US Postal Service

[Jim Shooz]

That might be what the regulations say but it practice ???
Up until 2 years ago I had delivered the rural mail for the previous 15 years. The level of service will depend on the local delivery person. We also delivered the Courier parcels from all the local couriers. The Courier drivers were only paid a set amount for a delivery. Anything beyond the city boundary was uneconomical so they would pay us the delivery fee and we would deliver. We also knew where the addressee's house was. how far off the road. Signature required, we would have a waiver from the boxholder, sign for it ourselves, and leave the parcel at the back door.

 

[tomplum]

Yup. Our regular carrier brings our packages in from the end of the road. He explained that some carriers won't as they don't get paid extra to do so, if I understood him correctly. If I'm home when he comes, he's good for a visit. I'm glad we have him.

 

[japody]

Yup. Our regular carrier brings our packages in from the end of the road. He explained that some carriers won't as they don't get paid extra to do so, if I understood him correctly. If I'm home when he comes, he's good for a visit. I'm glad we have him.

If they are rural carriers, they are paid to deliver packages to your house. Their pay is determined by several factors including mileage, which is measured at least once a year during rural route inspections. They are required to deliver to your home as long as it is not more than 1/4 mile off the road. City carriers (they wear the uniforms) are paid a straight salary, regardless.

 

[MossRoad]

We've got regular old postal vans with postal employees delivering to our mailboxes. The regular guy is a hoot and delivers to everyone's back doors. The regular sub does O.K. too, but she won't put packages at the back door for anyone.

Still waiting for my package from England....

 

[NoTrespassing]

My grandfather carried mail on a rural route by horse and buggy when he started carrying. His son, my dad, was hired as his substitute when he turned 18. That would have been about 1960 or 61. My dad still carries a rural route six days a week. He went full time in the mid 1970's. Counting his time as a sub he has about 57 years in. The postal service has been very good to our family. My grandmother lived off my grandfather's pension for about 30 years after he passed. Sometimes I wish I had carried on the tradition. I would almost be able to retire now and start another career.

Kevin

 

[Bird]

My grandfather carried mail on a rural route by horse and buggy when he started carrying. His son, my dad, was hired as his substitute when he turned 18. That would have been about 1960 or 61. My dad still carries a rural route six days a week. He went full time in the mid 1970's. Counting his time as a sub he has about 57 years in. The postal service has been very good to our family. My grandmother lived off my grandfather's pension for about 30 years after he passed. Sometimes I wish I had carried on the tradition. I would almost be able to retire now and start another career.

Kevin, in 1957, the Plano, TX, postmaster had to get special permission from the regional office to hire me as a temporary, part time, carrier to deliver the mail in the days when we walked up to each house to put the mail in a box mounted on the wall, or to put it through a slot in the door. Since I wasn't yet 18, he gave me a 3 month appointment, when that expired another 3 month appointment, and when that expired I was 18 so he gave me a one year appointment.

Then from March 23, 1959, to March 23, 1964, I was a full time clerk in the Dallas Post Office. When I left to go into law enforcement, my family thought I was making a big mistake. Both my Mother and my Dad had uncles who retired from the Post Office. And my paternal grandfather had a contract job hauling the mail between the Post Office and the train station in Ardmore, OK, from 1943 until trains quit hauling the mail.

 

[PILOON]

partial quote---
Because the person who answered the phone put me on hold, and I assume went home. No one ever came back to the phone, so eventually, I hung up.

LOL, that's with most gov't agencies, at least those that don't have all the lines on hold.

Nowdays the have a system that automatically disconnects you when you hold longer than 15-20 mins.
Now that is frustration at its peak!
I you complain the simply claim that it is probably a system glitch.

 

[rekees4300]

partial quote---
Because the person who answered the phone put me on hold, and I assume went home. No one ever came back to the phone, so eventually, I hung up.

LOL, that's with most gov't agencies, at least those that don't have all the lines on hold.

Nowdays the have a system that automatically disconnects you when you hold longer than 15-20 mins.
Now that is frustration at its peak!
I you complain the simply claim that it is probably a system glitch.

No personal accountability is SOP for the bureaucrats. The oldest excuse is to blame it on the computer, that way it's beyond human control. :thumbdown:

 

[NoTrespassing]

OK, my turn to complain. I took the day off work today to watch my kid for my wife while she took a test at the local community college and to get all of our passports renewed. We spent most of the morning getting the documents together and printing pictures for the passports. We show up at the post office at about 12:45 and the passport office is closed for the day. It turns out both of the people that are eligible to deal with passports called in sick to work today! I really hope they had legitimate excuses. I never call in to work sick and my wife held a job for 2 1/2 years without calling in once. I think government employees are much more comfortable calling in sick than private sector employees. I know this is a generalization and not everyone one feels that way but overall on a percentage basis I bet it could be proven.

