What's A CBU You Ask?

I thought you'd never ask...

Let me introduce you to Cluster Box Units, otherwise referred to in the biz as CBUs, and a couple of the ones I deliver to on my daily postal routes.

These centralized mail delivery systems are typically used in multi-unit housing or commercial developments, where residents share a set of individually locked mailboxes.

I open these units with a special, unique master key that must be signed out for when departing the PO and signed back in when returned.

Good news, bad news with these - some are inside, some are outside but undercover and many are outside with NO cover.  No covered units just mean that the postal carrier must stand out in the elements, e.g. rain, sleet, snow, etc., when distributing mail.

The three CBUs in the first pic below are fortunately under cover of a gazebo, so mostly protected from the elements.  However, these units are up atop a hill and it gets pretty windy there at times, which was tough back when I first started back in March when it was cold and chilly -

The CBUs below reside in a retirement community.  They're all inside a building that offers heat in the winter and AC in the summer, so very comfortable.  There are over 300 individual mail slots in this facility and typically takes about ~2 hours to complete.

This facility also gets packages, many many packages, each day that all need to get processed too -

Just some of the "fun" responsibilities I get to look forward to each day, UGH!