USPS.........cancelling Saturday mail.... (2 Viewers)

[GICOP]

We still get Saturday letter and parcel deliveries in the UK ..........at the moment

Cheers

Martyn

 

[johnnybach]

Some thoughts from the UK.

After tackling my postie about why he was delivering little cards (YES - on Saturdays as well) - telling me that a package was waiting for me to collect at the Post Office - instead of bringing the package with him to deliver - he admitted that the reason was - the sheer amount of packages he had to carry, meant that he couldn't bring them all out with him! Looks like the growing success of Internet shopping, has meant that the system is swamped - and they just can't handle the amount of goods to be delivered - (that we have paid to be delivered, incidentally).

So....thanks to the ineptitude of the forward planners at the GPO - I now regularly have to go into town - and join the ever growing long queue ( which now reaches way out of the door (NOTE: Take an umbrella with you - and wear your thermals in winter - you may be there for some time).

When you get to the armour-plated window - and shove your card (NOTE 2: don't forget ID - plus proof that you live there - or they still won't hand it over!) under the small slot - remember not to say anything that may prejudice the handing over of your property - as a BIG SIGN states that any person being abusive will not get their stuff - and legal action may come of any threats to the staff! Being nearly 70 now, I keep a tight lip - but I'm sure they can read in my face what I think of the GPO these days. Last time there was a woman in the queue in a wheelchair - with her card clutched in her hand!!!!

Our French postie - has a van - so No Problemo. Is the answer, to give the UK postmen - little vans?????

johnnybach

 

[Phantom Warrior]

Some thoughts from the UK.

After tackling my postie about why he was delivering little cards (YES - on Saturdays as well) - telling me that a package was waiting for me to collect at the Post Office - instead of bringing the package with him to deliver - he admitted that the reason was - the sheer amount of packages he had to carry, meant that he couldn't bring them all out with him! Looks like the growing success of Internet shopping, has meant that the system is swamped - and they just can't handle the amount of goods to be delivered - (that we have paid to be delivered, incidentally).

So....thanks to the ineptitude of the forward planners at the GPO - I now regularly have to go into town - and join the ever growing long queue ( which now reaches way out of the door (NOTE: Take an umbrella with you - and wear your thermals in winter - you may be there for some time).

When you get to the armour-plated window - and shove your card (NOTE 2: don't forget ID - plus proof that you live there - or they still won't hand it over!) under the small slot - remember not to say anything that may prejudice the handing over of your property - as a BIG SIGN states that any person being abusive will not get their stuff - and legal action may come of any threats to the staff! Being nearly 70 now, I keep a tight lip - but I'm sure they can read in my face what I think of the GPO these days. Last time there was a woman in the queue in a wheelchair - with her card clutched in her hand!!!!

Our French postie - has a van - so No Problemo. Is the answer, to give the UK postmen - little vans?????

johnnybach

Outrageous. Sounds like you don't really have Saturday delivery - it's Saturday pick-up. {eek3}^&grin Our Posties over here have small vans - it works very well.

Terry

 

[jazzeum]

Hey, look at it this way: it's one less day when all those bills come in the mail :rolleyes2:

 

[Mitch]

Maybe, its down to the lazy attitude of the local postie? In my village both the local postie and, Parcel force are superb and, I get lots of stuff per day. The postie here actually puts stuff in a bag and gently places it over the front gates if I am not in and, she is absolutely superb.

Only once had a card to collect and, if you go online you can have it redelivered at a date convenient. Why travel to an office when that is on the card. You have paid for delivery to your door and should get that.

Having done a Christmas with the RM when I was an undergraduate I know how lazy and how poorly many treat the mail they are charged and, it was a real eye opener to see parcels being thrown around by idiots which, was done because they had marked Fragile handle with care. The reason when I asked was the sender had not put please in the wording so, they thought they would play basketball with it!!!!
Mitch

Some thoughts from the UK.


After tackling my postie about why he was delivering little cards (YES - on Saturdays as well) - telling me that a package was waiting for me to collect at the Post Office - instead of bringing the package with him to deliver - he admitted that the reason was - the sheer amount of packages he had to carry, meant that he couldn't bring them all out with him! Looks like the growing success of Internet shopping, has meant that the system is swamped - and they just can't handle the amount of goods to be delivered - (that we have paid to be delivered, incidentally).

