Quick, guess how many Netflix DVDs are stolen out of mailboxes before the intended recipient can get them.  Give up?  The answer is at least 1,256, as that's how many a single postal worker (allegedly) stole.

A 24-year-old Loveland woman who worked as a postal carrier is accused of stealing more than 1,250 Netflix and Blockbuster DVDs from the mail in the Lyons area.

A federal grand jury in Denver indicted the woman, Karen Durante, late Wednesday. She is charged with four counts of stealing Netflix DVDs from the mail and one count of possessing 1,256 Netflix and Blockbuster DVDs which had been stolen from the mail.

Earlier this week when I picked up a GameFly envelope from the mail I wondered how often the distinctive orange envelopes full of game discs and cartridges are opened and emptied en route to customers' homes.  Out of curiosity, has this happened to anyone reading PTB?  Have you ever opened your mailbox and found a GameFly (or even Netflix or other media rental by-mail business) envelope opened and picked clean?  If so, did you have to pay a penalty for someone else's theft?

GameFly's policy is that they don't penalize customers for games that are lost (or "lost", in this case) in the mail which I think is surprisingly fair.  Lose (or "lose") a game belonging to your local Blockbuster Video and you can bet you'll pay a hefty penalty fee.  I once returned two games one day late to Blockbuster and was slapped with a $12 late fee.  I don't want to imagine the fee for never returning a game.