Post office may close this winter?

[Frosty]

I am one of the few here that loves USPS from the looks of things... I really hope they find a way to make it work. I will say that their tracking system is lousy, but the choice is deal with an inefficient tracking system, or deal with UPS who has a great tracking system but has an average of 7 to 10 days to get stuff to me. If it's from the next state over, I might get lucky and only have to wait 4 days for what I ordered. USPS got me some pepper seeds that I ordered from Hungary in about 5 days. Packages betwwen ND and PA take about 2 days and don't get as beat up as packages that I get via UPS. When I have chicks coming in, the local PO calls me as soon as they get them, it is very common for me to be at the PO at 2 AM to pick up my chicks. The guys there are really awesome, and I never see them sitting around doing nothing. When I am given a choice on how an order is shipped, I always choose USPS.

 

[dewey]

I'm sure it must vary from region to region and according to small town to small town vs large city and type of package. I have never been able to rely on USPS for even small, time-sensitive packages or items for a couple of reasons...mostly due to their routine ability to lose the packages & their long term follow up with tracking that can start 30 days out, compared to ups/fedx which is immediate.

I've had issues with all of them for smaller items but usps has been the most problematic over the years. They have resulted in the need for many stop payments for lost funds (at a cost & hassle that we nor our custy's appreciate and which degrades the ease of service to the custy which reflects badly on us, bottom line)....We don't recommend their use and none of our contractors, due to like experience, will use usps for those same reasons.

Most local and national or international customers that are pressed for time and want our cash discounts just wire transfer funds directly to our accounts or send funds overnight via FedX to skip the whole usps mess up hassles. Throughout many years (since the early 70's) we've found that direct wire transfer is the safest, quickest way as far as receiving funds, next being FedX overnight, except for locally in town where a check should arrive the next day (yet often is lost). We've had a big share of checks lost in the mail by usps. It muddies things up for us and does not lend to an easy, smooth transaction when custy's have to hunt down checks & do stop payments at a cost because of usps faults...really reflects bad on us even though we have nothing to do it, although in those instances we do absorb those losses (a finacial loss to us) on behalf of the custy's to keep good relations.

 

[peachie600]

The only reason the Post office is going broke is because on Xmas eve in 2006 congress decided the PO had to pre fund the health care for all their retirees for the next 75 years in a ten year period. THESE PEOPLE AREN'T EVEN BORN YET....let alone work for the PO....NO OTHER agency or company in ANY country is required to do this...... This is a 5.5 billion dollar bill every year that the PO is unable to meet at the end of this month. Even with the internet..... without this mandate the post office would have made a profit this year and the last 4.
Call your congreessman and tell him you are for bill 1351....It eliminates this insane mandate.......Your mail will remain close to the same.....absolutely no difference if this bill is passed.....No bailout .....and not one of your tax dollars will be involved......PS Which currently is the case if you don't know.... NONE of your tax dollars go to the PO

 

[chickened]

The PO may just be posturing for a bailout as it seems that is trendy these days.