The Postman was . . .

[lowell holmes]

putting mail in our mail box when I returned from an errand. I told him thank you and ask does anyone ever say thanks and he said no.

We take our postmen, policeman, and firemen for granted. We need to do better because life would be more difficult without them.

[Bruce King]

I talk to my postman on occasions after getting my neighbors mail and mine is lost. I think delivering mail is prehistoric and needs to be phased out soon. I’m on a short street and see an Amazon van, UPS, FedEx and sometimes two mail jeeps every day. Effing ridiculous.

[Charlie Velasquez]

Lowell, well said. I try to extend that to everyone I meet. A “Good morning, thanks for ...,” actually makes me feel better, too.

[Art Mann]

A postal worker is paid extraordinarily well for a relatively easy job. I don't feel the need to extend thanks to someone who was lucky enough to find such a job. Of course, one should be friendly and polite towards everyone.

I agree with Bruce regarding the US Mail Service. Once or twice a week would be enough for me to get my normal junk mail. If I need to send or receive something really important and/or time critical, I would not use the USPS.

[Erik Loza]

Our postman, Tony, is awesome. One of our cats (blind and deaf towards the end of her life) wandered off one day. Tony found her in the middle of some other street in the neighborhood, recognized her from our house, put her in his mail bag, and brought her back to our house. My wife always bakes a batch of cookies for him and his family around the holidays and we buy girl scout cookies from his daughters when it's that time of the year.
Erik

[Bruce King]

It’s a hard job, I know someone that tried it for awhile and quit. Rural route requires finding woods for #1 and 2. Huge boxes of junk mail that have deadlines for delivery. 10 hour days. The day he quit the boss said to take another huge box of junk mail, he told the boss he was going to deliver what he had and she could deliver that box the next day because today is my last day.

[Jim Koepke]

I talk to my postman on occasions after getting my neighbors mail and mine is lost. I think delivering mail is prehistoric and needs to be phased out soon. I’m on a short street and see an Amazon van, UPS, FedEx and sometimes two mail jeeps every day. Effing ridiculous.

Surprisingly on my route we have more than one mail carrier. It is a rural route and lately our mail service has been great. A few years ago our route was serviced by a private contractor. Many mail carriers do not like doing a rural route, some prefer it.

Being retired keeps my wife and me at home most of the time. The edge of town is ~12 miles away. Our pharmacy is closer to a 20 mile drive. It is great to be able to get our medications via the USPS.

Amazon, UPS, FedEx and USPS cover different areas of expertise. FedEx (air) is tops at overnight delivery. FedEx ground is a different story. UPS is better with heavier packages and some international shipments. Amazon is doing their own thing. USPS is good for first class mail and Priority Packages.

If these systems are "prehistoric and needs to be phased out soon," you could make a fortune by creating their replacement.

Maybe Netflix and others can deliver movies online. There are still many movies that Netflix only offers through their DVD mailings.

It still takes a "prehistoric" system to move physical items from point A to point B. When some entrepreneur figures out how to do it reliably without people there will be an article in Forbes or other business publications extolling their virtues.

jtk

[Jon Grider]

Love my "prehistoric" mail carrier, love being able to send a letter from Michigan to California for 55 cents. I admire the postal service for the hard work they do, even if my taxes subsidize them. In my 66 years, they've never lost a piece of mail from or to me afaik. I shudder to think of total privatization of the mail service, once competition from the USPS goes away, the private companies will charge what they want, and it certainly won't be less money.

[Jim Koepke]

I admire the postal service for the hard work they do, even if my taxes subsidize them.

Our founding fathers felt the Postal Service was important enough to have it provided for and subsidized in our Constitution.

jtk

[Zachary Hoyt]

I thank my mail carrier whenever I see her, which is not always all that often. Having someone pick up the instruments I'm shipping is a huge help, and much nicer than having to take them to the post office myself. Especially now during the pandemic I know the carriers are having to work some really long days and they are taking risks with their health.

[Bruce King]

Jim, I was just referring to the USPS being prehistoric.

[Ed Aumiller]

We have a GREAT mail carrier. I live in the country on the side of a mountain. The mailbox is on the state road and 1/2 mile from house. The post office is over 8 miles away. We depend on USPS to bring our medications.
When a package arrives too big for the mailbox, our carrier will deliver to our daughter who lives on the state road. Every time she does that, it saves us from having to go to the post office to pick it up. She could just leave it at the post office and put a notice in our mailbox but she doesn't... It is VERY much appreciated.

