Topline: The U.S. Postal Service recently lost at least 1,936 brand new barcode scanners, and likely many more.
Employees are not following proper procedures for reporting missing scanners and are not checking their inventory frequently enough, according to a new audit from the agency’s inspector general.
How much money were the lost scanners worth? The Postal Service isn’t saying — but they may have accidentally revealed the “commercially sensitive” information.
Key facts: In 2019, the Postal Service upgraded its handheld scanners with 291,938 new “Mobile Delivery Device Technology Refresh” tools, or MDD-TRs.
Scanners are missing for the same reason arrow keys are missing, no one does accountable clearance at the end of the day. Some offices are very good at clearance procedures but in some it’s non-existent.