The USPS

[MuggsyB]

I was just curious if anyone here has had any issues with their mail service delivery time in recent months, 

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I was just curious if anyone here has had any issues with their mail service delivery time in recent months, 

A few months ago I thought we did, or someone was stealing stuff from my mailbox, so I signed up for informed delivery. That at least gave me peace of mind that stuff that was supposed to be in my mailbox was indeed in my mailbox.

But any other problems looks like they have cleared up.

[dgies9156]

I expect less from the postal service and am proud to say, I get it.

There are certain quasi-government agencies that essentially are ridiculously run and grossly outdated for what they do. The postal service, Amtrak, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae all come to mind. All need a bad housekeeping and in the case of Amtrak, Fannie and Freddie, they need to go away.

The postal service is constitutionally mandated but nobody suggests it needs to be what it is today.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I expect less from the postal service and am proud to say, I get it.

There are certain quasi-government agencies that essentially are ridiculously run and grossly outdated for what they do. The postal service, Amtrak, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae all come to mind. All need a bad housekeeping and in the case of Amtrak, Fannie and Freddie, they need to go away.

The postal service is constitutionally mandated but nobody suggests it needs to be what it is today.

What should it be today? Any agency that is required to provide universal service, but whose primary source of revenue has grown obsolete, is going to either be expensive and/or run poorly.

[MuggsyB]

I expect less from the postal service and am proud to say, I get it.

There are certain quasi-government agencies that essentially are ridiculously run and grossly outdated for what they do. The postal service, Amtrak, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae all come to mind. All need a bad housekeeping and in the case of Amtrak, Fannie and Freddie, they need to go away.

The postal service is constitutionally mandated but nobody suggests it needs to be what it is today.

I realize I'm unusual brother dgies in that I exchange letters with my grandma 2-3 times a week, but it's taking about 3 times as long as normal for some reason.  They seem to be able to deliver junk mail regularly though. 

[4everwarriors]

Typical government agency. Only going to get worse, aina?

[Hards Alumni]

I expect less from the postal service and am proud to say, I get it.

There are certain quasi-government agencies that essentially are ridiculously run and grossly outdated for what they do. The postal service, Amtrak, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae all come to mind. All need a bad housekeeping and in the case of Amtrak, Fannie and Freddie, they need to go away.

The postal service is constitutionally mandated but nobody suggests it needs to be what it is today.

No.  The government isn't a business and shouldn't be run like one.

[4everwarriors]

Pony Express was better, hey?

[4everwarriors]

I realize I'm unusual brother dgies in that I exchange letters with my grandma 2-3 times a week, but it's taking about 3 times as long as normal for some reason.  They seem to be able to deliver junk mail regularly though.

Mugs, buy your Grandma a Mac and teacher to email. So much less stressful and more reliable, hey?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Pony Express was better, hey?

The pony express was a private business that lasted 18 months.

[wadesworld]

The only time I had an issue was when we sent my wife's old iPhone back to AT&T as a trade in when her new iPhone arrived last September.  I had never had anything lost in the mail or any issues, so when I was dropping off the trade in at USPS last minute and they didn't ask if I wanted a receipt, I didn't request one and figured everything would be fine.

Well, a year later and AT&T says they still haven't received the trade in, and they apparently don't keep any sort of record of what return labels they send out (which I would've thought they would, especially because I'd think they'd have some minimal amount of insurance coverage on them?).

Needless to say, I'll be taking any trade ins to an AT&T store going forward.

[4everwarriors]

So, you're good with the USPS, where fees go up 2-3x yearly and employees can't read an address and pass a drug test...during the hiring process, hey?

[wadesworld]

So, you're good with the USPS, where fees go up 2-3x yearly and employees can't read an address and pass a drug test...during the hiring process, hey?

Nothing to see here, folks.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

So, you're good with the USPS, where fees go up 2-3x yearly and employees can't read an address and pass a drug test...during the hiring process, hey?

It provides universal service to every address in the country. So of course it's going to be expensive and fees are going to have to rise.

Do I think they could create more efficiencies? Of course. Like could mail be delivered every other day instead? Do they need customer desks at every one of their locations? (Though they are packed at Christmastime every year.)

And why would they be immune from the hiring issues that many other companies face? The pay isn't that great considering the physical nature of the work.

[MuggsyB]

So, you're good with the USPS, where fees go up 2-3x yearly and employees can't read an address and pass a drug test...during the hiring process, hey?

