Usps -_-

[ScottP]

I ordered a Protank and it got routed to a Post Office about 10 miles away from my local one, was marked forwarded on the 17th, finally got here on the 26th. So much for 2 to 4 days Priority Mail

I ordered something from Utah, to be delivered to my house in Houston, TX, and they sent it via a scenic route through Detroit Michigan. Needless to say it was not on time either.

 

[EddardinWinter]

You are a victim of mis information. Yes the post office has lost personnel correspondence business. But they have more than made up for it in flat rate shipping. The reason they lose money is under the Bush admin. They were forced by legislation tagged on to a completely unrelated bill that they had to provide retirement medical benefits for the next 75 years in 15 years.
This legislation was imposed to break the USPS next we have a big USPS smear for people who do not follow or research legislation to believe. The sad thing is this huge lump some of money is being wasted buy those who passed it.
So If you want your postal carriers to make minum wage and if by free market you mean the buddy system for government contracts go ahead let the current system be back stabbed out of existence.
You can see the lies and mis information they spread in something as trivial as a ecigs. So why would you believe anything from this self serving money consuming laviathio that will stop at nothing to feed its self.

While the USPS being forced to pre-pay for its benefits is part of its issue, it is only a part of it.

97 billion pieces of mail were delivered by the USPS in 2006. Last year it had dropped all the way to 68 billion pieces of mail. Do the math. A nearly 30% drop in volume. Have they dropped the workforce accordingly? Sold excess inventory, buildings, machinery, vehicles? Have they done anything to adjust? Maybe they have done some things, but probably not enough. If they cannot operate with the current rate structure, they need to increase the rates they charge so they are not operating at a loss.

This service is not going to be needed forever, and it is time to wake up and smell the coffee. The USPS is headed the way of the dodo bird if it does not change its structure and business model.

 

[llamainmypocket]

Its not necessarily that easy to say that because business dropped by 30% then so should their costs. It may very well be that the majority of the USPS cost is in labor and each mailman takes just as long even though they have less mail.

I do support your notion that because USPS can and does run a deficit that they can choose to do or not do whatever they want. Industry like that looks after it's own interest before the consumer.

 

[EddardinWinter]

Annual Revenue of the USPS for the last five years.

2008 $74.9B
2009 $68B
2010 $67.1B
2011 $65.7B
2012 $65.2B

If the mail service has insufficient volume to deliver running the routes it must run at a minimum cost, then it needs to raise its rates. It is artificially maintaining a low rate for delivery in a way no delivery business can, by operating at a loss.

The world is changing. The USPS is not changing at the same speed.