US Postal Service closings: priority mail no more a priority
US Postal Service closings will affect millions of people across the US. Meanwhile USPS priority mail will no more be a priority
USPS is downsizing. And many people are amazed the way it will be done. If a business owner is facing failure and he had been given an option to give up some of the services in order to downsize and recover from the failure, he would not hesitate in closing the services that were not in demand and opting for the ones that were popular.
But here we have a case where United States Postal Service (USPS) has decided to do away with a service that was highest in demand in order to downsize and cut the cost. It has done away with its most popular service of overnight delivery. If you posted a mail, it was delivered across the US the very next day, at least in most of the cases.
This has been a terrible news for people who used to send small packets or letters to different places across the US. It was the cheapest option for them and saved them lots of money. If they send the same stuff by UPS or FedEx, it will cost them many times more.
But unmindful to either the popular demand or the business sense, the USPS has said that it is discontinuing with the overnight mail delivery, hitting the common man the hardest.
It is said that the United States Postal Service has lost the professional touch. It is not run on proper business lines, like FedEx and UPS are run. An attorney says, “The essential problem is that the law does not create a framework for the Postal Service that gives them sufficient flexibility to adjust to a changing market”.
A reader who seems very agitated with the new reality dawning upon the USPS says, “In my opinion, any entity that needs to cut costs, needs to start at the top. Too many fat cats getting very big salaries and doing very little. While they’re at it, they should revamp their relocation policy. Spending $800k to buy the home of a relocating employee is ludicrous. I don’t go to the post office very often, but every time I’m there, the people behind the counter always seem to be busy and I’ve never noticed anyone “slacking off.” The delivery people, too, seem to be well-occupied, but I have little use for Saturday delivery. Cutting out Saturday delivery should help and try getting a bigger share of parcel post. We buy a lot online and most of the time the stuff gets delivered by UPS or some other private service. Why can’t the post office do it as efficiently? There are numerous ways they can improve the bottom line and at least break even.”
Anotehr reader has this to say, “The reason the USPS has difficulty expanding their parcel service is because federal laws have allowed UPS and FedEx to sign “exclusive” contracts with businesses…..in other words, even if you demand that the business ships to you by USPS Priority Mail, they will say: “
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I think you really misunderstood what was said about cutting out overnight service. The Postmaster General was not talking about the Express Mail product. He was talking about local First Class Mail. Currently. FCM within about 200 or so miles is dedicated to be delivered overnight. The PMG wants to loosen that to give an extra day. Most all of local, within the same city, would still be overnight but further out would be second day.
Express Mail will continue, guaranteed overnight delivery to many locations, nationwide.
RandyF
September 18, 2011 at 3:47 am
This article has alot of misinformation about the USPS.
Here’s one quote: “It is said that the United States Postal Service has lost the professional touch. It is not run on proper business lines, like FedEx and UPS are run.”
First off, the USPS delivers FEDX and UPS Priority. Since the USPS goes to every house, everyday…USPS made a contract with them and FEDX and UPS in return flies the USPS mail.
UPS and FEDX only delivers their premium product “EXPRESS”
They can’t make a profit if they have to deliver their priority product too! The USPS bails-out UPS and FEDX, so they can make a profit!
The media WILL NOT expalin this in their articles about the USPS…
OBIE GREENWAY
September 18, 2011 at 10:58 am
Lets compare FEDX and the USPS…into DOLLARS and CENTS!
Proponents for privatization claim that the cost to consumers would be reduced by removing the mail service from government control. But market prices suggest otherwise.
Currently, a 44 cent stamp will get a letter from Houston to New York in two to three days. According to the FedEx website, two-day delivery of a similar letter to the same destination will cost between $20-30 dollars.
Bottomline: USPS, 44 cent letter to deliver. FEDX, $20-30 dollars to deliver!
OBIE GREENWAY
September 18, 2011 at 11:05 am
http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/our-future-network/service-standards-110915.pdf
Service Standards For Priority Mail Will NOT Change.
Cubby
September 18, 2011 at 10:17 pm
This situation is utterly rediculous. To my estimation it will cause many more problems. Buffalo is a big city in comparison to Rochester. Let life take it’s course. let things be. Never. Never kick a sleeping dog. The work is wonderfullly done at the Post Office facilities. Thank You.
Delores Ryndak
September 18, 2011 at 11:21 pm
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I have to take exception to Obie’s inaccuracies.
First off, if you ship SmartPost, you are a business. It is a contract-based, business solution offered to catalogers, fulfillment houses and direct marketers. When shipped Smartpost, Fedex will ship packages or letters and provide actual tracking to the post office location delivering directly to the destination address. Only at that point does the post office touch the package…usually somewhere within a few miles of the package/letter destination. If you are NOT a business approved to ship SmartPost, Fedex handles your package/letter/ltl/truckload totally from pickup to delivery. To indicate otherwise is DECEPTIVE and FALSE.
