this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!

[Liane Jackson]

Question: There have been some other threads with comments about how
letting businesses use your space address as a postal address is not good
for Google search. That it somehow infringes on their location services
and possibly causes SEO confusion. Does anyone have thoughts on this?

Liane

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New to
this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!

[AK]

Hi everyone--time to get serious about mail delivery. I wonder how
critical it is to have USPS approved locking mailboxes. I have applied
for CMRA status and my local PO has no clue what to do - I even printed
out the form for them. This really took me by surprise since we're in a
suburban location, not in the country so there is alot of businesses out
here

Nevertheless, I want to be approved and wonder if those of you who collect
mail for members or just "virtual" actually have locked mailboxes for
them. Thoughts? I will not but the boxes until approved.

Al

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New to
this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!

[Jerome Chang]

For years we provided these virtual offices w/o filing a CMRA w/ the USPS, but we complied w/ the requirements should we get audited.

We are in the process of filing now.

So the answer is
- it’s not critical, but it’s ideal
- no individually locked mailboxes required. We put all of our “mailboxes” in a locked room.

JEROME CHANG
talk to us: [phone]
chat w/ us: http://www.BLANKSPACES.com/chat

Santa Monica | Culver City | DTLA | Pasadena
OPENING SOON: Larchmont | Long Beach

Hi everyone--time to get serious about mail delivery. I wonder how critical it is to have USPS approved locking mailboxes. I have applied for CMRA status and my local PO has no clue what to do - I even printed out the form for them. This really took me by surprise since we're in a suburban location, not in the country so there is alot of businesses out here
Nevertheless, I want to be approved and wonder if those of you who collect mail for members or just "virtual" actually have locked mailboxes for them. Thoughts? I will not but the boxes until approved.
Al

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels (alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New to this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic threads.
Thanks!

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Glen Ferguson]

Yes, the local post office folks, sometimes even the postmaster, typically
don't know what to do with the CMRA form because they're pretty rare. We
ran into that too and we're in the second-largest city in the state. In our
case, he contacted the larger post office in Baltimore. Now, a few years
later and with a new postmaster, she checks every PS-1583 form we submit
and has rejected one for a couple discrepancies we missed. So yes, we're
very aware of the possibility of an audit. We're also across the street
from the post office, which makes us a convenient target if they want to do
an audit of a "random" CMRA.

I find the front desk staff never knows what to do with the quarterly
reports, so once I found out who they should go to, I mark all the reports
to his attention.

We're using a small fire safe for hanging file folders as our mailboxes. It
locks, and I can keep it in a closet, so we're still in compliance, albeit
barely. We're planning on getting some mailboxes though as it would allow
for self-service when picking up mail. This is more important for the
non-members with mailboxes than it is for members. Since we (any CMRA) are
responsible for sorting the mail, we can get "mailboxes for private
delivery" instead of "mailboxes for USPS delivery" which reduces the cost
quite a bit. We're in a historic building so we're looking at something
like these as they fit the decor better.
https://www.mailboxes.com/shop-by-department/commercial-mailboxes-for-private-distribution/brass-style/


---
Glen Ferguson
Cowork Frederick
122 E Patrick St
Frederick, MD 21701-5630
[phone]
***@coworkfrederick.com
www.coworkfrederick.com
@CoworkFrederick <http://twitter.com/CoworkFrederick>



*Glen Ferguson*
Phone: [phone]
Email: ***@coworkfrederick.com
Website: https://www.coworkfrederick.com
Address: 122 E Patrick St, Frederick, MD 21701

Post by Jerome Chang
For years we provided these virtual offices w/o filing a CMRA w/ the USPS,
but we complied w/ the requirements should we get audited.
We are in the process of filing now.
So the answer is
- it’s not critical, but it’s ideal
- no individually locked mailboxes required. We put all of our “mailboxes”
in a locked room.
*JEROME CHANG*
*talk to us: [phone]chat w/ us: http://www.BLANKSPACES.com/chat
<https://lc.chat/now/7173741/>Santa Monica | Culver
City | DTLA | PasadenaOPENING SOON: Larchmont | Long Beach*
Hi everyone--time to get serious about mail delivery. I wonder how
critical it is to have USPS approved locking mailboxes. I have applied
for CMRA status and my local PO has no clue what to do - I even printed
out the form for them. This really took me by surprise since we're in a
suburban location, not in the country so there is alot of businesses out
here
Nevertheless, I want to be approved and wonder if those of you who collect
mail for members or just "virtual" actually have locked mailboxes for
them. Thoughts? I will not but the boxes until approved.
Al

Post by Megan Holcomb
Hi All,
I am exploring options for a flexible mail delivery system. Currently we
have small, square, stacked mailboxes with member names on labels
(alphabetized). We sort the mail ourselves into the member's mailbox and
they (members) are responsible for checking their box. But every time we
get a new member the labels have to be shifted. Some members have
overflowing mail or rarely check their box. Often mail arrives for
past/non-members. For reference we have between 100-200 members.
Maybe there are some creative mail management solutions out there?! New
to this google group so thought Id ask. Haven't seen it in previous topic
threads.
Thanks!
--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Coworking" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.