USPS is seriously struggling

[Shankster]

1 minute ago, Chip Strokes said:

cobra showed up today...things are starting to trickle in slowly. my sim 3w is still somewhere in outer space though 

 

It’s SIM’n around.

[ejgaudette]

On 12/9/2020 at 12:49 PM, tommc23 said:

 

 

I'm honestly surprised that we still have a postal service and that everything isn't mailed or shipped by private companies only (FedEx and UPS). The way the USPS is run and handled is horrible they constantly are in the red and are not allowed to change prices which means they are losing constantly and always under staffed.

There are parts of the US where FedEx and UPS will not deliver and the USPS takes over for them from there. That would be very costly for those companies to get that infrastructure up to support very remote parts of the country and without federal mandates that they must then that could cause some major inequities, much like the current issue with lack of broadband access in rural states without enough customers to make it profitable. Just wonder what the profit margins of a UPS and FedEx would be if they met all the services of USPS.

[Shankster]

7 hours ago, ejgaudette said:

There are parts of the US where FedEx and UPS will not deliver and the USPS takes over for them from there. That would be very costly for those companies to get that infrastructure up to support very remote parts of the country and without federal mandates that they must then that could cause some major inequities, much like the current issue with lack of broadband access in rural states without enough customers to make it profitable. Just wonder what the profit margins of a UPS and FedEx would be if they met all the services of USPS.

I am surprised that the packages from UPS and FedEx didn’t come by Dog Sled in the UP.  Or at least a horse drawn sleigh.  Some of the places are extremely remote, yet the Brown and white vans still showed up... it’s crazy to think about what goes into delivering our goods.  The logistics involved is quite amazing when you think about it.  You order something from California and it is delivered 7 days later, to your front door.

I remember mail ordering skateboard parts as a kid that took months!  Hahaha

[ejgaudette]

8 hours ago, Shankster said:

I am surprised that the packages from UPS and FedEx didn’t come by Dog Sled in the UP.  Or at least a horse drawn sleigh.  Some of the places are extremely remote, yet the Brown and white vans still showed up... it’s crazy to think about what goes into delivering our goods.  The logistics involved is quite amazing when you think about it.  You order something from California and it is delivered 7 days later, to your front door.

I remember mail ordering skateboard parts as a kid that took months!  Hahaha

It is crazy and I am sure they have expanded to more areas lately. Yeah it's complex to say there least

[Berg Ryman]

Not to get too deep in the weeds on this issue, but obviously COVID hasn't helped things for the USPS, as has the lack of support at any level from the federal government of the current administration and those before it, going all the back to the passage of the Postal Enhancement and Accountability Act in 2006. Since then they've run a deficit, add in two economic downturns of nearly historic levels and it's taken a tole.

I don't think I can link to it, so I won't, and I'm not sure how you feel about his politics, but John Oliver actually covered the issues of the USPS on Last Week Tonight this year and it's free to watch on Youtube. I recommend it to get a little deeper knowledge as to some of the problems, because as mentioned about, it's not as simple as full privatization of shipping, because that brings problems along with it as well.

[silver & black]

On 12/10/2020 at 12:54 PM, Shankster said:

It’s SIM’n around.

Nice looking pup. What is he/she?

[Chip Strokes]

46 minutes ago, silver & black said:

Nice looking pup. What is he/she?

that’s my boy Winter. he’s a big dumb boxer 

 

[braincramp]

Between Covid and Amazon taking priority over all other mail USPS is a total mess. I feel sorry for their workers.

[tony@CIC]

Between Covid and Amazon taking priority over all other mail USPS is a total mess. I feel sorry for their workers.

Just reading a news article that both Fedex and UPS are ramping up for covid delivery. Between record online sales and covid, I'll bet we get further delays. Not that vaccines should take a back seat - just a comment.

[vamosjackets]

I join in the pain in this thread.  I ordered clubs for my wife (USPS) that are already over a week late.  We were hoping (very much assuming) to have them for a trip we're leaving to go on tomorrow.  Pretty disappointing.