A money back guarantee applies to all services with Fedex EXCEPT SmartPost, because the package does leave Fedex hands before reaching the delivery destination. And yes, Fedex planes DO provide air transport for some USPS products…which means Fedex is dealing with such things as fuel costs FOR USPS. And don’t think that USPS does NOT receive a premium discount situation. I am not privy to that information, but I am sure that there is one in place.
Secondly, you seem to be conveniently omitting the more economical option of shipping your letter ground services (which is a MONEY BACK GUARANTEED delivery on the third day) with excellent real time tracking, which comes in at $8.54. The “premium” service of Express 2 day first a.m. with delivery by the second day guaranteed by 10:30 a.m. (or your money back) does cost $27.56.
As for the paragraph regarding “premium” product being express (of course express is premium…it flies instead of going by ground) and stating that the USPS is bailing out UPS and Fedex…I can’t even figure out what that ludicrous statement is supposed to mean.
Bottom line…the USPS has a 9.2 Billion (that’s billion with a “B”) budget shortfall this fiscal year alone because you CAN’T ship a letter for 44 cents from Houston to NYC without losing money.
JSJ
September 21, 2011 at 9:08 am
To JSJ: So you think Fed Ex “shipping your letter ground services (which is a MONEY BACK GUARANTEED delivery on the third day) with excellent real time tracking, which comes in at $8.54.” isn’t still a ridiculous price compared to .44? And the USPS money problems are thanks to congress making it pre-fund the next 75 years of retiree health benefits in 10 years, for people who haven’t even been born yet, using the USPS as its own personal cash cow as they have done for years.
Postal girl
September 22, 2011 at 2:14 am
Just one minute! Look at it from the CUSTOMER perspective. I want VERY little from the USPS. I hear the promises, but the results do NOT persuade me to believe your tiresome excuses for failure.
Here is what I want:
1) To get an item “A” to location “B” within the USA.
2) To get that item “A” to location “B” within the USA in the same way it was shipped. That means, the package was not opened and contents removed, the package was not used as a target for a fork lift. That it will not be smashed, mangled or destroyed.
To further these goals, I will do almost anything you demand. You own your little game, so YOU TELL ME.
BUT WHEN I MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS… I WANT THE PACKAGE THERE.
When it comes to the issue of how many months will it take. I LEAVE THAT TO YOU.
It sounds simple- BUT THE USPS can’t do this.
NO EXCUSES ALLOWED! EVER! I pay and play by YOUR RULES…BUT I NEVER WANT TO HEAR A WHINING peep from you ninnies.
PENALTY: I get penalized every time I try to send any mail. You rip it tear it smash it, and deliver it to the WRONG NUMBER, STREET, CITY STATE, ZIP CODE. I don’t want to hear your crying with excuses. TAKE THE MAIL WHERE IT IS ADDRESSED. AND WHEN YOU SAY YOU WILL.
I do my job….shut up and do yours.
MY penalty is receiving the same terrible “service” you provide.
Now for YOUR PENALTY:
1) SHUT UP — NO TALKING —NO GOOFING OFF. Get serious and get the package where its going! NOW.
But YOU have NO penalty…Customers get the penalty.
TO BE ABSOLUTELY SURE MY ADDRESS IS CORRECT…and package is according to “your rules”…I photograph the heck out of it…for evidence after it is destroyed lost or whatever lame excuse you USE for NOT DOING YOUR JOB.
So we need a PENALTY…something you fear. To get your butt off the chair and start moving packages from Point A to Point B.
Let say….You lose a weeks pay if you make ONE WRONG address delivery, that has met YOUR mailing standards. After three missed deliveries in one year. You are fired. No pension, no workers compensation scams, no sick leave. AND NO TALKING AND WHINING about how “hard” your job is Duh…we can replace you with trained…or untrained monkeys.
I don’t understand why you USPS people are SO proud that you “found” yet another letter dated 1951, and YOU WANT TO BRAG that you delivered it 60 YEARS LATE. Look… brag brag We did our job! So what we all do our jobs…but if we screw up like the USPS does we would be out of a job THE FIRST TIME!
We also need a bounty system for Postal workers. If you as a Postal worker EVER find that another worker is goofing off, and your information is sustained, you will be immediately promoted and offered a reward. The offender will be stripped of all pension rights, sick leave, vacation pay, other “guvment” goodies. AND YOU will now be the target of YOUR subordinates when YOU GOOF OFF.
I think it will work. If we can encourage you USPS employees to rat each other out, when you learn of fraud, waste, abuse, and GOOFING OFF.
USPS needs to clean up their act. Just get packages from point A to B, in one piece…and you will put UPS, Parcel Post, FEDEX and others out of business, in ONE YEAR. But you can’t and you won’t….you would rather whine about this or that INSTEAD OF MOVING THE MAIL TO THE CORRECT LOCATION. We are NOT impressed with the “hiding”, “slothfulness” (look it up dummy) , and laziness that WE SEE ALMOST EVERY DAY.
Reggie
November 26, 2011 at 10:08 am