I work for UPS, not the postal service but still a major shipping company. And while I personally try to handle every package with care, especially those marked 'fragile', I see some pretty heinous things at work. And sadly, I can sympathize-with my abusive co workers. Just to give some insight, and not at all excusing this behavior.
First, management does not care if a package is marked fragile, they want those trailers turned over NOW. Just last week for instance, a sorter called his supervisor over when he noticed every package coming out of a truck was smeared with blood. When that supervisor tried to shut that belt down, his manager threw a tantrum and declared we HAD to get that trailer down so just deal with it. They ended up just opening up some diverters to let the blood covered packages flow down the line. Not only did he ignore the sorter's protests, he forced the two unloaders to keep working. It turned out the blood was dry and not a contagion, but he failed to take two minutes to address this rather serious safety concern. The blood came from another state, where a loader was forced to work while bleeding on the packages as he stacked them in the trailer. Think about working in that kind of environment for a moment, where they only thing your boss cares about is packages per hour. How careful would you be? On my shift we often move more than 100,000 packages. Times four shifts, time five days a week. That's 2 MILLION parcels a week, for my hub alone. We are required to unload 1,200 packages an hour, though most do 1,800, and I personally can reach speeds upwards of 3,600 an hour. How much care can you give a package when you are allowed only a second to handle it at most?
And secondly, there is a tendency to mark any package 'fragile'. I have had to pick up 145 lb transmissions marked 'fragile'. How can you possibly treat a package carefully when it weighs as much as your wife? I was once in a copy/shipping store, and heard the clerk tell another customer she was going to mark a package of text books 'fragile' so that the packaging would arrive in better condition, because everyone loves nice clean packaging, and it costs nothing extra! She then said she labeled every package as fragile anyway. Seriously?
So when you ship eggs, this is the environment they will be traveling in. I am not excusing careless or deliberately rough behavior. Just understand the risk for eggs is far, far greater than you think.
I myself have ordered fertile eggs several times, and have always been disappointed with the results(though have always been happy with the packaging done by the seller).
First, management does not care if a package is marked fragile, they want those trailers turned over NOW. Just last week for instance, a sorter called his supervisor over when he noticed every package coming out of a truck was smeared with blood. When that supervisor tried to shut that belt down, his manager threw a tantrum and declared we HAD to get that trailer down so just deal with it. They ended up just opening up some diverters to let the blood covered packages flow down the line. Not only did he ignore the sorter's protests, he forced the two unloaders to keep working. It turned out the blood was dry and not a contagion, but he failed to take two minutes to address this rather serious safety concern. The blood came from another state, where a loader was forced to work while bleeding on the packages as he stacked them in the trailer. Think about working in that kind of environment for a moment, where they only thing your boss cares about is packages per hour. How careful would you be? On my shift we often move more than 100,000 packages. Times four shifts, time five days a week. That's 2 MILLION parcels a week, for my hub alone. We are required to unload 1,200 packages an hour, though most do 1,800, and I personally can reach speeds upwards of 3,600 an hour. How much care can you give a package when you are allowed only a second to handle it at most?
And secondly, there is a tendency to mark any package 'fragile'. I have had to pick up 145 lb transmissions marked 'fragile'. How can you possibly treat a package carefully when it weighs as much as your wife? I was once in a copy/shipping store, and heard the clerk tell another customer she was going to mark a package of text books 'fragile' so that the packaging would arrive in better condition, because everyone loves nice clean packaging, and it costs nothing extra! She then said she labeled every package as fragile anyway. Seriously?
So when you ship eggs, this is the environment they will be traveling in. I am not excusing careless or deliberately rough behavior. Just understand the risk for eggs is far, far greater than you think.
I myself have ordered fertile eggs several times, and have always been disappointed with the results(though have always been happy with the packaging done by the seller).
