The Insanity of the United States Postal Service

Face, when people complain about the mail being
late, tell them the PO will hold it for them and they
can pick it up any time they like. That always shuts
them up.

Quote: Evenbob

Face, when people complain about the mail being
late, tell them the PO will hold it for them and they
can pick it up any time they like. That always shuts
them up.

There are times it is legit to beef about late mail. One carrier we had would park his truck in front of his house and sit there for 2-3 hours a day, everyday. Our mail would come late afternoon when it should have been there by 1:00 PM at the latest but we had to wait while the guy loafed. And to make matters worse I am not kidding we lived three blocks from the post office!

I think some people finally dropped dime on the guy loafing. This was 20 years ago, now that neighborhood has the scanners and the mailman is minuted all day long.

Quote: AZDuffman

One carrier we had would park his truck in front of his house and sit there for 2-3 hours a day, everyday.

Which shows that not everyone at the PO goes through what Face is going through. This goes for any job. I have wondered if Face has pissed off someone that is trying to get him to quit. The work load he is reporting is madness.

Quote: odiousgambit

Which shows that not everyone at the PO goes through what Face is going through. This goes for any job. I have wondered if Face has pissed off someone that is trying to get him to quit. The work load he is reporting is madness.

This was 20 years ago, and I think more common then which is why the bar codes now. What Face is going thru is insane. I keep hearing the USPS is always hiring, wonder if this is why?

I think the USPS should cut back to delivering only two days per week. For those people or businesses that want more they could uses a commercial carrier such as UPS or FEDEX.

Thanks for the well wishes and support. It does help to be able to lash out and have someone listen and care =)

And no, I haven't pissed anyone off. Scratch that. I have pissed people off, but that's not the reason for this. Everyone is getting pounded. USPS made a big push for parcels to compete with FedEX and UPS. They sort of had to in order to survive, as first class don't pay for squat and bulk rate only gets us barely there. We needed the parcels to make the money, so that's what they went and did. And, of course, being the feds, they ain't near ready for it. There's just not the infrastructure to handle it, and certainly not the manpower. We did get a giggle today as UPS dumped their loads to us because they couldn't handle. They with their 50,000 extra seasonal workers and 2 men per truck, yet the old man and the cripple are doing routes 2 at a time and still getting it done lol.

EB says he couldn't do it at 25. At 25, I'd have already quit long ago, just because I didn't have the mind for it. But many of these last days, maybe even most, I can say I could enjoy it. I dunno, there's something I like about disasters. When the SHTF, there's something in me that turns on. I just dig it, dunno why. If I could just get rid of this back pain there wouldn't be half of this bitching going on. And I'm finally getting sick now. Missed everything up until today, but now I can feel my sinuses disintegrating and my chest filling with fire. 3 more days until I can rest; I just hope I can burn this out of me tonight.

I did get boots, Columbia Bugaboots. They're "OK", but I still haven't found that sweet spot. They're super comfortable and supportive, completely waterproof as far as I can tell, and about as warm as the inside of a chicken. But you just can't wear them around. If it's over 40* or you're spending time in the office, you gotta switch em out. Won't take but 5 minutes before your feet are on fire and soaked with sweat. I've been bringing 2 or 3 changes of socks with me and swap them when I reload my trays on the street. Wet socks go up on the dash so the defroster dries them, new ones on the feet to stay comfy, and it's working well so far. They'd be perfect for a late winter hunting sit, or a December Bills game, or any other event where you're just chilling in the freeze. But if you get warm, your feet are going to be melting. They're almost too good.



And one of the true "great finds" - O'Keeffe's Working Hands. I hate all lotions, salves, balms, and anything of the sort. I hate the way they feel and they do little to nothing so far as I can tell, but this stuff is just miraculous. My hands are completely shredded and cracked all to hell. I can pick up a sock just by touching it, as my hands are so rough it acts like velcro. Well, this stuff goes on like a wax and I swear it seals everything up somehow. It does feel a bit weird and waxy, but there's no change in dexterity, doesn't affect handling mail, and completely ceases the cracking, shredding, and associated pain. I have no idea how it works, but it works better than you could possibly hope for.



I want to say it's almost over, but I know it's not. We've already been told that next Sunday's run is going to be the biggest yet (how is that even possible? Or why?) and our forecasters don't expect this to let up until the 10th. Here's hoping they're wrong =p

Quote: Face

Here's hoping they're wrong =p

Not wrong at all. Morons keep mailing right
up to Xmas eve. Then they start mailing returns
on the 26th. It won't be as busy and before
Xmas, but it will be busy. It'll take all next
week just to deliver the late packages.

My brother does all his shopping online now,
never enters a store. He gets 2-3 packages
a day this time of year. The only thing I buy
at stores is something I need today. I get
everything else online now.

Quote: Evenbob

Not wrong at all. Morons keep mailing right
up to Xmas eve. Then they start mailing returns
on the 26th. It won't be as busy and before
Xmas, but it will be busy. It'll take all next
week just to deliver the late packages.

My brother does all his shopping online now,
never enters a store. He gets 2-3 packages
a day this time of year. The only thing I buy
at stores is something I need today. I get
everything else online now.

I'm sure it'll be increased, I'm just hoping the increase is "in general". I'm to the point that these heavy loads are manageable. I think I've been done by 5p the last 3 or 4 days running, and that is tolerable. Killing myself just to be done in time to sleep and come back, that's what I'm hoping is over.

And though it (obviously) seems like I should've been paid five figures for this, catching 20% of my yearly income in just two weeks will be appreciated soon. It's almost over, the pain is in the past, and now I can replace my boat (not that I'm going to right now, but it's nice to know).

But the streak has finally ended at 22? 23? days. A mix of the weather plus what I assume was assistance from my many aquariums has kept me illness free this whole time, but the recent cold spell and accompanying dryness fired up the eternal sinus infections I suffer. Woke up around 330a today with a fever of 102*. I tried burning it out of me but just couldn't get it to drop in time. I just called in for the first time, and on a Monday. I feel worse about sticking the guys than I do missing the $200, but I can't even walk let alone drive.

Got about 40 beers and Netflix. I suppose I'll get started seeing which one runs out first =p Back into the 60's starting tomorrow, should be able to ride out the rest of the holiday season with little problem.

From my experience you'll be even worse
tomorrow, and even Wed is iffy. Oh yeah,
somebody is hating on you at the PO today,
lol. You weakened your immune system with
all the stress, now you're paying for it.

My postman was 90min late today and it's
raining, so the package had to be in a plastic
bag. I bet they love that at Xmas time.