Private Mail and Package Services - The end of the USPS ?

[depotoo]

I think you mean UPS-

If customers had to pay the higher prices of ...

usps is the best thing since sliced bread.... I have a small internet business and shipping lightweight packages, from 1 oz to 4 lbs, USPS is near half the price of Fedx and UPS....

they come to your house to pick up, every day, you can order a special pick up at an odd hour, they cover your insurance up to $100 a package and deliver in 3 days, even from Maine to California, and give you free tracking... or it is included in the small business price....

And they handle International shipping up to 4 lbs, at 40% less than Fedx.

My business and millions of others, would be crap if customers had to pay the higher prices of USPS and Fedx to get their merchandise....

USPS is the number one shipper of small packages in the USA.

And I thank God for them, every single day but Sunday, rain or shine!

 

[depotoo]

Yeah, I get 2-3 pieces of mail a week for other people.

My local postal service sucks. Mail delivered to wrong addresses. A few times took over a week to receive my checks from work, 20 miles away. Actually now have to meet my boss to get paid as I couldn't rely on the mail.
Government union workers suck.

 

[depotoo]

I see the USPS doing more package deliveries not less

They are doing the local delivery tasks for the shipping companies that don't want to be bothered

I even see them delivering packages on Sunday's

I hate it because once it is their hands you usually have no idea where it is or for certain when it will be delivered. And they don’t care where they leave it or ring the bell.

 

[petro]

Yeah, I get 2-3 pieces of mail a week for other people.

My local postal service sucks. Mail delivered to wrong addresses. A few times took over a week to receive my checks from work, 20 miles away. Actually now have to meet my boss to get paid as I couldn't rely on the mail.
Government union workers suck.

I really think my carrier is dyslexic.

I took the civil service test years ago and it was nothing but memorization and repetition of insrtuctions. Basically to see if you were capable of following mindless instructions without questioning. Scored above 90%. Too damn simple.
By the time the postal service contacted me was a year later when I had a better private job for more money. Glad it didn't pan out.

 

[usmbguest5318]

I'm confused. How does CitizenShip get a package from, say, Vail, CO to Woodville, MS? I read the "how it works" and it's not clear to me how a network of disparate drivers and hubs get a package or letter moved. It also seems to me that there is a risk that nobody will agree to transport one's package.

I suppose the concept/idea is fine when it works, but it's not at all clear that it will "work" with a 98% or higher rate as does the USPS.

There is also the matter than I don't want to choose a driver. I want to call the delivery service and tell them to come to my home and pick up a package or simply take it to the closest drop off location, pay the cost of overnight or second day delivery and not have to think about it after that.

 

[DGS49]

I think the quality of USPS service is very local. In areas where there is a good market of high paying jobs for HS grads, the USPS hires the bottom of the barrel, and the service reflects that. In flyover country, the service is pretty good.

My neighborhood has house numbers that are very confusing to the local carrier. There are about 400 addresses and all of the house number are between 2475 and 2525, so we have many duplicated numbers, and I frequently get mail intended for other houses. The only issue is the slight anxiety I have about my mail having been delivered elsewhere, and ending up in someone's trash can. But almost all of my mail is bills and solicitations, so...

I've had good experience with UPS and excellent experience with FedEx Ground.

 

[edthecynic]

The USPS is a model of efficiency. They will deliver a letter from NY to California for under 50 cents

Except that "efficiency" is quite fraudulent! My local NJ post office habitually misdelivers my tracked packages and even after they confirm that the package was delivered to the wrong house they will not change the tracking to misdelivered preventing me from getting a refund from the seller/shipper who see the tracking show the package delivered to my mail box. This has been going on for years and the PO will do nothing to fix it because it will affect their delivery record in a negative way.

 

[depotoo]

One time my usps set a pkg on the edge of the porch, because it was too big for the mailbox, in the pouring rain. Needless to say, it got soaked.

Our new fedx driver, about 4 months now, never misses a beat. He always rings the bell. I feel much more secure knowing it has arrived. UPS and USPS never ring the bell. That is how packages end up stolen, even when you are home. With UPS I at least know something is out for delivery, so will check periodically, if home. USPS, only have a general idea when it might arrive, so drives me crazy and hate how they will squish a pkg into the mailbox, when it should be left on the porch.

 

[BasicHumanUnit]

I just called the USPS "Customer Service" phone number and absolutely cannot get to a person.
I have a critical Priority Package that is 4 days late now and all they keep doing is posting system generated messages saying it's "IN TRANSIT"....from the hub 20 miles away.....

Is the transit mode someone on foot ?!? I could have walked there in less than 4 days.

They deliberately set up the system so you either answer EXACTLY as they tell you or it cuts you off.

THAT IS NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE

All you saying how great the USPS is....call them and try to get to a person.
I asked if those saying how wonderful the USPS is are current or former employees.....

I think the assumption is that most who are accolading the USPS probably are.

 

[saveliberty]

I wonder if Amazon is overloading the USPS in South Florida?

I can tell you I love my carrier and it has nothing to do with my carrier.
They can't deliver packages until they arrive at their (my local) Postal unit.

But that's the problem. They bounce around sometimes for a week in la la land.

It's getting worse. Could be Amazon related?

Hello BasicHumanUnit, I start at my local post office Monday. From what I was told Amazon drops packages off at 5 am, so we can sort and deliver that day. UPS drops mid afternoon for next day. The USPS is under contract to deliver these packages on time. To the point the packages are tracked all the way through the shipment process. These are of a very high priority and my continued employment depends on meeting the goals. We are a small city in an otherwise rural setting.