So....thanks to the ineptitude of the forward planners at the GPO - I now regularly have to go into town - and join the ever growing long queue ( which now reaches way out of the door (NOTE: Take an umbrella with you - and wear your thermals in winter - you may be there for some time).

When you get to the armour-plated window - and shove your card (NOTE 2: don't forget ID - plus proof that you live there - or they still won't hand it over!) under the small slot - remember not to say anything that may prejudice the handing over of your property - as a BIG SIGN states that any person being abusive will not get their stuff - and legal action may come of any threats to the staff! Being nearly 70 now, I keep a tight lip - but I'm sure they can read in my face what I think of the GPO these days. Last time there was a woman in the queue in a wheelchair - with her card clutched in her hand!!!!

Our French postie - has a van - so No Problemo. Is the answer, to give the UK postmen - little vans?????

johnnybach

 

[johnnybach]

Maybe, its down to the lazy attitude of the local postie? In my village both the local postie and, Parcel force are superb and, I get lots of stuff per day. The postie here actually puts stuff in a bag and gently places it over the front gates if I am not in and, she is absolutely superb.

Only once had a card to collect and, if you go online you can have it redelivered at a date convenient. Why travel to an office when that is on the card. You have paid for delivery to your door and should get that.

Having done a Christmas with the RM when I was an undergraduate I know how lazy and how poorly many treat the mail they are charged and, it was a real eye opener to see parcels being thrown around by idiots which, was done because they had marked Fragile handle with care. The reason when I asked was the sender had not put please in the wording so, they thought they would play basketball with it!!!!
Mitch

I see what you are saying Mitch. My problem is - I live at the end of this guy's round. He tells me there is a weight limit on what he can carry (Health and Safety rules) - and he often has more than one bag - so he gets this left at a post-box for him to pick up about half-way round. He frequently gets so many packages these days - he simply can't physically carry them all - even in two bags. When this occurs, he discusses with his supervisor, which packages to take - and which to leave behind - and to leave a card for. IF there is a heavy one towards the end of his round - guess which one he leaves behind?

Yes - you are also correct - there is a number to call on the back of the card to arrange for a delivery on another day. I have arranged this - and guess what - NO SHOW. You stay in all day - and it doesn't turn up. Reason??? Too many packages again!!! IF you are waiting for a particularly nice set of castings - and you were ten minutes away - would you wait for a few days for them to (maybe) deliver them?

I'm lucky that I'm still mobile - and the collection point is ten minutes walk away. Others, may not be so lucky.

Nowadays, when I'm in the UK, I try to collect large orders directly from my supplier (wherever that's feasible). Firstly, it saves postage - which is now charged by weight and size - and can be expensive. Secondly - there's less chance of damage by picking them up myself - and now lastly, if I might have to collect them anyway - I might as well have a day out and go and collect them in person - and have a chat withy some nice guys about my hobby anyway - instead of queueing up outside some Sorting Office, in a grotty part of town where there's nowhere to park!

My postie seems a reasonable chap - and he tells me that the solution is pretty easy. They either give him a van - in which he can take numerous bags of mail and parcels - or they re-schedule the amount of houses he has on his round - so that he can carry the bags! With the increase in packages due to changes in the way people shop - and more and more people buying stuff on the Internet - it looks like the first solution might be the right one.

You see - it's not just how many days that they will deliver that is MY problem - it's also WHAT as well as WHEN they will deliver it. Looks to me that I can get my bills 6 days a week - but NOT always my packages. jb

 

[theBaron]

We don't have Saturday deliveries in Australia either..... don't know what these people are compalining about ????

John

John, we're complaining that today this service would be better provided by a private contractor, operating in a free market to compete with other providers, instead of a government-sponsored monopoly that has no incentive to cut costs. What the USPS is doing is as if McDonald's had a loss in the previous quarter, so they decided to close their restaurants two days a week.

There's no reason that mail couldn't be delivered 7 days a week, for that matter, that is, no physical reason.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Mitch]

JB...

