“You want them to hop the gate?”: USPS mail carrier throws “fragile” box, breaking contents. Then viewers start picking sides

A viral TikTok has the internet divided after a USPS mail carrier was caught on video tossing a clearly marked “fragile” package over a closed gate, resulting in a shattered ceramic cookie jar. Posted by @astridxtx, the June 16, 2025, clip racked up over 3.1 million views and over 2,000 comments as viewers debated who’s really to blame: the USPS worker for her handling, the sender for poor packaging, or the recipient for expecting delivery past a closed gate.

USPS fail leads to internet debate

The recipient of the broken cookie jar blamed USPS. @astridxtx captioned the post, “Count your days USPS!!! Why are usps mail carrier always in a bad mood!! The gate is open and she literally tossed it over hard causing the stuff inside to break! Laziness at its finest 🥴😠😠.”

@astridxtx Count your days USPS!!! Why are usps mail carrier always in a bad mood!! The gate is open and she literally tossed it over hard causing the stuff inside to break! Laziness at its finest 🥴😠😠#uspsproblems #mailcarrier #usps #delivery #fyp #deliverydriver #mailcarrier ♬ Monkeyshine-JP – Lt FitzGibbons Men

Who is really at fault here?

Although some TikTok users echoed @astridxtx’s shipping woes, others blamed faulty packaging and the homeowner’s unrealistic expectations.

@windypoplarss asked, “You want them to hop the gate? Idk what else they were to do.” @sushibazoombo suggested, “She probably wanted them to…open the gate like a normal person.” But a professional replied, “As a mail carrier, I’m very hesitant on opening gates cause idk if there’s a mean dog on the other side or not. I value my safety over a vase.”

The video made it to r/TikTokCringe where Reddit users overwhelmingly agreed poor packaging was to blame for the shipping damage. USPS workers on the thread explained that mail carriers don’t open gates.

“That thing was broken way before that drop, it should have been bubble wrap and be in a better box.”

u/thegiken explained, “USPS is not authorized or required to open gates.” u/NotFirstBan-NotLast agreed and suggested the homeowner leave the gate open when they’re aware they have a package coming.

“Yep. I’m not running the risk you’ve got your dogs out and I’ve seen enough of those ‘We don’t call the cops’ signs with a gun on it to know there’s a fairly significant subsect of the population that is frothing at the mouth for an excuse to kill somebody in ‘self defense.’ If you want it delivered past your gate here’s a crazy idea—don’t shut it when you know you have a package coming.”

“The homeowner is an entitled moron.”

Mail workers don’t have time to care about your fragile package

A top comment mentioned that mail carriers take a lot of heat for careless handling, but employees sorting packages in warehouses aren’t doing much better. “If you think this is bad, you should see how packages are handled in the warehouses,” said u/Capt_Foxch.

u/Fresh-Wealth-8397 pointed out that warehouse workers don’t have time to care about “fragile” warning stickers. The user emphasized that fragile objects be packed with care if shipments are to arrive intact. “People in sorting facilities get 3 seconds to read and scan the label and load the box—they literally do not get enough time to look or care about fragile stickers.