Ok, what the heck is up with USPS?

[chipper01work]

I sold 5 things late Saturday and Sunday. Two of those items I dropped in a blue roadside box on Sunday morning. One other I dropped in a blue roadside box 20 miles from my home on Monday morning. The fourth was a large package and I dropped it off at a USPS satellite drop off place that is inside a business that was open MLK day Monday on my way home from work. I have never used this place before and was intrigued that the lady scanned it in and then told me "it won't go anywhere until Tuesday since today is a holiday". I told her that was fine by me I just wanted to get it dropped off (too large for my holding area for pickup scheduling and PO is closed Tuesday when I get off work. The fifth package I scheduled a pickup for today at my home.

I got up this morning at 4am for work and I was wondering if and what the scan she did would be listed as so I decided to see if it read anything on the eBay tracking. To my shock it was showing the item as being at the processing center my mail goes to that is 120 miles away! This prompted me to check the packages I dropped in the blue boxes on Sunday and Monday and they all show the same thing "arrived at regional origin facility- Warrendale, PA, with different time stamps on them. For this to be actually possible the PO had to pick those 4 items, located in 3 different places, over 20 miles apart on a Federal Holiday. 

Anybody have any ideas?

[sam9876]

USPS employees are working every day of the year.

[jason_incognito]

could you imagine how much everything would back up if they left 3 days worth of mail sit until Monday? They need to be able to level out the volume.

[chipper01work]

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@sam9876 wrote:

USPS employees are working every day of the year.

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Yeah I know that but I didn't think they serviced the roadside boxes on a holiday. 

[chrysylys]

Those pickup and transfer drivers are often contractors, not USPS employees.  They don't always take the same Holidays.  It may have even been the same driver that hit all of those locations and all of your items ended up in the same truck.

[chipper01work]

I copied and pasted this from the tracking of one of the packages, It clearly shows picked up from a blue roadside box yesterday.

Tracking #:

9400109699XXXXXXXXXXX

Carrier:

USPS

Status:

ACCEPTEDIN TRANSITDELIVERED

Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility

Jan-16-18, 00:30 AM, WARRENDALE PA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

USPS picked up item

Jan-15-18, 13:03 PM, ALTOONA, PA 166

[chipper01work]

Well this is good information to keep in mind then, for the future.

[buyselljack2016]

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@chipper01work wrote:

Well this is good information to keep in mind then, for the future.

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And just when you count on it to happen again, it won't

[mr_lincoln]

@chipper01work  Yep, I saw a mail truck out on the holiday ... not a local one either, one from the nearest bulk center 10 miles away.  Blue mail Boxes may be handled differently but let me advise you that you need to drop off at your local post office, get the Acceptence Scan and receipt.  Short of that you open yourself up to the potential late scan and subsequently a shipping defect because the package was not scanned within your handling time.  Those defcts take 90 days to roll off PLUS they increase your defect rate which could affect your Seller Dashboard rating ...  You can certainly try and arrange for a pick up too but that takes coordination with the local carrier.  They are supposed" to scan when they pick up.

[chipper01work]

@mr_lincoln wrote:

@chipper01work  Yep, I saw a mail truck out on the holiday ... not a local one either, one from the nearest bulk center 10 miles away.  Blue mail Boxes may be handled differently but let me advise you that you need to drop off at your local post office, get the Acceptence Scan and receipt.  Short of that you open yourself up to the potential late scan and subsequently a shipping defect because the package was not scanned within your handling time.  Those defcts take 90 days to roll off PLUS they increase your defect rate which could affect your Seller Dashboard rating ...  You can certainly try and arrange for a pick up too but that takes coordination with the local carrier.  They are supposed" to scan when they pick up.

