Another postage increase coming in January

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Posted By: Dave M

http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2008/pr08_119.htm

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Posted By: Rich Klein

That stamps will go up to 45 cents each in May and if I'm correct; a good "investment" would be to purchase "forever" stamps now. I bought a bunch at 41 cents figuring that the next raise would be to 45 cents and figured that with a 10 percent raise it was time to use them at 45 cents. For all the letters we send as a group, etc. I'd say to buy them now for your future.

Rich

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Posted By: Steve F

Just left the PO. The clerk told me they cut her hours in half. Most of the workers there are part timers. Big layoffs are due and she said, "short of a miracle, I'll be flipping burgers soon".

Our kids and grandkids will be in a world of hurt. Unless Obama can pull a rabbit out of his hat.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

I truly hope that it won't be as doom and gloom as that, Steve. The one problem with most 20somethings is that they can't seem to understand how important it is to save their money and not to live on credit. To me, THAT will be the real downfall of the generation.

As to Obama and McCain, they were in this thing together. They simply wanted to steal the Hope diamond from the Smithsonian.

P.S. To end this thing back on track, thanks Rich for the reminder of those "Forever" stamps. I will pick up a couple hundred next time I'm down in the States.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Despite the regular postage increases, I've noticed a real fall off in the quality of service. Besides the general malaise at the post office itself, many of the packages I ship are getting to customers really late. And I am always answering emails asking if I sent out their orders, which I always do very quickly. It's just like everything else, it just keeps getting worse.

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Posted By: Rob D.

I have friends in three different cities who are postal service employees, so this isn't intended to be a postal-bashing post. But honestly, the world built a better mousetrap (or mousetraps, in the form of e-mail, UPS, FedEx, etc.) and the USPS got left in the dust. Granted, none of the other carriers are perfect, and e-mail has limitations, but the USPS for years operated like a business that enjoyed a monopoly and didn't care much about performance. Now it has come back to bite them.

I have little doubt that the USPS soon will be standing in the bailout line, and because it's government-owned, more money will be thrown at it. Here's hoping that eventually Americans will see the light that bailing out businesses that are struggling or failing in part because of their own doing is not the answer.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

If UPS or FedEx had even close to the same volume as the USPS they would no doubt have the same types of problems...which don't seem that bad to me. I've not noticed any of my packages taking any longer than they ever had...and I've since taken Dan McKee's advice in sending packages first class instead of priority...takes the exact same amount of time.

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Posted By: Eric

First class is the way to go. I sent a package from Jersey to CA on Saturday, and it arrived yesterday (2 whole days). I've had really good luck with USPS, and really have nothing bad to say. On the other hand, I can complain all day about UPS and Fed Ex.

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Posted By: Rob D.

Dan, I'll assume that you're basing your assumption on fact that neither FedEx or UPS would be able to adapt to larger volumes, rather than just throwing it out there and hoping it will stick.

Anecdotal story that has nothing to do with volume but rather what I call the "USPS mentality": For years my carrier refused to get out of his truck to walk an insured package to the doors of customers on his route. He simply didn't load any insured packages into his truck at the beginning of the day. He'd place the paper notice with the rest of your mail in the box, and it would be your responsibility to drive to the branch and pick up your package. It didn't matter if you were home to sign for it, he flat-out would not have it.

After I found out that this wasn't happening only to me, I made a handful of calls and two trips to the branch to ask his supervisor how this could be condoned. We lived at this location for four years, and when we moved, it still was happening. When I told my USPS friends about it, they weren't surprised in the least.

Was this guy the rule? Obviously not. But exceptions like this that are allowed to happen illustrate bad management. I'm sure 90 percent of the people who work for the USPS are great, hard-working people. But the bottom line is this organization has been an example of ineptitude for years.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I've watched packages of mine on UPS's website sit around for days at their hubs waiting to be processed. a USPS package will usually get to its destination faster and cheaper. I also have never had a problem with my mailman...he brings my packages up to my house and knocks on the door...if I'm not home he leaves it in between the screen door and the front door. I can't remember a UPS or FedEx driver EVER knocking on my door..it's always drop and run. I almost tripped on my Mastro catalog when I left for work this morning.