A lot of packages we receive start out as UPS or FEDEX but USPS does the final delivery. They do the easy part and leave the hard part to USPS.

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, I was just referring to the USPS being prehistoric.

How would you phase it out?

What alternative do you propose?

jtk

[Bruce King]

How would you phase it out?

What alternative do you propose?

jtk

There should be a plan to phase out mailboxes at every house but keep a delivery system in place that brings your bundle every week. Just like it’s done now if you do a mail hold but every week.
Basically email for bills and Fedex or similar for private or rush items.
Junk mail could be consolidated into brief offering circulars where you go online or call if you want to partake. Look at the paper saved.
More collection box locations to send things via USPS or Fedex etc.
Once society progresses past the home mail box mentality it will work. Just like the younger set not reading newspapers. This will have to wait another 10 years or so to become feasible and phase in gradually. Will it save money? It should but it won’t due to everything that is tried in this country backfires due to corruption. Besides they pay the postal employees for life regardless of anything.

[Brian Elfert]

There should be a plan to phase out mailboxes at every house but keep a delivery system in place that brings your bundle every week. Just like it’s done now if you do a mail hold but every week.
Basically email for bills and Fedex or similar for private or rush items.
Junk mail could be consolidated into brief offering circulars where you go online or call if you want to partake. Look at the paper saved.
More collection box locations to send things via USPS or Fedex etc.
Once society progresses past the home mail box mentality it will work. Just like the younger set not reading newspapers. This will have to wait another 10 years or so to become feasible and phase in gradually. Will it save money? It should but it won’t due to everything that is tried in this country backfires due to corruption. Besides they pay the postal employees for life regardless of anything.

Why even have a Post Office if the only thing it would be allowed to deliver is some sort of standardized advertising? Companies wouldn't want to use it as they want their own ads. I still get enough non-junk mail to make delivery worth it. Several medical places still send paper bills. Government notices still come in the mail including property tax bills. All of my regular monthly bills are electronic.

Package delivery prices would go through the roof without the USPS as competition.

[John Goodin]

My father delivered mail for 27 years after retiring from the Air Force. High blood pressure kept him continuing his career as an air traffic controller as a civilian.
He really enjoyed his walking route in the 70s and early 80s where the mailboxes were by the front door. He knew every adult, kid and dog — two of which bit him — once of the bottom of his butt. Oddly, both were poodles.
He would come home at Christmas time with fresh baked goods, cheap after shave and regifted dress socks. As his young son I loved the homemade cookies and smelling like Old Spice and Brut 33 and was thoughtful enough to let him keep the socks. Those were the days.

[Jim Koepke]

Basically email for bills and Fedex or similar for private or rush items.

My medications currently come vie USPS. Do you realize how much more Fedex charges for a similar package?

There is also another problem with phasing out the United States Postal Service. It is a Constitutionally prescribed service. It would likely take an amendment to the Constitution or similar act of Congress to "phase it out."

jtk

[Bruce King]

So that’s why they don’t care. Then I wish they would fix it. I have had terrible service in three different locations. Lost investment papers, lost probate papers and once they failed to deliver their own letter stating that I had to notify everyone of a new address instead of the Rt # I had. Mail completely stopped with no forwarding.

[Jim Koepke]

So that’s why they don’t care. Then I wish they would fix it. I have had terrible service in three different locations. Lost investment papers, lost probate papers and once they failed to deliver their own letter stating that I had to notify everyone of a new address instead of the Rt # I had. Mail completely stopped with no forwarding.

Surely it is different for every Post Office. In my experience, calling them in the morning and remaining calm to discuss problems has done a lot to improve my service.

jtk

[Rod Sheridan]

Our founding fathers felt the Postal Service was important enough to have it provided for and subsidized in our Constitution.

jtk

There's a good reason for that, private carriers provide services where profitable.

Canada Post (my mail provider) is mandated to serve Canadians, not just Canadians where it's easy or profitable, I presume the same is true for the USPS.

When I order from the US, I always try to use the USPS as it's far less expensive than private carriers and provides great service.

These functions of the state are extremely important to provide equality among citizens.............Regards, Rod.

[Rod Sheridan]

Wonderful story Erik, thanks for posting it.

We always leave a Christmas present for our mail carrier........Rod.

[Rod Sheridan]

My medications currently come vie USPS. Do you realize how much more Fedex charges for a similar package?