Not sure how big the area you live in but, this seems quite a strange way to deliver post!!! I have lived in two rural villages and both posties had Vans to do several of the outlying villages combined. Shocking that postal deliveries are now akin to a lottery of what you may or may not get on any given day for, very peculiar reasons. No wonder there are so many couriers springing up!!
Mitch

I see what you are saying Mitch. My problem is - I live at the end of this guy's round. He tells me there is a weight limit on what he can carry (Health and Safety rules) - and he often has more than one bag - so he gets this left at a post-box for him to pick up about half-way round. He frequently gets so many packages these days - he simply can't physically carry them all - even in two bags. When this occurs, he discusses with his supervisor, which packages to take - and which to leave behind - and to leave a card for. IF there is a heavy one towards the end of his round - guess which one he leaves behind?

Yes - you are also correct - there is a number to call on the back of the card to arrange for a delivery on another day. I have arranged this - and guess what - NO SHOW. You stay in all day - and it doesn't turn up. Reason??? Too many packages again!!! IF you are waiting for a particularly nice set of castings - and you were ten minutes away - would you wait for a few days for them to (maybe) deliver them?

I'm lucky that I'm still mobile - and the collection point is ten minutes walk away. Others, may not be so lucky.

Nowadays, when I'm in the UK, I try to collect large orders directly from my supplier (wherever that's feasible). Firstly, it saves postage - which is now charged by weight and size - and can be expensive. Secondly - there's less chance of damage by picking them up myself - and now lastly, if I might have to collect them anyway - I might as well have a day out and go and collect them in person - and have a chat withy some nice guys about my hobby anyway - instead of queueing up outside some Sorting Office, in a grotty part of town where there's nowhere to park!

My postie seems a reasonable chap - and he tells me that the solution is pretty easy. They either give him a van - in which he can take numerous bags of mail and parcels - or they re-schedule the amount of houses he has on his round - so that he can carry the bags! With the increase in packages due to changes in the way people shop - and more and more people buying stuff on the Internet - it looks like the first solution might be the right one.

You see - it's not just how many days that they will deliver that is MY problem - it's also WHAT as well as WHEN they will deliver it. Looks to me that I can get my bills 6 days a week - but NOT always my packages. jb

 

[waynepoo]

I'm sure everybody has seen this already...I don't like it...

but as much money as USPS is hemorraging...their decision to cancel Saturday mail delivery is supposed to save them tons of money...this means we all will wait a little longer for our deliveries...

I think it will start in August they said...

I'm just amazed that they lose so much money...I rarely go into my Fedex/UPS stores...but when I do...there is hardly ever a line of customers ahead of me...or anybody in there for that matter...

but when I go into my USPS branch...there is usually 3-8 people in line...sometimes more...sometimes a little less...but always decent traffic...

I'm just amazed they lose so much money!

What! you guys got mail delivered on a Saturday? we in OZ have not had mail ever delivered on the weekend, if we ever did it was well before I was born. And when you go to the post office here most of the time you line up to be served and sometimes the line is out the door. So I guess Australia post is not losing money just the opposite, I know stamps cost alot.
Wayne.

 

[theBaron]

What! you guys got mail delivered on a Saturday? we in OZ have not had mail ever delivered on the weekend, if we ever did it was well before I was born. And when you go to the post office here most of the time you line up to be served and sometimes the line is out the door. So I guess Australia post is not losing money just the opposite, I know stamps cost alot.
Wayne.

Our Postal Service has had delivery 6 days a week since its founding in colonial times, as far as I know. But it has indeed been hemorraging money for years. I suspect that a large cost, if not the largest cost, that the USPS has to cover is the cost of employee benefits and pensions, and that rather than try to renegotiate and get the employees to buy into keeping the concern going, they're cutting other costs. They've been eliminating small rural post offices for years, first phasing out delivery out of those stations--the routes were absorbed by larger post offices--leaving post office boxes and counter service, and then eliminating those services. And rates have gone up. But it's not enough to reduce the losses.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Terp152]

When our company ships pkgs at work thru FEDEX we can track on what street the delivery truck is driving. USPS can only tell us the pkg left the state. Chris