Kevin

 

[ovrszd]

OK, my turn to complain. I took the day off work today to watch my kid for my wife while she took a test at the local community college and to get all of our passports renewed. We spent most of the morning getting the documents together and printing pictures for the passports. We show up at the post office at about 12:45 and the passport office is closed for the day. It turns out both of the people that are eligible to deal with passports called in sick to work today! I really hope they had legitimate excuses. I never call in to work sick and my wife held a job for 2 1/2 years without calling in once. I think government employees are much more comfortable calling in sick than private sector employees. I know this is a generalization and not everyone one feels that way but overall on a percentage basis I bet it could be proven.

Kevin

Not sure about USPS, but Civil Service employees get paid "sick days". So they probably due call in more frequently than someone that does not.

In the Government office I worked in I scolded my subordinates if they came to work deathly sick. Now you are passing all your virus germs to everyone else in the building. Thanks a lot.

Coming to work sick and passing the virus will ultimately cost the Employer much more than if the carrier would have stayed home.

 

[MossRoad]

We've got regular old postal vans with postal employees delivering to our mailboxes. The regular guy is a hoot and delivers to everyone's back doors. The regular sub does O.K. too, but she won't put packages at the back door for anyone.

Still waiting for my package from England....

Woo hoo.... my package got to Ft. Wayne at 1:45pm today... 36 hours England to NY. 9 days NY to IN.

 

[japody]

Woo hoo.... my package got to Ft. Wayne at 1:45pm today... 36 hours England to NY. 9 days NY to IN.

:thumbsup:

 

[downsizingnow48]

I think there must be a lot of local variation. Never had a problem in Reedville Va ( rural) or here in Carmichael (urban).

 

[PILOON]

Shucks my delivery gal even sends xmas cards to her 'clients'. (not stamped however)
She also leaves fresh eggs as that is one of her hobbies. (U leave an empty egg box and she delivers eggs next day)

 

[TomSeller]

Not sure about USPS, but Civil Service employees get paid "sick days". So they probably due call in more frequently than someone that does not.

In the Government office I worked in I scolded my subordinates if they came to work deathly sick. Now you are passing all your virus germs to everyone else in the building. Thanks a lot.

Coming to work sick and passing the virus will ultimately cost the Employer much more than if the carrier would have stayed home.

Where I work we allow paid sick days but it is subject limitation by us as managers. We encourage people to use it rather than come to work sick, but in the long run we have fewer days off than the workplaces who have a fixed number of paid sick leave days. Most of those are government.

 

[drajj5]

For those who are curious....

USPS mail, regardless if it is a letter/magazine, or package are not sorted locally (At your Post Office). Yep, even the letter mailed to your neighbor is sent elsewhere to be placed in delivery sequence for your local mailman to deliver.

Fed Ex sends whats called, "Smart Post" to your local Post Office for Final delivery..... It is the cheapest venue paid by the consumer; shipping with Fed EX

UPS sends whats called , "Ready Post" in the same fashion as Fed Ex stated above.

Amazon is a whole different animal, that doesn't care who ships it. They use contracted trucks, FED EX, USPS, any means necessary to get the packages to its destination. The Post office only handles the (final leg) of delivery which is to your house.

So who is really handling your packages? Seems as though it has become a 'Joint Service venture' in most cases as even the USPS will utilize it's competitors for freight; via plane when things need to get there in a hurry.

USPS, imo struggles in a few areas - some of which they are not to blame
1. Foreign mail that enters and leaves the country gets (stuck in customs) for what seems an eternity
2. Forwarding..... There are tens of thousands of people moving everyday, that mail goes to a "special sort facility" and delays mail - terribly
3. Tracking, if I order it through Fed EX, I get a number, then a new number is generated by USPS which means I must utilize both companies websites to see where my package is....

Hopefully this bit of info gives some insight to some of you!

 

[TomSeller]

USPS, imo struggles in a few areas - some of which they are not to blame
1. Foreign mail that enters and leaves the country gets (stuck in customs) for what seems an eternity
2. Forwarding..... There are tens of thousands of people moving everyday, that mail goes to a "special sort facility" and delays mail - terribly
3. Tracking, if I order it through Fed EX, I get a number, then a new number is generated by USPS which means I must utilize both companies websites to see where my package is....

I'd add junk mail to the list. Way too much bulk rate mail, which I think should be eliminated and they should pay full rate.

 

[Mendonsy]

I'd add junk mail to the list. Way too much bulk rate mail, which I think should be eliminated and they should pay full rate.

I definitely agree with that! It certainly doesn't cost any less to deliver all that junk mail and it all ends up in a landfill somewhere.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Yep. I go straight from mailbox to garage and toss 80% in the trash day after day.

 

[Bird]

Yep. I go straight from mailbox to garage and toss 80% in the trash day after day.

I don't put mine in the trash; I put it in the recycling bin.:laughing: Of course, that probably means I'll get it back in another form someday.:laughing:

Way too much bulk rate mail, which I think should be eliminated and they should pay full rate.

I was a clerk in the Dallas Post Office 5 years; 1959-1964. Everyone I've ever known, postal employee or not, agreed that the bulk rate should be eliminated. Everyone, that is, except the advertisers, who apparently also contribute to the congressmen who refused to change it.