I know why the post office is broke

[jeepnik]

I ordered an item from MaxExpedition, earlier this week. It went to the post office sorting facility in Carson Calif. Now that facility is about 8 miles from my house. So, Carson sends it to the Long Beach sorting facility. Okay, it's about the same distance, and it feeds my local PO. Why it couldn't go from Carson directly to my local PO is a wonder of governmental bureaucracy, and it sure would have save some truck fuel.

Now is where the waste becomes absolutely ridiculous. From Long Beach Calif., it has been sent to Eureka, Calif. which is almost 700 miles north. And the folks running the PO can't figure out why two things are happening. First, people aren't using the PO as much as they used to, and why they always seem to need postage increases to cover there losses.

Frankly, I'd like to see the USPS abolished (sorry Ben, but it isn't what you envisioned), and let the free market take over.

[FWiedner]

There was a day when the U.S. Postal system was the finest in the world.

Kinda like the public schools, but without the anti-America Marxist indocrination.

That unimproved business model doesn't seem to work anymore.

[jdad]

That's nothing. A fellow Oregonian has been trying to complete a transaction with me, in state. After 2 weeks he asked the PO to start the tracking process and sent me another MO. He's only about 3-4 hours away. Letter #2 will show up the same time as the missing letter #1.

[92&94]

I've had very good results with stuff actually handled by the USPS.

Stuff I've ordered from Amazon or the like, for delivery to my PO Box, a very different story. A lot of vendors use Fedex Ground who has a deal with the USPS for delivery to PO Boxes. You can watch in Fedex tracking as your package tours the country, usually arriving about 10 days after a Priority Mail package would have done.

That said, USPS is going to get way worse. They now take all mail from Tucson up to Phoenix for sorting (according to my mom who still lives in Tucson). Letters mailed from a Tucson address to another Tucson address still go to Phoenix for sorting. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

[Griff]

Yep, the USPS has gone to H-e-double hockey sticks since my Dad retired... 1982! Or, wait... that's the same year my B-I-L started working there!

[Jack Brown]

I had one that came from the east coast out here to within 20 miles. Then back to the east coast. Then back out here. I no longer wonder why they're going down...

[El Chivo]

The real reason USPS is going broke is so many people are ordering lead bullets that ship flat rate box for just a few bucks.

Seriously, yes it WOULD be faster and closer to take a letter from one post office to the nearest one - if you could just carry one letter at a time. But, for efficiency's sake, it would be a disaster. They are working with various hub systems. Everything goes to a certain hub, gets sorted, and then back out.

Fred Smith of Fedex came up with this idea, submitted it as a class project for the business class he was taking, and got a D or F on it because the professor said it was ridiculous. So Fred started Fedex and made untold millions. His idea is simple - everything goes to one facility in Memphis, TN, gets sorted, and then back out. If you send a Fedex package to the guy next door to you, first it goes to Memphis and then to his house. I'm sure the post office is learning from him. Not to mention Priority Mail is subcontracted to Fedex - all Priority Mail goes on Fedex planes to Memphis and then to its destination, just like Fedex.

This is not be true of Fedex Ground, which has a network of centers like UPS.

Although it sounds complicated, it's actually simple. A plane arrives from Memphis each day, full of packages which are loaded onto trucks. The empty plane is then loaded up with outgoing packages, and leaves for Memphis. During the night the packages are all sorted by destination, and are put on the proper planes for the next day.

It's easy to take in 10,000 packages in Los Angeles and ship them to Memphis, especially when you have an empty plane gassed up and waiting. Imagine having 10,000 packages and then figure out how to send them from Los Angeles to 1,000 different places overnight. Impossible.

I'm encouraged when I hear the post office doing things smarter like this, it shows me they are getting with the times. I never have a problem with them, nothing lost, and have sent thousands of mail order items out over the years. And whenever I order something it arrives in just a couple of days (because Priority Mail is actually Fedex two day service).

[Washita]

At the risk of heresy, I've generally been very satisfied with USPS. I recently bought a bore cleaning line from Champion's Choice. It cost something like $18. Their standard shipping is UPS Ground, and shipping cost was going to be, I think, $12. I called CC & asked if they couldn't just put it in a padded envelope & mail it to me. They did, and it cost less than $2.

