Oakdale Business Owners Claim They Have Received No Mail In Nearly A Year

OAKDALE (CBS13) — Business owners in Oakdale say they haven't received their mail for nearly a year.

The city of Oakdale still feels like a small town, where most people know each other and the talk downtown is about a lack of correspondence.

Last year, the area got a new mail carrier. Business owners say he comes to their doors at 9:15 a.m., but most businesses don't open until 10 a.m.

Owners say the mail slips easily through their doors, but if they aren't open, the mail carrier won't deliver it.

A spokesman from the U.S. Postal Office in San Francisco said a previous mailman provided a courtesy to customers by slipping mail under the door or leaving it with neighbors. But, postal rules say businesses must have a mail receptacle to get their mail.

Business owners say it's up to their landlords to add mailboxes or mail slots to their doors, but they say in this small town, they shouldn't have to.

"I don't know, I probably could do that, but I feel like I've never had a problem with it before, why should I do that now?" said Lori Salsa-Scheftiz, owner of Oakdale Nutrition Center.

The post office also said if a business wants a place next door to accept mail, it must permanently change and make the neighbor's address the only receiving business address.