[Rickp]

USPS is definitely going crazy. Our junk mail is overwhelming even w the election junk gone.
We have a Postal Station in every Village and a employee picks up the mail from the Post Office and brings it to the mail station. Last month+ there’s been 2 workers there per day and home delivery on Sundays for packages. Busy folks!
BTW, Amazon is killin it here.


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[GaDawg]

I understand that Covid-19 has impacted all deliveries, but USPS has been terrible for years. In my opinion, they are struggling due to paying the pensions of retirees from years in the past. Additionally, they don't hire the most customer friendly people.  If Chick-fil-A were to take over the Postal Service and elections, they could get them operating efficiently and honest in a short time frame. 

 

[Rickp]

Funny, we get gone this afternoon and there’s a package at front door delivery USPS from Walmart on line.


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[deejaid]

A set of vintage clubs were shipped to me on Dec 1 and 14 days later still only have the original drop off scan.


I see a lot of theories in this thread but I had no problems with any packages until the Post Master General decided to disassemble and decommission sorting machines all over the country. If they are trying to save money why would they remove automation that does things cheaper and faster without the need for humans? That’s a mystery, most be some other reason...


And yes, the USPS is losing money, but it is a government service, not a private business, it doesn’t need to make a profit. That’s like saying the US Army isn’t profitable, we need to cut our force in half.


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[Chip Strokes]

2 hours ago, deejaid said:

A set of vintage clubs were shipped to me on Dec 1 and 14 days later still only have the original drop off scan.
 

that was the case with several of my packages, then within a few days they all updated and magically appeared. 

[dlow206]

A package being sent to me went from California and then showed up 12 days later in Louisiana, but I live in Washington state...

[Kenny B]

I see the problem!!!

[jb0330]

I love this thread has be laughing!!! So I am not that old but I wouldn't consider myself young either. I am in my mid 30's and I feel like the approach of being a mail carrier for USPS has completely changed. I knew my mailman grown up by name and he knew mine. We gave him a tip every year from Christmas I mean that was the norm everyone did that. Boy oh boy he had to clear 2k easy each year. But we knew when our mail was going to be there, it was always there before I got home from school so it was my chore to bring in the mail before I came in the house. If the mail wasn't there he was out sick or on vacation so it would be late. Now we never know when the mail is coming or not will show as delivered and not be anywhere, we called the last time it happen and they told us they only have one scanner so the driver scans everything before leaving. Yeah that makes sense. So we asked if they knew where the mail was because we have been waiting for our security deposit to be returned. They didn't know where the driver was. Was not delivered the day it was scanned as delivered, because they took it back and scanned it back in. So my wife drove over to post office and they closed right before she got there. She went the next day when they opened and they couldn't find it and told my wife it was delivered, so she asked to see who signed for it. 20 minutes later they found it. Its cool it was only 2.5 months or rent LOL. 

 

P.S. this isn't a RONA issues this post office has been like this for years.  

Edit: forgot to mention that I have a door bell Cam and they drove down my street past my house 2 times before they returned it and 2 times after.

Edited December 18, 2020 by jb0330

[DiscipleofPenick]

I understand that Covid-19 has impacted all deliveries, but USPS has been terrible for years. In my opinion, they are struggling due to paying the pensions of retirees from years in the past. Additionally, they don't hire the most customer friendly people.  If Chick-fil-A were to take over the Postal Service and elections, they could get them operating efficiently and honest in a short time frame. 
 

It's not pensions from years past. It's that in 2006 a bill passed requiring the USPS to pre-pay its pensions and medical expenses of retirees 75 years in advance. Then the same people holler that "how can a business function under such burdens we have to get rid of it" when they placed those burdens on the USPS in the first place.

https://ips-dc.org/how-congress-manufactured-a-postal-crisis-and-how-to-fix-it/


Take Dead Aim

[Lacassem]

Another 1 to add here. Normal mail truck. I shoveled the sidewalk and a path to the mailbox for them to drop off.....Drove right by today....Screw it wont shovel anymore