OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

It got where it was going though right? Funny how we complain about everything and never compliment when things go the way we expect/want.

whfowle Loc: Tampa first, now Albuquerque

So, 3 days for USPS to deliver a package 263 miles that could be driven in roughly 4 hours by car.

Red6

I am not making excuses for the USPS, we have all had issues with them at some time. However, they are operating under a set of rules that were set up for them decades ago by Congress. In many cases, the USPS is prevented by these rules to improve and streamline its operations.

For example, you can mail a letter from anywhere in the USA, no matter how far apart, and pay exactly the same cost. In other words, you could mail a letter from Fairbanks, Alaska to Key West, Florida for the cost of 1 stamp which I think is 42 cents. Try that with UPS or FedEx and you are talking maybe tens of dollars. As far as tracking, check the detailed tracking record of your UPS or FedEx packages and you will find much the same thing. I used to be in charge of shipping at the company where I worked and we were always tracing UPS and FedEx packages around the country. A misdirected package often travels in strange circles until someone can intercept it and redirect it to its route. Much of the sorting is done by machines and computers so it is much more complicated than just walking down to a warehouse and finding your particular package. It could be in the belly of an aircraft or a tractor-trailer filled with other identical-looking packages. Millions, possibly a few billion packages and envelopes are shipped each year in the US by UPS, USPS, FedEx, and other delivery services, it is amazing that they are delivered at all with any accuracy.

I think mostly the USPS does a pretty good job at the prices they must charge. I have a number of items shipped to me by USPS, UPS, and FedEx and the USPS does a pretty good job at their deliveries at a cheaper price. If you want a good example of cost savings just check Amazon. Since Amazon has free shipping for their Prime members, check how they ship the majority of those items. It is USPS! They used to use UPS and FedEx exclusively but now much of it is USPS due to the cost. I am lucky enough to live fairly close to an Amazon warehouse. I often have items delivered on the same day by Amazon Prime trucks. However, most come by USPS in 2-3 days after ordering.

Also, I have had several friends that worked at the USPS and none of them were making $45 an hour! That would be over $90K per year. I doubt that. Maybe after 20-30 years on the job they might approach that number if in management or some specialty. The local post office was hiring recently and starting pay was $17/hr. That would be around $35K per year. Tough wages for anybody with a family and not much better than starting salaries at McDonald's. It would be poverty wages in many parts of the country.

DickC Loc: NE Washington state

At least you finally got it....I've watched that rodeo to many times!!

John N Loc: HP14 3QF Stokenchurch, UK

It all sounds very similar to the situation here with the Royal Mail. Open Market for letter postage with several alternatives for letter delivery - but they only want the cream. Door to door they give to the Royal Mail to finish delivery as it is encumbment on them to provide the last mile.

The FEDEX's and UPS's (we have them and our own versions) of this world don't want to travel down the little lanes to deliver a birthday card to Granny Smith unless they can charge the earth for it.

kvanhook Loc: Oriental, NC

A coupe of weeks ago I mailed a letter to Ohio telling about a package being sent. The package got there almost immediately and the letter never arrived. There was a money order in the letter, so a financial loss occurred with the letter being lost. Only $12, but still not fun to see it go into the world of lost mail.

Jim Plogger Loc: East Tennessee

If it was a postal money order your loss is covered by USPS.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

Some of this is exception reporting and certainly not the norm.

Recall the DeJoy had high efficiency sorting equipment removed from many processing centers. This forced the USPS back into substantial manual processing compared to the equipment that could handle up to 60,000 items per day.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

cbabcock

Thanks for your thoughtful input. Among those burdensom rules was one that required the postal service to currently fund all pension benefits, a requirement that no private business, or other branch of the federal government, has to meet. The purpose of that requirement, it is widely thought, was to starve the postal service in order to justify privatizing it. One result was to make investment in technology and equipment inadequate to do the job.

Jim Plogger Loc: East Tennessee

Yep. Sorting equipment removed from our local PO.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

Probably due to all of those sorters being removed from the USPS facilities a few years ago.

BebuLamar

I mailed my check to the IRS today and it costs me 63cents.

Lucasdv123

My brother in Dallas sent me a $50.00 to give to my older brother.a week later I called him to see if he had sent the check.in the meanwhile I gave the $50 to my older brother and call my brother in Dallas. He told me he would sent it through the cash app.i live in corpus christi tx.2 months later I received the check.

BebuLamar

I have seen a post here about the USPS lost the mail and the mail with the check went into bad hands. It was washed off the pay to order name and cash.
I am kind of worried a bit sending my check today. I only send 3 checks a year. One for the county tax, one for the independent school district and one for the IRS.