Is the postal slowdown affecting you?

[slckeys]

Around here.... If there is a slow down in mail its because of the driver being overwelmed with deliveries. They now also deliver for FEDEX and UPS along with the mail. There was 1 day where he had a extra 150 packages to deliver to our rural route.

Why would they be delivering a competitors package for them? That doesn't make sense to me...

 

[Jstpssng]

Why would they be delivering a competitors package for them? That doesn't make sense to me...

They have contracts with UPS and FedEx to finish deliveries. UPS SurePost: UPS - United States

It often works well for me as UPS won't come down my road in winter, so they often leave packages at the Post Office where I can pick them up at my PO Box. The down side is that it adds another day to the delivery time; even though UPS drops off the package before closing time, the postal clerk still can't give it to me until the next day.

 

[slckeys]

They have contracts with UPS and FedEx to finish deliveries. UPS SurePost: UPS - United States

It often works well for me as UPS won't come down my road in winter, so they often leave packages at the Post Office where I can pick them up at my PO Box. The down side is that it adds another day to the delivery time; even though UPS drops off the package before closing time, the postal clerk still can't give it to me until the next day.

I am aware of their contacts. And I'm not trying to come off as rude, as I'm afraid it seems that way in responses at times. I took it as he felt or thought USPS was overwhelmed with delivering UPS/FedEx packages. I'm easily confused though. Ha.

And that extra day delivery does suck when you plan something and find out the shipper sent it surepost where the post office does the last mile of delivery...

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Why would they be delivering a competitors package for them? That doesn't make sense to me...

We ordered some pomegranate seed oil from Israel last week and they shipped by DHL but the mail lady brought it to our mailbox. I have been told the post office is losing money on their contract with Fedex.

 

[Ritothebull]

All my junk mail is running a few days late.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Waiting for the mail man....

 

[MossRoad]

And your plan is to steal the election by flooding the world with ballots to everyone, their dogs, their cats and their dead relatives.

AND no, there is no postal slowdown here.

You only got 6 people on your mail route... :laughing:

 

[rswyan]

FWIW:

... Zero tax dollars used. The Postal Service receives NO tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. ...

Source:

Top twelve things you should know | Postal Facts - U.S. Postal Service

 

[JethroB]

I've always thought it was a real bargain to put a relatively cheap stamp on something that purchases a service where someone else drives to the end of my driveway, picks up something, carries it across the country for me and puts it within a few steps of the recipient's grasp. Not always fast, but we didn't always have smartphones or email, so it seemed okay.

It's amazing they handle such a huge volume of mail and get most of it right. However, I receive incorrect mail weekly, sometimes I drive it down the highway to the correct owner because it was misdelivered to me a second time after I put it back in the mailbox with a note. I also often receive torn pieces of mail, and some things with special labels attached that explain why it was delayed months. That's my experience, and I still use it's service...it's cheap. But I was relieved when I could pay bills online and not worry whether my check got to the electric company, etc.

Of course the USPS receives financial benefit from the US government (i.e. taxpayers), including billions borrowed annually at favorable rates for its cash flow, and it doesn't pay taxes like its competitors. It is a monopoly, with protected markets, wages and job protections that are not competitive in its industry.

So I haven't noticed it getting any slower, but don't have high expectations for fast. I have noticed things ordered online getting slower...still waiting on an Amazon Prime order from 2 weeks ago.

+1.
Pretty much agree with all above. Delivery 3 times a week would be fine with me. If you really want to cut down on junk mail (credit card offers especially) freeze your credit file/reports at the three credit bureaus.

 

[Mat4644]

We often get other peoples mail and packages. Sending it back through the rural postal system delays it another 2 days. Since you can computer track Amazon packages they often set at the local post office 2 to 3 days before their issued to the postal carrier for delivery. It happens to private carriers also. Got a king size rolled up foam bed delivered in front of our garage from FedX. Since I knew the person put it on our truck and delivered 1.5 miles up the road.

 

[aczlan]

If he's lucky it won't use Google Earth to find the bet route, otherwise it will arrive all muddy and bedraggled from trying to take a shortcut where the bridge was pulled 75 years ago.

Had a package go between two FL sorting centers 3 times, then head to CA, then (finally) come to NY a while back.

Have one now that the Post Office got on the 11th with an expected delivery date of the 14th here in NY. As of the 16th, its in PA, so we might see it by the 18th.

Aaron Z

 

[aczlan]

We often get other peoples mail and packages. Sending it back through the rural postal system delays it another 2 days. Since you can computer track Amazon packages they often set at the local post office 2 to 3 days before their issued to the postal carrier for delivery. It happens to private carriers also. Got a king size rolled up foam bed delivered in front of our garage from FedX. Since I knew the person put it on our truck and delivered 1.5 miles up the road.

Neighbor dropped off a letter for me the other day. The sub on the route on Sat is bad about putting the wrong mail in the wrong boxes.

Aaron Z

 

[/pine]

This probably belongs in the "GROAN" thread...but who cares?

What do shoe stores and the USPS have in common?....They both have lots of loafers...!

 

[tallyho8]

Back in the 50s & 60s mailman was a prestigious job with highly qualified people who usually stayed at their jobs for many years. Our mailman, Bob, delivered our mail for at least 15 years, knew everyone on his route, and walked delivering mail to our front door. As the years went by all new residences and many old ones had to have mailboxes by the street as the mailmen now delivered by motor vehicle and lost contact with the residents. Soon, it seemed like anyone with a drivers license could get a job as a "postal worker" and many of them weren't even qualified to be a dog catcher.