 

[depotoo]

Good luck with the new job!
Hope yours actually follows those tenets. Ours absolutely does not.

I wonder if Amazon is overloading the USPS in South Florida?

I can tell you I love my carrier and it has nothing to do with my carrier.
They can't deliver packages until they arrive at their (my local) Postal unit.

But that's the problem. They bounce around sometimes for a week in la la land.

It's getting worse. Could be Amazon related?

Hello BasicHumanUnit, I start at my local post office Monday. From what I was told Amazon drops packages off at 5 am, so we can sort and deliver that day. UPS drops mid afternoon for next day. The USPS is under contract to deliver these packages on time. To the point the packages are tracked all the way through the shipment process. These are of a very high priority and my continued employment depends on meeting the goals. We are a small city in an otherwise rural setting.

 

[saveliberty]

I just called the USPS "Customer Service" phone number and absolutely cannot get to a person.
I have a critical Priority Package that is 4 days late now and all they keep doing is posting system generated messages saying it's "IN TRANSIT"....from the hub 20 miles away.....

Is the transit mode someone on foot ?!? I could have walked there in less than 4 days.

They deliberately set up the system so you either answer EXACTLY as they tell you or it cuts you off.

THAT IS NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE

USPS - Track

 

[BasicHumanUnit]

lol

 

[BasicHumanUnit]

USPS - Track

Did you miss the part that it's a PRIORITY package and it's 4 days late?

 

[saveliberty]

Good luck with the new job!
Hope yours actually follows those tenets. Ours absolutely does not.

Our building is only so big, we don't have a place to let things just sit. A lot of stuff I have gotten form Amazon comes from China. It seems reasonable that the delays would be on that end. I have a lot to learn, so who knows? Oh and thanks, I have spent six months looking for a good job in my area. It came just in time, as my landscape work has come to an end for the season.

 

[BasicHumanUnit]

Hello BasicHumanUnit, I start at my local post office Monday. From what I was told Amazon drops packages off at 5 am, so we can sort and deliver that day. UPS drops mid afternoon for next day. The USPS is under contract to deliver these packages on time. To the point the packages are tracked all the way through the shipment process. These are of a very high priority and my continued employment depends on meeting the goals. We are a small city in an otherwise rural setting.

Good luck. As a newbie you won't get benefits for a while as I understand.
They could also let you go after the holiday rush.

So if I understand you.....The USPS has become a slave dedicated to Amazon ????
Amazon pays them next to nothing yet they drop the better paying deliveries in order to appease the giant.....
THAT would make sense......so they dedicate their top priority to Amazon packages and everything else gets delivered IF and WHEN possible.

If that's the case, the USPS will bankrupt itself trying to please Amazon because more cash flow is only a good thing if proportionally more of that is profit. A business model that gives up profitability for sheer volume is doomed.

Now THAT makes perfect sense and explains a lot.

 

[saveliberty]

USPS - Track

Did you miss the part that it's a PRIORITY package and it's 4 days late?

USPS hires a large number of holiday workers. In my case, its more permanent, but I am learning 300 distinct areas that are divided into 12 routes. In some cases a 2 mile stretch has five possible routes. Any guesses on whether I am perfect on that from day one?

 

[saveliberty]

Hello BasicHumanUnit, I start at my local post office Monday. From what I was told Amazon drops packages off at 5 am, so we can sort and deliver that day. UPS drops mid afternoon for next day. The USPS is under contract to deliver these packages on time. To the point the packages are tracked all the way through the shipment process. These are of a very high priority and my continued employment depends on meeting the goals. We are a small city in an otherwise rural setting.

Good luck. As a newbie you won't get benefits for a while as I understand.
They could also let you go after the holiday rush.

So if I understand you.....The USPS has become a slave dedicated to Amazon ????
Amazon pays them next to nothing yet they drop the better paying deliveries in order to appease the giant.....
THAT would make sense......so they dedicate their top priority to Amazon packages and everything else gets delivered IF and WHEN possible.

Now THAT makes perfect sense and explains a lot.

No, the regular mail has a similar priority. USPS has become a better business model. How would they go bankrupt? They make one run a day, regardless. My job is not seasonal, although you are correct, they hire you initially as non career.

 

[depotoo]

They’ve been bankrupt for years
Postal Service Says It Lost $200 Million Over Holiday Season
The Postal Service Is Delivering Itself Into Bankruptcy, Audit Shows | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis - IBD
What the Postal Service wants now

Hello BasicHumanUnit, I start at my local post office Monday. From what I was told Amazon drops packages off at 5 am, so we can sort and deliver that day. UPS drops mid afternoon for next day. The USPS is under contract to deliver these packages on time. To the point the packages are tracked all the way through the shipment process. These are of a very high priority and my continued employment depends on meeting the goals. We are a small city in an otherwise rural setting.

Good luck. As a newbie you won't get benefits for a while as I understand.
They could also let you go after the holiday rush.

So if I understand you.....The USPS has become a slave dedicated to Amazon ????
Amazon pays them next to nothing yet they drop the better paying deliveries in order to appease the giant.....
THAT would make sense......so they dedicate their top priority to Amazon packages and everything else gets delivered IF and WHEN possible.

Now THAT makes perfect sense and explains a lot.

No, the regular mail has a similar priority. USPS has become a better business model. How would they go bankrupt? They make one run a day, regardless. My job is not seasonal, although you are correct, they hire you initially as non career.

 

[Harry Dresden]

If the USPS could stop deliveries in rural areas they would be much more profitable
But Red States won't have it

neither will blue states.....federal postal regulations wont allow that either no matter what color your state is....