One time I had a package delivered by UPS sitting behind my trash container for days before I even realized it was there...another time I came outside to find a UPS driver putting packages on the side of my house...I asked him why he didn't come up to the door and he said he didn't think I was home...I guess my truck in the driveway didn't tip him off that perhaps someone was home???

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Posted By: barrysloate

Walking into my post office in downtown Brooklyn, something I do on a regular basis, is like attending a funeral. For one, the place is nearly desolate. There used to be long lines but now it is nearly empty almost every day. There are ten windows but rarely are there more than two being used. Many of the clerks are friendly and do their work, but others are surly and lazy and definitely have a bad attitude. One woman at the window never gets her rear end off her chair, always is angry, and won't even read the insured amount off the receipts (she makes me read it to her). And let me tell you, this is a woman who never said no to a second helping of mashed potatos. Need I say more.

And those that I am friendly with always tell me in whispered tones how awful work is, how poor the management is, and they all count the days until their retirement...it's a real bad scene.

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Posted By: Rob D.

Barry,

Consider moving to Nebraska, where the USPS seems to be a model of efficiency.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Nebraska? Don't know if I'm ready for that.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

I think we've singled out the three good things about the Cornhusker state:







Dan's collection



USPS



Arbor Day







Leave it to a nearly-treeless state to call themselves "The Home of Arbor Day"! Perhaps it's just because there is only one "arbor" in the state? Otherwise, it would be called "Arbors Day".

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Posted By: Jim VB

Rob, Barry,

As a native New Yorker, I'm sure Barry sees it this way.

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Posted By: Jason L

"I will pick up a couple hundred next time I'm down in the States."
Wait a minute, Jodi - are you Canadian?! Did anyone else here know this?
-I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that!"


Barry,
There is a direct positive correlation between pounds of mashed potatoes eaten and one's ability to provide quality customer service - it's in one of the USPS training videos. Another topic covered is the inverse relationship between the speed with which you move and the USPS' abililty to control air conditioning costs in the summer months.

RobD,
It's ok that you have friends in the USPS. We can overlook that.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

People who think Nebraska is flat and treeless have probably only traveled I-80 which runs along the Platte River basin. Arbor day is about planting trees which makes us experts.

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

But I've been hanging around UPS for 24 years now........and own (soon to not) a UPS Store franchise. I sell postal services there and deal with UPS and the post office daily and have good knowledge of operations at FredEx and DHL because my UPS job is tracking the competition. The disparity between the people that have to be profitable and the Post Office isn't nearly what it was years ago. There's obviously problems with every carrier out there though. The post office has picked up ground on UPS, FedEx and what soon won't be DHL. I'm surprised the increases there haven't been escalated from what they've announced since they lost $2.8B last year. And that's without paying about 90% of the taxes that the for-profit companies have to pay. They are still incredibly inefficient.

At my UPS Store, we have mail boxes we sell similar to PO boxes. My USPS carrier, when I first opened, would drive around behind Krogers to the community boxes and open them up and put our mail in them. Jammed 3-4 boxes full, including what's normally reserved for packages and then, same deal as Rob, would take the orange slip packages back to the branch and make someone come get them. I guess because they didn't want to come in to the UPS Store which was ALWAYS staffed when they were dropping the mail off. FORTUNATELY, we got a new carrier who is the best carrier I've ever met in my life. Does EVERYTHING for us and helps us in more ways than I can count. So, good people do work at the post office. My grandmother was a postmaster in a 50 person town for about 30 years, so I guess it's in the blood........

Everyone has horror stories. I've heard them all around here--especially about UPS...........Just have to go with who serves your needs best and hope for the best.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Yes, I've done that I-80 stretch end to end dozens of times. And yes, you're correct--I have mainly only been on that highway and in NE Nebraska.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Jim- I've always divided the country into two parts:

1) downtown Brooklyn

2) everything else

And I do remember that magazine cover. There is some truth to it.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Barry, if it were up to me, you could keep all five boroughs, New Jersey and most of California. Just save me Montana, Idaho and Washington state!

