posted on March 6, 2010 08:52:18 AM
I for one, would be glad if USPS stops Saturday service. UPS and FedX do not do regular Saturday service.
I ship everyday-six days a week.
Does anyone else feel dropping Saturday is a great ideal?
posted on March 6, 2010 01:05:21 PM
No,drop Sunday instead.
if you dont want mail on Saturday,why not just lock up your mail box
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
[ edited by hwahwa on Mar 6, 2010 01:06 PM ]
posted on March 6, 2010 01:27:59 PM
I don't care one way or the other. I try to give myself Saturday off, although it doesn't always work out that way. I usually just get junk mail on Saturday anyway. However, if they're going to cut out an entire day they better not be asking me for any more money for a darned stamp. It's insane how much as stamp costs.
posted on March 6, 2010 03:33:59 PM
That's right, Amber.
Bear with me on this one folks.
Way back in the 1970's Canada Post was the butt of all jokes. The service was apalling and a letter used to take 5-7 days to cross the Country from Vancouver to Toronto. That is of course if it ever arrived.
Every year without fail the Postal Unions went on strike so we had NO mail.
I worked in Accounts Receivable and remember driving from Calgary to Banff and all the small towns in Southern Alberta to deliver Invoices to Companies and to pick up cheques so that my Company did not have to suffer.
The longest strike I remember was 7 weeks.
Then an amazing thing happened! They decided to run it like a Real business and over time made some changes.
1.They stopped Saturday delivery.
2.They closed unprofitable Post Offices and Postal Outlets sprung up in Drug Stores and small corner Stores. That is also a help for the profitability of the Mom & Pop Stores.
3. They introduced 'Super Boxes' where we could go and pick up our mail instead of having it delivered door to door. The Super Boxes are always placed so that no-one has to walk more than a block to get their mail. The boxes also have two parcel boxes and you get the key in your mail box and retrieve your parcel and post the key back in the slot. Saves a lot of time going to the Post Office and lining up for parcels. We also can mail regular letters at the boxes.
4. We never did get anything free (like boxes or tape) however they started to sell these items as well as small packages of bubblewrap, tape, peanuts. They also sell Stamp Collecting Supplies and some Post Office related toys like Trucks.
We never had anyone pick up our mail either and we still don't.
Many other changes took place but this old mind can't remember them all...maybe Amber can!
Over time our Service has evolved to the point where I am amazed at how quickly items are delivered and I don't remember the last time we had a strike. The Postal Outlets are great and we love the Super Boxes. In short, we have a great SERVICE.
We were on the Oregon Coast last Spring and went through a tiny town, there were maybe 25 houses and no shops at all and no other businesses BUT there was a Post Office. It used to be a thriving Town but no longer. The next Town was 3 miles down the road so I would hope that would be the type of Post Office to be closed and the Town could have the Super Box idea.
Not lecturing anyone here just giving you our story and my experience with the Canada Post changes over the years and saying that maybe it won't be so bad after all when USPS starts to make changes.
posted on March 7, 2010 10:44:25 AM
I live in a subdivision,we have your so called 'superboxes' within walking distance and we can leave small packages in our mail box to be picked up ,we can also schedule pickup for larger packages ,it is no big deal for the postman to drop by and pick up these packages on their way to the superbox.
Once a contract worker told me they are compensated on how many packages they brought back and deliver,priority mail,express mail etc earn them more points,each route is configured based on prior year performance,This is for the contract worker,the full time workers just get a straight salary.
I ship everything thru USPS,their service is better than before,competition is good for the country,Ebay powersellers get a discount from UPS,but I still find the post office the cheapest way to do business.
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on March 7, 2010 12:24:01 PM
hwahwa...that is interesting. It sounds as though the system, is working well in your area.
The main difference with our Superboxes is that we cannot leave parcels to be picked up. Those we have to take to the nearest Postal Outlet or Post Office if we have one close.
I have always thought that the USPS service was good but I think they need (like a lot of Companies) to trim a lot of fat to be in a better economical postiion.
posted on March 8, 2010 06:21:09 AM
I dont think they are so fat anymore,I used to go to the post office every day and the counter clerks worry about their jobs,some work has been parcelled out to Fed Exp,and some workers retire.
The US post office used to be a dull place to work,but with all the corporate restructuring and outsourcing,USPS seems more and more attractive for those who seek stable employment .
*
There is no 'Global savings glut',only wild horses and loose bankers.
posted on March 8, 2010 07:59:52 AM
otteropp: In the 70's we lived in the US, so I don't remember the changes happening. I must say that apart from the costs, I am impressed with Canada Post. I find that I can mail lettermail to England and Europe, and it arrives is 2-3 days, the strange things is, coming back the other way can take 2 weeks, so I think it is Canada Post that is so quick. We live in a rural area, and our local post offices have the nicest employees, and very little waiting time.
posted on March 8, 2010 01:12:55 PM
I think the USPS will request permission to drop Saturdays.
Currently, federal law requires the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail six days a week. Congress would have to approve legislation allowing mail to be delivered five days a week. The earliest the elimination of Saturday deliver would be approved and go into effect would be the beginning of next year.
I think it is the logical thing to do. Logical placed in the hands of Congress can go good or go bad ......JMO
posted on March 8, 2010 02:03:24 PM
USPS is on my sh** list right now. I mailed a package (priority) on 2/19 from NJ going to MA, it arrived on 2/28. Hmmm, 2-3 day service, aye!!
Today got a package returned "NSN" (no such number), again from NJ to MA and priority. Contacted the buyer to see if perhaps there was a problem with the address I had been given. Nope, she said she has lived there for 30 years and my address was completely accurate. Will take that one back to the PO tomorrow. I am NOT paying for postage again. They put a sicker right over the TO: address so I had to carefully peel it off to even see who it was supposed to go to.
Oh yeah,we should definitely pay MORE for this great service!! NOT!!
posted on March 9, 2010 09:17:37 AM
I ventured into printing a Postage paid label from PayPal, did so on Sunday night as we were going on a short trip on Monday early morning. We stopped in a small Post Office and the clerk refused the package because the postage was printed the day before and he said he could not accept it. Huffed back to the truck and went on to a much larger town and had no problem at all. I believe the printing of these postage paid labels has gone on long enough that even the podunk post offices would have gotten the message about how to handle them. I was not going to pay postage again!
posted on March 9, 2010 01:36:11 PM
Since we travel often, I deal with small town post offices all the time. On good days I find it humourous when I have to show them how to handle a package. So many of them are still stumped to see a label that was printed on-line. Too many clerks do not even know how to operate the register/computer for anything other than over the counter postage and some act as if you asked them for their first grand-child when you request the package be scanned.
But it could be and will be worse. Wait until we are telling grocery clerks how to process an on-line label!
I was in Buffalo a few years ago and the local post office was just a window in the back of a grocery store. The clerk was wearing a USPS uniform but she did not know how to process an Express Mail envelope.
posted on March 10, 2010 05:09:48 AM
Lowest mail day is Tuesday. Drop it for delivery but man it for outgoing mail.
The only problem with those convenient store post offices is that although the USPS website may say last mail pick up is 6pm...the last mail pickup is when the guy gets there and sometimes that is as early as 4:30pm.
Beth
posted on March 10, 2010 11:56:43 AM
I don't have a problem with dropping Saturday delivery either but are they going to keep the post office open for people who work 9 to 5 jobs and can't go during the week?