Awhile back, I sent a trigger group out to California (from Arkansas) for work. Sent it Fedex Ground, & it took 9 days to get there. When the work was done, they returned it to me via Priority Mail. It got here in 2 or 3 days.

The flat-rate boxes are the greatest thing since zippers, IMO. If you buy brass or bullets on line, shipping by either UPS or Fedex can be really expensive. The flat-rate boxes bring shipping costs 'way down, and the boxes themselves are free. You can also send long guns via USPS cheaper than other ways, and if you have an FFL or know someone who has one, handguns can go USPS for a fraction of the cost of common carrier. Sadly, for the rest of us, that option is out.

One thing I'd really like to see USPS adopt is the kind of tracking UPS & Fedex have, where you can find out where your item is at any given time. The USPS system falls short here. I like UPS, Fedex and the post office. They all do good work.

[bdhold]

I know we don't have a lot of manufacturing in s. Texas, which limits the amount of outgoing mail, but I can print online priority postage, drop a package at my local small town post office on Saturday, and it will be delivered on either coast or to UP Michigan on Monday.

[Hobie]

The real reason USPS is going broke is so many people are ordering lead bullets that ship flat rate box for just a few bucks.

Seriously, yes it WOULD be faster and closer to take a letter from one post office to the nearest one - if you could just carry one letter at a time. But, for efficiency's sake, it would be a disaster. They are working with various hub systems. Everything goes to a certain hub, gets sorted, and then back out.

Fred Smith of Fedex came up with this idea, submitted it as a class project for the business class he was taking, and got a D or F on it because the professor said it was ridiculous. So Fred started Fedex and made untold millions. His idea is simple - everything goes to one facility in Memphis, TN, gets sorted, and then back out. If you send a Fedex package to the guy next door to you, first it goes to Memphis and then to his house. I'm sure the post office is learning from him. Not to mention Priority Mail is subcontracted to Fedex - all Priority Mail goes on Fedex planes to Memphis and then to its destination, just like Fedex.

This is not be true of Fedex Ground, which has a network of centers like UPS.

Although it sounds complicated, it's actually simple. A plane arrives from Memphis each day, full of packages which are loaded onto trucks. The empty plane is then loaded up with outgoing packages, and leaves for Memphis. During the night the packages are all sorted by destination, and are put on the proper planes for the next day.

It's easy to take in 10,000 packages in Los Angeles and ship them to Memphis, especially when you have an empty plane gassed up and waiting. Imagine having 10,000 packages and then figure out how to send them from Los Angeles to 1,000 different places overnight. Impossible.

I'm encouraged when I hear the post office doing things smarter like this, it shows me they are getting with the times. I never have a problem with them, nothing lost, and have sent thousands of mail order items out over the years. And whenever I order something it arrives in just a couple of days (because Priority Mail is actually Fedex two day service).

I did not know that about Priority Mail but I've been using it since it came out and out of some 2500 packages (coming and going) only one was lost and I believe that was a fraud on the part of the buyer because I later saw him sell the item on Ebay... I did have one other item sent to me that was hanging out someplace for 30 days but I suspect some disinformation on that as well. Priority mail is very reliable.

[mikld]

Yep, one of the most inefficient gov't services (?). We have two post offices in town, separated by a river, about 1 1/2 miles apart. If you post something at the southern branch, it must go to Portland first, about 400 miles north, adding at least 1 day to the trip. If you post something at the north office, it will go directly (?) to the center nearest the destination.

[jeepnik]

Yep, the USPS has gone to H-e-double hockey sticks since my Dad retired... 1982! Or, wait... that's the same year my B-I-L started working there!

My dad retired from the PO in '86. Back then, it was well run, although they had come up with and were starting to use the "hub" concept. It fed us, put food on the table and roof over our heads. It also provided dad with a good retirement. But today...

[jeepnik]

The real reason USPS is going broke is so many people are ordering lead bullets that ship flat rate box for just a few bucks.

Seriously, yes it WOULD be faster and closer to take a letter from one post office to the nearest one - if you could just carry one letter at a time. But, for efficiency's sake, it would be a disaster. They are working with various hub systems. Everything goes to a certain hub, gets sorted, and then back out.

