Postal Service on verge of going broke, shutting down

You'd be surprised how much of the express and priority mail goes through other carriers as contractors already, like FedEx and UPS, as well as other airlines.

I don't know how it's divided up, I would presume that the majority of junk mail is trucked around.

 

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Purolator is represented by the Teamsters Union in Canada. This I knew. That it is majority owned by Canada Post, I only just discovered due to participating on this thread.

Things ordered from the U.S. and shipped Fedex often arrive at this end by Canada Post, and this makes sense as the services are more integrated than the average customer may be aware.

The same service is often cheaper through the postal service than through a courier so it behooves the customer to do their homework. Delivery times specified by a courier for remote regions is usually no better than the postal service, as often both are utilizing the same limited transportation network..

As example, why pay for airmail rates to a remote town that the final leg is going by truck three times a week anyway? Regular and airmail gets there by the same route, lol, but they will take your money if you insist.

It's crazy, but true. I worked in a small town post office one summer.

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I did most of this, and I get very little junk mail. I also mail back all that they sent me in their pre-paid envelope.

 

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Employees hustle when businesses compete. I see hustle in UPS and FedEx employees, but I have never seen hustle in USPS employees. It is a gravy train.

In fact, my mind is imprinted with memories of one particular USPS worker who worked the customer service window and who, every time I saw him without exception, seemed purposely to work at the slowest possible rate.

In an effort to be able to hire just about anyone, the federal government has lowered its employee standards to the point where it is bankrupting itself.

 

I seem to remember seeing that every time I went to the post office and had to wait in line. The only place I hated going to more was the DMV.

 

Why doesn't America put up the price of postage?
Your postage is very inexpensive.
What's the problem?

 

When you say very inexpensive. Are you talking first class mail or junk mail? Also, who exactly are you compairing the cost of U.S. postage with?

 

Well, I think most Americans would agree that if they are going to raise postage, they should stop this penny game and jump up a nickel at a time. But I think it's much more difficult than that...isn't an increase something that has to go through Congress? That should say a lot.

But the postage amount is only a small part of the problem...it's a very inefficient machine, so that postage is not enough to make up for the waste that resides within. I don't know if privatization is the best answer, but it would help grease the wheel.

 

It's not about postage. Denny Hastert (R,Illinois), who sponsored the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (passed by voice vote just before congress left for Christmas) received $58,300 in contributions from the United Parcel Service.

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&cid=n00004781&type=I

 

I have to wonder how you managed to find that bit of information in such a timely fashion that you could post it in my topic? My guess is you stumbled across it while looking for something else. Anyway ((Good Catch)).

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It's all part of the same story. Thom Hartmann covered it this morning on his show. It's part of the Republican plan to kill government programs that they don't like. Did you know the Post Office under this bill is now required to save, within a 10 year window, for retirees that haven't even been born yet?

 

Or cause trouble they can blame on Obama.

 

I am comparing the cost with UK mail, which I believe to be a fair price for the service.
In the UK, first class post is 46p, which gets you next day delivery anywhere in the UK. The UK is about the size of Michigan or Oregon.

Probably a better comparison would be with mailing to anywhere in Europe, which costs £1 for up to 40 grams, and takes up to 5 days. That's about $1.59
I also think that is a fair price.


The US cost of posting a standard letter is 44c. Is that correct? I don't know how quickly it gets there, or how many grams you can post, but 44 cents to post a letter across a continent is ridiculously cheap.
No wonder your postal service is creaking at the seams.

I got the 44c figure from wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_Service


Somebody else said the problem was inefficiency.
Why is that?
Union problems?

 

I do a lot of my business through the various delivery firms, USPS inclusive. I have a lot of complaints about USPS, but the others do not come through crisp and clean either.

FedEx costs way too much and is sometimes a tad casual with expensive items they have left on my porch without that 'required' signature. UPS insists on opening up anything they deem 'suspicious' and cheerfully do so when they get the urge. Too bad they don't seem to know how to reseal those (often very expensive) items.

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Yesterday I received an insured & delivery confirmation parcel via USPS that had been dropped in dirty motor oil and run over. It arrived in a plastic bag with a message that started out "we care" in large letters. From the look of the package, that is more slogan than actuality. Gratefully my customers piece was not damaged, but is was 2 weeks late getting here.

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Congress simply sucks like a quantum black hole.

...and no, I did not enjoy that Canadian postal strike either. That also sucked IMHO. Also cost me money.

 

"We care."
Corporate jargon for "We don't give a shit"

 

Vanguard never simply deposited my required minimum width drawals in my US bank despite my request. They mailed check for dollars to me here in Sao Paulo, which is useless* in Brazil. When PO opened on AM of Monday 5Sept, I mailed it back to US bank (with "for deposit only to account xxxx" above my signature on the back) for only R$2.10 as "regular delivery" mail. At current R$1.66 /$ that is $1.26. I worry about check getting lost in the mail so look at bank balance every day. To my amazement, check was deposited on eve of 8Sept11. Got there before 5 PM close. Less than 4 full days! I certainly have no reason to complain.

The PO and public transport are two of the best functioning things in Brazil. Because I am over 60, it cost zero to use metro or bus. On side of many buses, the Portuguese notice states more compactly than my English translation: "Transport -the citizen's right and the state's duty."

On the major roads, buses have their separate lane (taxis with passenger can use it too) and during most of the day, are much faster than driving yourself, even if you don't consider the time you lose looking for a parking space. It is not unusual to see 8 or 10 buses one right after the other. They have different final destinations and use different stops, so you may need to walk a few blocks. The major stops have electronic displays telling the time the next 6 or 8 buses will arrive at the stop. That helps the 250 or so people waiting at the stop self organized - get near curb only when your bus is due in 30 seconds or less. - Typical wait for the one you want is less than 3 minutes but 15 or 20 other buses will pass you while you wait for your color coded bus to arrive. Usually the bus and metro cars are with many standing in the isles, but there are reserved sets for old, pregnant, etc. I am amazed how always some youth sitting in one offers it to me. I'm strong and healthy so only accept if going Km or more.

* Not totally - you can sell them for more than the exchange rate to black market buyers - Nearly sure they facilitate money laundering / drug dealers etc.