Should I add them to my 5 pt plan? 

They upset my grandma who is 95. 

[rocky_warrior]

It provides universal service to every address in the country. So of course it's going to be expensive and fees are going to have to rise.

Sorta.  Many people in my area can only get their mail at a PO box.  But...that's a catch of living around here.  That said, my neighbor "across the street" and I both have roadside mailboxes, and get mail delivered.  But it's a mile or more to the next box on either side of the road.  It's amazing that I get mail delivered!

It's also amazing that there are electric lines to my house.  Thanks city folk for subsidizing those  

[StillAWarrior]

I've long been impressed by the service that USPS provides -- delivery to most addresses in the country -- for a relatively low price. And I remain so. Yes, I know it's gotten more expensive, but hand delivering an envelope to pretty much any location in the country for $0.73? Are you freaking kidding me? It really is kind of amazing to me. Room for improvement? Absolutely. But still amazing.

That said, I recently had a situation where it took 21 days for a letter to be delivered to an address about eight miles away.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I realize I'm unusual brother dgies in that I exchange letters with my grandma 2-3 times a week, but it's taking about 3 times as long as normal for some reason.  They seem to be able to deliver junk mail regularly though.

Louis Dejoy has changed several things on the routing of mail the last several years in the name of "saving money".  This is the result.

[Goose]

For many, many years I loved getting the mail both at work and at home and never did not check the mail box or the P.O. Box. My wife just returned from a 3 week business trip and I think I checked the mailbox less than ten times when she was gone. Multiple times I just left the junk mail in the box.

Muggsy I still like sending letters and a couple of my kids are big on sending handwritten notes to family members and I love that tradition and get you sending letters to your Grandma. About a month ago my 4y granddaughter sent me a "handwritten" note via USPS and I loved it. That said, it took four days to go the approx. 10 miles between her condo and our house. USPS is not a well-run organization.

[wadesworld]

I've long been impressed by the service that USPS provides -- delivery to most addresses in the country -- for a relatively low price. And I remain so. Yes, I know it's gotten more expensive, but hand delivering an envelope to pretty much any location in the country for $0.73? Are you freaking kidding me? It really is kind of amazing to me. Room for improvement? Absolutely. But still amazing.

That said, I recently had a situation where it took 21 days for a letter to be delivered to an address about eight miles away.

Yup.

Also, it was funny seeing how long it was taking for people to get their wedding invites when we sent them out.  We put them in the mail in Columbia, MO, and someone in Southern California got his within like 3 days, while a cousin in St. Louis got hers weeks later.

[Scoop Snoop]

Sorta.  Many people in my area can only get their mail at a PO box.  But...that's a catch of living around here.  That said, my neighbor "across the street" and I both have roadside mailboxes, and get mail delivered.  But it's a mile or more to the next box on either side of the road.  It's amazing that I get mail delivered!

It's also amazing that there are electric lines to my house.  Thanks city folk for subsidizing those

Same here. Thanks, city folks, for the subsidies-mail, electricity, and-via your Federal taxes-fiber internet. Smile knowing that your contributions to country dwellers are much appreciated. 

[rocky_warrior]

and-via your Federal taxes-fiber internet.

Lucky!  I doubt anyone will ever pay to string fiber to my area.  I do get T-Mobile 5G at about 250Mbps, and of course could get starlink.

[Uncle Rico]

Lucky!  I doubt anyone will ever pay to string fiber to my area.  I do get T-Mobile 5G at about 250Mbps, and of course could get starlink.

That's why you got covid

[Scoop Snoop]

Lucky!  I doubt anyone will ever pay to string fiber to my area.  I do get T-Mobile 5G at about 250Mbps, and of course could get starlink.

CVEC-Central Virginia Electric Co-Op-formed a subsidiary-Firefly-to run the wires on their poles with a subsidy from our friends in DC. It's great! And-as Rico warned -we won't get covid from it.

[Jockey]

I realize I'm unusual brother dgies in that I exchange letters with my grandma 2-3 times a week, but it's taking about 3 times as long as normal for some reason.  They seem to be able to deliver junk mail regularly though.

As someone who buys and sells cards on a daily basis, the line was clear. Email slowed for the 2020 election on orders of trump to disrupt email voting. Delivery times basically doubled. I had numerous customers contact EEbay complaining that I wasn't shipping in a timely manner. Never had a single complaint before that.

After the election, things slowly got better. We're still not back to where we were, but things have improved somewhat over the last couple years