No Wonder the USPS is losing money/IS so Slow

[The Less Blob]

I printed out a lable for a flat rate envelope for an item going out west. It had my return address in Brooklyn on it, but I wound up mailing the package out of lower Manhattan where I work.

 

Here's the tracking info so far:

 

Tracking #:

Carrier:

USPS

Status:

 

Depart USPS Sort Facility

 

2011-12-15, 00:00:00, BETHPAGE, NY 11714

 

Accepted at USPS Origin Sort Facility

 

2011-12-15, 00:40:00, BROOKLYN, NY 11230

 

Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility

 

2011-12-15, 01:55:00, BETHPAGE, NY 11714

 

 

So we have a package mailed in Manhattan, it is schlepped 40 or 50 miles east to Bethpage Long Island for processing, then schlepped 30 or 40 miles west to Brooklyn for processing and then SENT BACK to Bethpage for more processing? Maybe they'll send it up to Boston or Rhode Island for some more processing?

 

Does that make any sense!?!!??!

 

[Ringfinger]

I love reading those tracking things!

[Boba]

I too have noticed a decline in service. I have a package coming from Texas thats been bouncing between 2 zip codes in San Francisco for the past 2 days.

It was supposed to be delivered yesterday

[AndyBoBo]

There is an option to alter the zip code of the place of mailing (either through paypal, usps.com, or ebay) while maintaining your actual return address (I live in Jamaica Plain, but have my packages returned to souteast NH). This would have eliminated the initial transfers to the originating destination.

 

Still, it begs the question, why does the item need to go that route? But hey...bay steps.

[electricprune]

I'm one of the few that usually doesn't complain about the USPS. However, I came home today and found a Priority box with a nice comic in it...laying in the middle of my driveway.

[the420kid]

i think it's the time of year honestly. They get swamped with packages. I am not defending the USPS though b/c they do sux0r.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

USPS Sent A Package An Extra 6,283 Miles Before Reaching Destination 2 Miles Away

 

[Columbia Comics]

USPS Sent A Package An Extra 6,283 Miles Before Reaching Destination 2 Miles Away

 

 

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Link.

 

 

 

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Link.

 

[Dick Pontoon]

 

Those online tracking details are wacky probably 50% of the time; doesn’t bother me much. Overall, I think the Post Office does a great job, and provides a great service. I’ve shipped and received dozens of packages the last few months with no problems. And who else is going to ship a package across the country for $5 and take 2-3 days?

[The Less Blob]

I just wonder why the darn thing needed to be bounced around locally on mine. What a waste of gas.

[bababooey]

Managing exceptions is more difficult and costly to large organizations, defined routing and processes are necessary to maintain their service. There is no way that an employee in any small package delivery service is looking at individual labels to improve routing.

 

As an example - FedEx isn't going to stop routing all their air shipments through Memphis every night - even if that package is only moving to the next town - they put that on their 747 in your home town & that package comes back on the same plane after being scanned in Memphis at 3 am.

 

It may look inefficient in an online track/trace, it's not.

 

 

[thehumantorch]

Agreed. Imagine how complex a system is that delivers to every person in the

country from any person in the country. You could mail a letter across the

street and the PO will pick it up and take it to a large sorting facility rather than

cross the street.

 

Much like local bus service. Busses tend to collect passengers, take them to

a central location where other busses arrive with passengers and then transfer

them to an outgoing bus.

 

Inefficient for the passenger or letter but efficient for the bus company or PO.

[Ares]

Once I ordered a book from a boardie in the USA.

It was supposed to be sent to Toronto Canada

 

Somehow it ended up in Tortola British Virgin Islands

[HighRadArt]

That may be part of the reason they're getting rid of as many sort facilities as they can. I'm guessing some of the red ink may also be from all the free boxes they supply to folks that use them for packing (not that I'd do that). I wonder when they'll start charging for them as well?

[DeliBebek]

I printed out a lable for a flat rate envelope for an item going out west. It had my return address in Brooklyn on it, but I wound up mailing the package out of lower Manhattan where I work.

 

Here's the tracking info so far:

 

Tracking #:

Carrier:

USPS

Status:

 

Depart USPS Sort Facility

 

2011-12-15, 00:00:00, BETHPAGE, NY 11714

 

Accepted at USPS Origin Sort Facility

 

2011-12-15, 00:40:00, BROOKLYN, NY 11230

 

Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility

 

2011-12-15, 01:55:00, BETHPAGE, NY 11714

 

 

So we have a package mailed in Manhattan, it is schlepped 40 or 50 miles east to Bethpage Long Island for processing, then schlepped 30 or 40 miles west to Brooklyn for processing and then SENT BACK to Bethpage for more processing? Maybe they'll send it up to Boston or Rhode Island for some more processing?

 

Does that make any sense!?!!??!

 

I've noticed the "00:00:00" time stamps seem inaccurate.

[Bat-Man]

USPS Sent A Package An Extra 6,283 Miles Before Reaching Destination 2 Miles Away

 

 

 

 

[aggr1103]

You could mail a letter across the

street and the PO will pick it up and take it to a large sorting facility rather than

cross the street.

 

I can remember when my local post office had two slots for stamped mail - one was marked 'out of town' one was marked 'in town.' I always assumed that the local mail was sorted locally. That was back in the 80's.

[bass4punk]

That may be part of the reason they're getting rid of as many sort facilities as they can. I'm guessing some of the red ink may also be from all the free boxes they supply to folks that use them for packing (not that I'd do that). I wonder when they'll start charging for them as well?

 

The main problem with USPS is they have too much money tied up into payroll and benefits for their employees and no one is budging on getting that under control. In 2001, 89% of their adjusted operating expense was salary and benefits, whereas FedEx was at 71%. The Unions are fighting to keep from losing pay and benefits, even though USPS continues to post billions in losses.

 

The benefit bill due last September for the USPS employees was $5.5 billion dollars

 

While I manage a local company, and we don't operate at a large scale in comparison to a USPS or FedEx, anyone with sense would know you can't continue to exist if you don't make some sort of profit.

 

As for the slow shipping, that is typical around Christmas time