Fred Smith of Fedex came up with this idea, submitted it as a class project for the business class he was taking, and got a D or F on it because the professor said it was ridiculous. So Fred started Fedex and made untold millions. His idea is simple - everything goes to one facility in Memphis, TN, gets sorted, and then back out. If you send a Fedex package to the guy next door to you, first it goes to Memphis and then to his house. I'm sure the post office is learning from him. Not to mention Priority Mail is subcontracted to Fedex - all Priority Mail goes on Fedex planes to Memphis and then to its destination, just like Fedex.

This is not be true of Fedex Ground, which has a network of centers like UPS.

Although it sounds complicated, it's actually simple. A plane arrives from Memphis each day, full of packages which are loaded onto trucks. The empty plane is then loaded up with outgoing packages, and leaves for Memphis. During the night the packages are all sorted by destination, and are put on the proper planes for the next day.

It's easy to take in 10,000 packages in Los Angeles and ship them to Memphis, especially when you have an empty plane gassed up and waiting. Imagine having 10,000 packages and then figure out how to send them from Los Angeles to 1,000 different places overnight. Impossible.

I'm encouraged when I hear the post office doing things smarter like this, it shows me they are getting with the times. I never have a problem with them, nothing lost, and have sent thousands of mail order items out over the years. And whenever I order something it arrives in just a couple of days (because Priority Mail is actually Fedex two day service).

Okay, I get the hub concept. But explain how it goes from the hub that feeds my local PO to a hub in Eureka, then it will at some point come back to the hub that feeds my local PO, and well, it might go to a hub in the farthest point in Maine for all I know.

[olyinaz]

I've had very good results with stuff actually handled by the USPS.

Stuff I've ordered from Amazon or the like, for delivery to my PO Box, a very different story. A lot of vendors use Fedex Ground who has a deal with the USPS for delivery to PO Boxes. You can watch in Fedex tracking as your package tours the country, usually arriving about 10 days after a Priority Mail package would have done.

That said, USPS is going to get way worse. They now take all mail from Tucson up to Phoenix for sorting (according to my mom who still lives in Tucson). Letters mailed from a Tucson address to another Tucson address still go to Phoenix for sorting. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Yep, and I have to say that in Tucson either UPS or FedEx get the parcels to me quickly and right to my door. USPS takes longer, beats the carp out of the packages, and they leave them out exposed to theives and the weather instead of placing them on the covered patio at my front door. Never mind actually going to the Post Office, which is always a trial in government beurocracy. The UPS Store or FedEx Kinkos are both fast and nice. If I want to ship something special like ammo I can drive to the local main office and do that - it's pretty much a NO-GO with the USPS now which really chaps my hide.

I suppose for some folks the USPS is all there is though. Glad I'm not one of them but I don't mean that to sound harsh. Just sayin'.

[Blaine]

Try to FedEx, or UPS a letter for .45 cents......

[rodeo kid]

Well, get this for stupidity. I live in the Country, and although my mail comes from the Shawnee Post Office 15 miles away, the closest Post Office is Mcloud, a small town 4 miles away. My trash service is from Mcloud. Recently I discovered I had forgotten to mail the trash bill and it was due the next day. The check was written, envelope stamped, just did not take it out to the mailbox. Drove into Mcloud to city hall and it closed at 4:30(the time at this moment was 4:35). Aha, the Post office is open till five. Get to the post office, hand the Postmaster(one man Post Office) the bill and ask him to place it into the town's Post Office box(at the most 6 feet away from him) as tomorrow was the due date. He said sorry I can no longer cancel mail locally it must go to Oklahoma City to be cancelled. "You mean to tell me that bill is going in a box 6 feet away, but it must first go to OKC, then come back here, and then go into the box?" He replied: Yep! As I stormed out I yelled: No wonder you fools are going broke!" And yes, I ended up paying a late charge. God Bless.

[J35]

Try to FedEx, or UPS a letter for .45 cents......

Yep or drive it across town for .45 cents and hand deliver it let alone across the country.

Pretty good value IMO.

----J

[Griff]

Yep, the USPS has gone to H-e-double hockey sticks since my Dad retired... 1982! Or, wait... that's the same year my B-I-L started working there!

My dad retired from the PO in '86. Back then, it was well run, although they had come up with and were starting to use the "hub" concept. It fed us, put food on the table and roof over our heads. It also provided dad with a good retirement. But today...

Aye that. He wanted me to work there also. But fresh back from VN, the Federal Gov't didn't have much appeal to me. What with quotas for minorities, even with my veteran's status I've have had to score like 99% on the exam...