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I'll take Colorado as long as I can ship all the CU fans out of state.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Good choice! Colorado, Utah and Wyoming are also beautiful.

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Posted By: barrysloate

I'll take my Cobble Hill neighborhood and I ask for nothing more...I'm a simple man.

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Posted By: JimB

Are there people EAST of the Rockies?
JimB

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Posted By: barrysloate

I'm east of the Rockies, so that makes at least one...and there may be others.

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Posted By: D. Bergin

I worked at UPS for 11 years, 6 as a driver. It was a real stressful, high energy job. I decided after 11 years I valued my back and I wasn't really a high energy type of guy to begin with and decided it was time to move on.

I remember one town I delivered in the local USPS branch had trained their employees to be particularly nasty to us. If we had a delivery inside a Post Office they would make us wait quite awhile before deciding to accept the package............or not accept it at all. (Sometimes a P.O. Box address would slip through and we'd try to get it where it was going anyways.)

One time I had about a dozen 50+ lb. packages I had to hand deliver down a steep driveway in the rain. Partway through the delivery a USPS mail truck pulls up. The mail lady gets out and starts yelling at me for parking in front of the mailbox and making her get out of her truck to put some letters in the box...........as if I had known she was delivering in the same area. Needless to say I kept an eye out for her after that parked in front of as many mailboxes as I could find.

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Posted By: DJ

The Internet (like many things...retail outlets, music industry, stock markets, made our kids fat, fraud+) has ruined the USPS.

The only time people go to the Post Office it seems is during the holidays when they HAVE to get that package to Michigan for the Holidays. Long, long lines of grumpy people.

Workers have had their hours cut here and it's just a fact of life today and the tough times out there.

I can say this because I live basically on the border, can we ban all Canadians from this VBC Forum and perhaps send them somewhere where they can feel more at home, like a National Hockey League forum/web site so they can talk about Mats Sundin, french fries with gravy and cheese curds, the music of Gordon Lightfoot, Quebec and two dollar coins?

:- j/k

DJ



edit: whacked out spacing..

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

You can knock me down, step on my face, slander my name all over the place, but I'll be damned if you utter a disparaging remark against Gordon Lightfoot!

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Posted By: Steve F

In the Seinfeld episode "The Andrea Doria," Jerry and Elaine discuss the song. Elaine believes that Edmund Fitzgerald wrote the song and that Gordon Lightfoot was the ship that sunk. Jerry sarcastically responds perhaps "it was rammed by the Cat Stevens,"

Sorry Jodi, I had to beat Bary to it.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Only 53 people died- that's not a tragedy. How many people die on a regular cruise? At least 30 or 40!

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Posted By: Rob D.

Appropriate in a thread about the USPS:

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

episode where the guy broke up with Elaine because her head was too big?

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Posted By: barrysloate

The air in Hawaii is so dewy sweet you don't even have to lick the stamps.

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Posted By: Rob D.

Last one:

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Posted By: barrysloate

Rob- that is one of my favorite Seinfeld scenes, with Newman foaming at the mouth.

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Posted By: pcelli60

I collect and I work for the P.O as a Carrier..and yes,this has turned into yet another P.O bashing post...
The P.O will continue the stop-gaps until it has its heavily invested in technology in place.. The catalogs and magazines will be sorted by machine- the letters have been since 92'..This move will conceivably reduce O.T and eliminate routes. They wont fire, they just wont hire!!
The gloom and doom scenarios are following most everyone. The really big layoffs that have been seen in the financial industry are not likely in the P.O..
The P.O needs to wake up like the rest of the Country and get both tough and creative to keep up with the times..
Rich

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Posted By: dan mckee

I bought a package of forever stamps for $800 or so when they were .41 each. My great grandkids will be using them!

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

You can wear my rookie uniform!

Jodi

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Speaking of two dollar coins, or "toonies", I found one on the ground the other night. I placed a bet in the football pool and won $50 an hour later!