A Shout Out to the USPS

[tamaralea]

I was very impressed by the speed of my shipments over the holidays.  One of my outgoing Priority shipments made it in 2 days last week.  I received a Fed Ex  Smart Post shipment in 5 days, which was probably a credit to the USPS portion of the delivery.  All in all, I think they did a great job.

[crescentstation]

Despite no shortage of USPS bad-mouthing and the fact that younger folk don't even know the Post Office exists, they do a pretty outstanding job with First-Class packages and Priority Mail. I have shipped over 1,100 packages this year, and the vast majority of them get there in 2 days, and I live in the middle of nowhere.

[buyselljack2016]

I saw the typical seasonal slow downs.

Nothing too horrible other than a 6 day (shown as 2 day) Priority delivery.

2 recent items that took 2 days to get to the next stop, and a good Priority that apparently spent the night at the local PO, not getting a departure scan until the following day at noon.

Several 1st Class "arriving late".

I was expecting an item today. Still says it should deliver today. Only problem is the "arrived at Post Office" is not my Post Office. It got on the wrong truck from the regional facility, and literally went "south". (instead of east, and north) I will check my "informed delivery" later. It should get scanned and head back. It is an item that I am OOS on, and was hoping to get it on while the listing is still warm. Comes up as the 1st photo in my "google search", but when clicked on it does not link, as it is OOS. Buyers will go to another seller.

But overall, yes, they do well considering the uptick in the number of packages sent this time of year.   The things I sell are not "holiday gifts", so not disappointed children (or adults). I "ruined" no ones Christmas.

[a_c_green]

I'm having to rely on the patience of one of my buyers, whose First Class Package shipment to California somehow wound up being last seen arriving at the International Shipping Facility near O'Hare Airport, and hasn't been seen anywhere since the 18th, but that's the sole exception for me, and I have enough confidence in my bulletproof packaging to say that it will eventually get to the right place, probably in the next few days now that the holiday panic is over.

...and yes, we did give our regular carrier a nice gift card for Christmas. 

[ifyouloveit]

USPS did me proud this year, all of my packages hit before or on Dec 24th, Happy Buyers, Happy Seller!

My main mail carrier also said they were SLAMMED with packages this season, more than last year, I've seen various USPS trucks running around my area in addition to my main guy.

I think they went all out, I know my buyers are super happy!

[disneyshopper]

My daughter moved from Chicagoland back to California this past July.  She informed me that she shipped my Christmas present on 12/9/19, and it sat at her local post office for almost a week.  When she inquired, she was told "oops. "  It appears it is now on its way to me from Walnut Creek, CA to Anaheim, CA.

My gifts to her kids (I have 2 nephews) arrived in 2 days!  Shipped on a Wednesday and arrived on Friday.

[chapeau-noir]

The USPS did an excellent this holiday season - definite kudos to them!

[lja440]

I'm a rural mail carrier and we were swamped. Yesterday Amazon didn't run, at least for some reason not to my area. It was the first time since before Thanksgiving that I could see out of my Jeep through the rear window. I did have to hand off one package as another carrier could fit it in his longer vehicle and was for a house that buts up against my route. Either that or it would have looked like I was jousting with it sticking out the window.

Over all I think we did well this season, but I'm really glad Christmas is over. 

[quinger86]

Great thread, and I completely agree with the OP. I'm not a big seller, but was selling a few items/day during December from my selling account, nearly all going Priority Mail, and the USPS outdid themselves. Props (and gratitude) to them. None of my buyers were disappointed.

[labs118]

I agree at least for my shipments they moved through with lightning speed.
Last year I had not so much good luck
The only items delivered after Christmas are items ordered the 24th through Christmas day.
I was happy , my poor carrier that's another story !
We lost power for awhile during a few ice/snow events & we are on well & septic's in our rural area so the Post office had no bathroom faculties the first day and the scanners had to be taken to a different location to be charged. All this on top of the bad roads & heavy carrier load for deliveries . 
Kudos to them all 

[lja440]

The past 2 days have seemed so weird. Though my Jeep was full it wasn't over full (meaning I could see out my back window and things weren't falling on my head. Beside that it hit 60* in Ohio yesterday, it was very surreal.  And I cam home to find the township trustee graded my road. I now don't have a rut in front of my driveway that made you grab the "Oh, S**t" bar when driving over it.

[richard1rst]

As long as we are giving "props" let me chime in. My carrier routinely came by at about 6PM (where they are normally here about 2 PM) so I know they were swamped. But they stayed with it instead of just knocking off at 5.

Like others I see routine "negs" on the post office along the line of they provide terrible service.

BUT over the past years I wonder if those "neg droppers" recognize the advent of flat rate and regional boxes to help hold down shipping costs. And cubic pricing to hold it down even more. And upping first class to 15.999 ounces to further save money. And the tracking numbers to provide iron clad defense against Item Not Received claims.

All they seem to focus on is the annual rate increase completely forgetting that EVERYTHING seems to go up every year. And you can bet that in a couple of weeks these boards will be filled the annual Chicken Littles who will SWEAR that their business is about to be ruined by the "unconscionable" rate increase. What I find funny is that we get these doom predictions every year and yet they are still here. (proving that last year's prediction was a bust).

C'mon - fairs fair - the post office is still the best game in town.

[lja440]

We can't knock off at 5,  that's not the way it works. 

Our routes are evaluated (distance, number of mailboxes, dismounts and average mail and package volume), This is the time we are paid for. With my route I am evaluated at 8.20 hours a day. If it's a very light day I may be done before my evaluated finish time of 3:30pm but if it is heavy I might not get back until just before dispatch (5:15pm). Over the holidays they bumped that back to 5:45 for my office and there were times that the truck waited  for me and Scott (we have the longest routes) to  get back or one of us would have had to run our outgoing mail down to Zanesville (over an hour in the wrong direction from my home).

In 19 years we have been pulled in off the routes ONCE. And that was due to the polar vortex last year that dropped the temp to -27* in my area. They had 2 LLV's quit and I was never so glad to come in.

[richard1rst]

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@lja440 wrote:

We can't knock off at 5,  that's not the way it works. 

@lja440 

Oh, I know that. I was positively commenting on exactly that point for the benefit of those who seem to have a negative view of the post office.

Certainly you read the rest of my very positive comments. I know that you are a carrier and, as such, you might be more sensitive to especially unwarranted criticism. I assure you none was intended. My business couldn't exist without you and yours.

[lja440]

Thanks. Probably was a bit over sensitive. We hear a lot of complaints here. That and I'm still worn out, if I hadn't had to use up all my vacation time with the Jeeps broke down I'd take a week off and just recoup. Well at least I can now get two days off in a row. I have been off on Sunday and Tuesday, it's hard to decompress on that schedule.