[OP]
Member
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.
Member
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.
Contributor
Lowell, well said. I try to extend that to everyone I meet. A “Good morning, thanks for ...,” actually makes me feel better, too.
Comments made here are my own and, according to my children, do not reflect the opinions of any other person... anywhere, anytime.
Member
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.
Last edited by Art Mann; 09-16-2020 at 5:17 PM.
Contributor
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
Ex-SCM and Felder rep
Member
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.
Contributor
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.Originally Posted by Bruce King
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
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
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.
Contributor
Our founding fathers felt the Postal Service was important enough to have it provided for and subsidized in our Constitution.I admire the postal service for the hard work they do, even if my taxes subsidize them.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
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.
Member
Jim, I was just referring to the USPS being prehistoric.
Contributor
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.
Contributor
How would you phase it out?
What alternative do you propose?
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
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.
Contributor
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.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote