Amid the rise of online shopping, the United States Postal Service is encouraging homeowners to purchase larger mailboxes that would fit more types of packages.

The postal agency advised customers about the new "jumbo" mailboxes ahead of what it calls "mailbox improvement week," which occurs during the third week of May and aims to encourage customers to improve the appearance of their mailboxes. The "next generation" mailboxes can hold multiple packages, in addition to letters, cards, and magazines, according to the agency's website.

"Today's newer mailboxes are wider and taller to accommodate delivery of items you've ordered online and reduce the need for notices left and trips to the Post Office to retrieve a package," the USPS said in a May 2024 release.

USPS doesn't sell the jumbo mailboxes nor does it receive financial benefits if customers purchase the receptacles, a spokesperson for USPS told CBS MoneyWatch. But federal regulations allow only USPS mail to be placed in curbside mailboxes or receptacles outside peoples' houses.

Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, BudgetMailboxes.com, True Value and Menards all sell jumbo mailboxes. The jumbo mailboxes are 13 inches wide, 12 inches high at the center and 16.5 inches long. A standard size mailbox sold at Home Depot is 7 inches wide, 9 inches high and 20 inches deep.

The agency is recommending customers buy package-friendly mailboxes due to the rise of online shopping, which is leading to more deliveries of package and boxes to peoples' doorsteps.

USPS delivered 25 million more "pieces" during the second quarter of fiscal 2024, which lasts from Jan. 1 to March 31, compared to the same period last year.

Art Gerckens is the industry chair of the Connecticut Postal Customer Council — an organization that aims to improve the communication between USPS and local postal customers — and he has been managing mail deliveries at Sacred Heart University (SHU) for 30 years.

Gerckens seen a notable increase of packages at the university and at his home in Derby.

"We have seen packages come in (to the university) exponentially these past five years," he said. "We literally have half a dozen trucks come every single day primarily with packages as opposed to mail."

So far, in the fiscal year of 2024, SHU has received 79,000 packages, he said. In 2023, an estimated 101,000 packages were delivered to student dorms, an increase from 85,000 in 2022. The university has also installed package lockers at the university to deal with all the deliveries.

"A lot of companies have had to rethink the way they deal with receiving packages due to how greatly the volume has increased," he said.

Gerckens does not own a jumbo mailbox, but he's considering buying one due to the protection it could offer from bad weather. It could also provide more security from "porch pirates," when thieves steal packages left on porches, he said.

According to a February report by Capital One Shopping, more than 75% of Americans reported having a package stolen in the past year.

The new jumbo mailboxes don't lock, but USPS suggested customers check out its informed delivery service, which alerts customers when a package is delivered.

USPS also encouraged people to replace rusted hinges and remount loose mailboxes posts. Guidelines for installing and placing a new mailbox in your home can be found on the USPS website.