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 @mr_lincoln Thanks for the info but I drop in blue mailboxes all the time, schedule pickups regularly and sometimes even just leave a post it note on my mailbox telling my mailman there is a package in a location and to take it. I've been doing this for years. The local postmasters in my region run a TIGHT ship and packages are scanned. Out of over 200 shipments last year I had ONE late. My late shipment rate is .4%. I don't use scan sheets. Postal workers, in my area at least, take pride in their work and do their job well. I have no concerns about scans at all. Most of my packages have at least three scans by midnight of the day I ship them.

[mr_lincoln]

@chipper01work  wrote: Thanks for the info but I drop in blue mailboxes all the time, schedule pickups regularly and sometimes even just leave a post it note on my mailbox telling my mailman there is a package in a location and to take it. I've been doing this for years. The local postmasters in my region run a TIGHT ship and packages are scanned. Out of over 200 shipments last year I had ONE late. My late shipment rate is .4%. I don't use scan sheets. Postal workers, in my area at least, take pride in their work and do their job well. I have no concerns about scans at all. Most of my packages have at least three scans by midnight of the day I ship them.

_____________________________________________________________________

Okay and thanks for that ...

[chipper01work]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@chipper01work  wrote: Thanks for the info but I drop in blue mailboxes all the time, schedule pickups regularly and sometimes even just leave a post it note on my mailbox telling my mailman there is a package in a location and to take it. I've been doing this for years. The local postmasters in my region run a TIGHT ship and packages are scanned. Out of over 200 shipments last year I had ONE late. My late shipment rate is .4%. I don't use scan sheets. Postal workers, in my area at least, take pride in their work and do their job well. I have no concerns about scans at all. Most of my packages have at least three scans by midnight of the day I ship them.

_____________________________________________________________________

Okay and thanks for that ...

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Yours is certainly good advice for many and it is not to be dismissed. I have packages that regularly show 5 scans by midnight of the day i shipped.

Picked up

Arrived at po

Depart po

Arrived regional facility 

Depart regional facility

I am lucky in that regard.

[kim_y_buran]

FWIW, I saw a USPS delivery truck going through the neighboorhood on Monday.   Perhaps, just doing its Amazon thing.

[thallidguy]

USPS delivered my Amazon Pantry order on Sunday.

FWIW, it's not unknown for blue boxes to get broken into in my area, so as a rule I take stuff to the PO and drop it in the bin. In fact, a PO about 10 miles east of me had the blue box right outside their door pilfered overnight.

[springs_2013]

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@chipper01work wrote:

@mr_lincoln wrote:

@chipper01work  Yep, I saw a mail truck out on the holiday ... not a local one either, one from the nearest bulk center 10 miles away.  Blue mail Boxes may be handled differently but let me advise you that you need to drop off at your local post office, get the Acceptence Scan and receipt.  Short of that you open yourself up to the potential late scan and subsequently a shipping defect because the package was not scanned within your handling time.  Those defcts take 90 days to roll off PLUS they increase your defect rate which could affect your Seller Dashboard rating ...  You can certainly try and arrange for a pick up too but that takes coordination with the local carrier.  They are supposed" to scan when they pick up.

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 @mr_lincoln Thanks for the info but I drop in blue mailboxes all the time, schedule pickups regularly and sometimes even just leave a post it note on my mailbox telling my mailman there is a package in a location and to take it. I've been doing this for years. The local postmasters in my region run a TIGHT ship and packages are scanned. Out of over 200 shipments last year I had ONE late. My late shipment rate is .4%. I don't use scan sheets. Postal workers, in my area at least, take pride in their work and do their job well. I have no concerns about scans at all. Most of my packages have at least three scans by midnight of the day I ship them.

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You are very lucky to live in an area where the USPS employees do their job well.  Where I am, it is a disaster!  Unless I stand there to get an acceptance scan, it will not happen.  Sometimes, they even scanned it in wrong!  Instead of an "acceptance scan", they would scan "delivered".

I subscribe to daily mail digest from USPS.  I had mail delivery coming to me yesterday, and guess what?  My mail box was empty all day!  No mail delivery!  Crossing my fingers hoping the mail will come today!