I mail an average of 60 small packages a week and in the past about 1 a year would get lost or destroyed. Now, with all the temporary workers I have one lost or destroyed about every 2 weeks. The postage cost has gone up from 89 cents in 1970 to an average of $3 now and there will be a "temporary" raise in postal rates in October. Their tracking system is a joke.

The postal service has been able to handle the large increase in volume for the holiday season without much effort and I know that the increase in Christmas cards and presents is much more than the increase in mailed ballots would be so all the talk about the postal service not being able to handle the increase is a bunch of political malarkey.

I now get other people's mail about once a month and they get mine quite often. My address is 7525 and a neighbor down the road is 7225 and we always get each others mail and packages from USPS, Fed Ex and UPS. It seems the delivery people can not tell a 2 from a 5 anymore. On Valentines Day I received an expensive piece of jewelry in my mail box that was addressed to him and delivered by Express Mail and knowing that it was a present for someone I had to go deliver it to him in person. Last month he called me and said that Fed Ex had just left 4 large boxes for me in his front yard and it was pouring down rain. Four heavy soaked cardboard boxes were not easy for me to retrieve in the hard rain.

And I can place an order for an item in China that cost $2 and includes free delivery but if I have to return it the postage is over $4. :confused2:

 

[hslogger]

My rural mail delivery person is a dedicated professional person who I have had for quite a few years. The route person before this one was the same way. I give kind little rewards throughout the year because I rely on their customer service for all things USPS including supplies from the Veterans' Administration. I do lots of business via US mail and in my state we have voted for many years via mail It is civilized and allows you to vote at your leisure, and not have to give up work time to go stand in line some place. He has no shame. Foxtrot Delta Tango. The USPS is a service provided to the American people, it is socialism, just like medicare, SS benefits, VA benefits, driving on the roads.

 

[ruffdog]

The USPS does a great job for me with very little problems. :thumbsup: Don't mess with it!

 

[Bird]

My first salaried job (in 1957) was as a temporary, part time, mail man in a little farm community called Plano, TX. Then my first full time salaried job (starting at $2 an hour) was as a mail clerk in the Dallas, TX, post office for exactly 5 years (1959 to 1964). FedEx, UPS, etc. didn't exist. And I've always thought that poor management at the Post Office is what allowed those companies to take over the most profitable part of the mail service.

And now, many years later, I cannot understand why we still have 6 day a week mail delivery in residential areas. I can understand SOME (but actually very few) businesses needing 6 day a week service, but not residences and very few businesses.

When I retired from the police department in 1989, we closed on the sale of our house, and moved into a fifth-wheel travel trailer about 3 days later. We spent 6 years as full time RVers, visited at least some part of every state, except California and Hawaii, worked a few jobs in Anchorage, AK, and in at least 10 other states.

Now you might recall that this was all BEFORE we had our first cell phone or Internet service. I paid all bills with a hand written check and mailed to the recipient. And we used a mail forwarding service for a mailing address, and I'd call their toll free number and tell them where I wanted our mail sent (usually to general delivery in some town). And we had a "non-subscriber telephone credit card" that made using pay phones easy. So we NEVER got any mail more frequently than once a week. At my instructions our mail forwarding service disposed of all the junk mail instead of sending it on to us.

So I guess you can understand why I now receive mail 6 days a week, and wonder why the postal service is wasting their time and money.

 

[Ford850]

Seems about the same to me, but all shippers have slowed a bit due to volume. One thing I noticed is a several day delay from when a seller claims 都hipped to when they actually get it in the hands of a shipper. I have 3 shipments from Thursday and Friday, and all three said shipped but only printed a label so far. The shippers (USPS, UPS, and FedEx in this case) will all get the packages on Monday. That痴 when I think the seller should consider it shipped. At this point it is only 菟ackaged?

I've a separate thread months(?) ago ranting about them printing the label the moment the item is ordered, calling it shipped and packages taking a LONG time to actually get out their door. That's something different. Some places charge my card when they print the label. I had one site this spring email me the item had shipped and then when I checked on it it was on backorder and eventually took two months.
But I used to routinely get coast to me USPS deliveries in 3 or 4 days, not two plus weeks.
And I'm not ranting about politics.

Here's an update on my shipments from the big 3 (USPS, UPS, FedEx):
USPS package shipped from NC - label created 8/14 and it is at my local P.O. as of 6:24 a.m. this morning so it should be delivered today 8/17. Pretty impressive service by the USPS.
UPS package shipped from NY - label created 8/14 and is schedule for delivery on 8/25. That is terrible service, but I'll bet that date gets changed to something sooner.
FedEx package shipped from CA - label created 8/13 and is scheduled for delivery on 8/19. That will be good service if it arrives on time.

 

[MarkF48]

Had a package go between two FL sorting centers 3 times, then head to CA, then (finally) come to NY a while back.

Have one now that the Post Office got on the 11th with an expected delivery date of the 14th here in NY. As of the 16th, its in PA, so we might see it by the 18th.

Aaron Z

My prescript supplier sent out a package from Philadelphia that took two days to get to my local PO in Massachusetts. For some unknown reason the package went out into the system again and traveled through several distribution/sort centers including one in Rhode Island before arriving at my mailbox for a total of four days in transit. This was not usual and I do normally get mail and packages pretty quickly through USPS.

 

[KennyG]

The USPS is a service provided to the American people, it is socialism, just like medicare, SS benefits, VA benefits, driving on the roads.

I cringe whenever I see a statement like this. A government program or social program is not "socialism". Socialism is a system where the government controls the operation of the means of production, either by ownership or full control of the private owners. No country in western Europe is "Socialist", they have extensive social programs. The Left calls our social programs "Socialist" to lull us into thinking that socialism is benign. The Right calls our social programs "Socialist" to scare us into opposing any government action. They are both lying.