There is also another problem with phasing out the United States Postal Service. It is a Constitutionally prescribed service. It would likely take an amendment to the Constitution or similar act of Congress to "phase it out."

jtk

The other issue is that the postal service serves everyone, the private companies serve those that are in a profitable route. Postal Service provides equality among citizens.......Rod.

[Brian Elfert]

The other issue is that the postal service serves everyone, the private companies serve those that are in a profitable route. Postal Service provides equality among citizens.......Rod.

Are there addresses outside of remote villages with no roads that UPS/Fedex/etc will not deliver to?

[Curt Harms]

Where we live there are 35 post offices within a 10 mile radius according to the USPS site. Most are not within reasonable walking distance for more than a handful of people. Do they REALLY need that many post offices?

[Stan Calow]

Where we live there are 35 post offices within a 10 mile radius according to the USPS site. Most are not within reasonable walking distance for more than a handful of people. Do they REALLY need that many post offices?

Ever since I can remember, every time the USPS tries to consolidate and shut down unsustainable locations, local politicians step in to block the moves in Congress. In my area (major metropolitan area, not a small rural town), much of our postal business is conducted at an official postal counter at a supermarket by store employees. They have more convenient hours. There are post offices that don't even sell stamps anymore to reduce counter staff. UPS, FEDEX, and Amazon will often ship things to the nearest post office and have the USPS make the final delivery, even to our suburban home.

[Rich Riddle]

I would thank our regular postal carrier at the office, but he is away from his duties (for over a year) for sending and explosive through the mail. Go figure....

That said, we should express our appreciation more to carriers. For some people, the postal carrier is the only potential human interaction a person has.

[Rod Sheridan]

Are there addresses outside of remote villages with no roads that UPS/Fedex/etc will not deliver to?


Yes there are.

[Rod Sheridan]

I would thank our regular postal carrier at the office, but he is away from his duties (for over a year) for sending and explosive through the mail. Go figure....

That said, we should express our appreciation more to carriers. For some people, the postal carrier is the only potential human interaction a person has.

Did they get an employee discount on the postage?:D

[Rich Riddle]

Did they get an employee discount on the postage?:D

A huge one. He is on PAID leave until his trial. Since the union governs his job, no other carrier can bid on the route until after the trial (in case he's found not guilty). That means we have different carriers almost every day of the week. The Covid situation is not helping with the speed of the trial.

[Jim Koepke]

Are there addresses outside of remote villages with no roads that UPS/Fedex/etc will not deliver to?

Many years ago my job was as a shipping clerk. At the time there were large areas that were not served by Fedex due to being shut out of some airports by previous carrier contracts or other involved interests.

jtk

[Brian Elfert]

Ever since I can remember, every time the USPS tries to consolidate and shut down unsustainable locations, local politicians step in to block the moves in Congress. In my area (major metropolitan area, not a small rural town), much of our postal business is conducted at an official postal counter at a supermarket by store employees. They have more convenient hours. There are post offices that don't even sell stamps anymore to reduce counter staff. UPS, FEDEX, and Amazon will often ship things to the nearest post office and have the USPS make the final delivery, even to our suburban home.

I don't quite understand why urban areas seem to have Post Offices every mile or two. Minneapolis had two Post Office buildings destroyed in the riots and they were a mile or two apart. It seems like a perfect opportunity to consolidate, but it appears both of them will be rebuilt.

I live in the suburbs and my Post Office (carrier annex actually) is a good ten miles away. The retail Post Office I am intended to use is about 15 miles away and I have never been there. I bet some of these small town Post Offices they want to close are closer another Post Office than I am to my Post Office. The main reason most small towns want to keep the Post Office is because it becomes sort of a social hall when so many have PO boxes.

[Jim Koepke]

I don't quite understand why urban areas seem to have Post Offices every mile or two.

Are they in different Zip Codes?

During my days of working in San Francisco it became clear that some Post Offices became overrun at different times of day due to all the office buildings on different schedules. One Post Office would be jammed and one about three blocks away would have a very short wait. Of course give an hour either way and their lines would be just the opposite.

One of the local street luminaries would make good money by standing in long P.O. lines, holding a manila envelope and offering to sell his place in line when he was about the third person in line. If it was a busy time, he would then go back to the end of the line and start over. He always had a smile and dressed flashy but well.

jtk

[Curt Harms]

One of the local street luminaries would make good money by standing in long P.O. lines, holding a manila envelope and offering to sell his place in line when he was about the third person in line. If it was a busy time, he would then go back to the end of the line and start over. He always had a smile and dressed flashy but well.

jtk

"local street luminaries" What a great phrase!:)