What’s going on with USPS? (2 Viewers)

[Taghkanic]

Maybe I’ve just been unlucky lately—postal delivery variance is clearly a thing.

But the U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail service which have been such a boon to my chipping journey has let me down twice recently.

Is this happening to others, or just a function of volume, like the occasional hand where you flop a set but the fish holds on to catch a gutshot on the river?

Before this month, I’d never had an outgoing USPS shipment or incoming delivery go astray. Packages arrived fast, in good shape, and at mostly reasonable prices.

(I also appreciate that USPS has lots and lots of free shipping materials to help keep overhead on sales and purchases down... And that PCFers have developed a whole culture of how to use them.)

By contrast, I’ve had plenty of non-chip nightmares with private services UPS and FedEx. UPS in particular really can suck.

So are others noticing a decline, or did I just run into a couple of coolers?

 

[Josh Kifer]

Nah, it's been hot trash for a few months. Everything has arrived, eventually tho in my experience. They are just taking there sweet ass time...

 

[Chris Flynn]

Yes, noticing as well - some eBay sales of mine have gotten lost, my Chip Room order was scheduled to arrive yesterday and got delayed, think I’ll get it tomorrow.

however, also seeing this with Amazon orders as well - lot of logistical confusion it seems these days

 

[Taghkanic]

Details:

Problem #1... Tracking for a package showed as delivered, but it was not in the buyer’s mailbox. It appears that either the carrier put the package in the wrong box, or it never left his vehicle despite being marked as delivered. After filing a help ticket online and some calls, the package showed up on the buyer’s doorstep about a week later. It’s not clear whether the USPS found it, or a neighbor got the package and brought it to the right person himself—more likely the latter, since it was on the doorstep, not in his box.

 

[upNdown]

They are just taking there sweet ass time...

By the way, I think that's exactly what it is. I've had a suspicion that since covid started, the USPS employees in general have just stopped giving any fucks.

 

[rowlin]

I haven’t been mailing much lately, but would guess variance is on the higher side at the moment in terms of USPS delivery times.

I’ve seen a few threads and news articles recently about the postal service, and remember reading a banner on the USPS site that essentially said Express Mail is the only service with guaranteed (maybe the wrong word to use) timetables at the moment.

 

[Taghkanic]

Problem #2, more troubling:

The package moved in less than 6 hours on the first day from my Upstate NY post office to the (apparently notorious) Newark Distribution Center. It did not move from there for a week or more.

At some point the tracking indicated that the package was “delayed” but in transit, with no details as to whether it was still at Newark or en route elsewhere.

Again I filed Help/Missing tickets, and spent a lot of time on the phone. USPS makes it really hard to navigate this process.

(Meanwhile, I actually re-sent another batch of the same chips to the buyer; they arrived quickly.)

Then the tracking started moving again... And after a week or so, an envelope arrived with my Priority bubble mailer inside and a note from USPS that there was nothing inside.

Now, I’ve become completely obsessive about proper packaging. There is no way that the contents of this mailer just fell out, even if it somehow got badly torn. Someone would have had to consciously remove the contents, unless it was caught in a tornado.

So now I’m mired in the minutia of how to recoup the piddly $50 standard insurance on Priority Mail.

From now on, I’ll pay for insurance on anything over $100. As frustrating as this has been, I still prefer USPS over UPS and FedEx.

 

[Taghkanic]

Note that while I suspect it’s true that some USPS folks are lollygagging, in neither of these cases does it appear to have been mere delays; both seem to involve either incompetence or even malice.

I at least hope the guy/gal who took those $5,000 denoms thinking they were worth stealing is sorely disappointed...

 

[upNdown]

By the way, I think that's exactly what it is. I've had a suspicion that since covid started, the USPS employees in general have just stopped giving any fucks.

If you think about it, before “this all started,” you had a group of people who have always been on the edge. A term for work-based breakdown “going postal” was coined for them, specifically.
And now, for the past couple of years, they’ve got a president bashing them and their organization.
And then covid comes along. And a giant percentage of the civilian population gets sent home with benefits. They see these people every day, in their pajamas, playing with their kids, collecting super unemployment, while they continue to battle rain and heat and gloom of night, along with the 2020 addition of A DEADLY VIRUS with no thanks or hazard pay.
And then to top it all of, their entire organization is turned into a political tool for the upcoming election.
Yeah, I’m guessing zero fucks are given, and I think it’s a miracle that anything ends up in my mail box.

 

[Psypher1000]

Everything has arrived, eventually tho in my experience.

This reflects my experiences as well.

 

[timinater]

I mean... *gestures at everything*

USPS coming into Canada has had lots of delays, but everything has arrived, as far as I know.

 

[ReallyGoodUsername]

Sorry to hear about your recent experiences. I’d say/hope based on my experiences, the specific issues you noted are just bad luck and not a sign of a pattern of decline. That being said I did know a significant delay of packages when USPS started their restructuring project earlier this year. Since then the shipping speed has seemed to catch up close to “normal”.

Edit: I 100% agree about your package that showed up a week later being dropped off at the wrong address. In the last 3 years I’ve had three packages delivered to my place that were for someone else on my street or the street over and likely 95% sure had the same thing happen to one of the packages I sent.

 

[Venturalvn]

If no one has been following the news for a couple months, there were major changes put in place by the president and his new Postmaster General DeJoy - one of his biggest campaign donators and a stark champion for privatizing the USPS.

The most major changes that would be causing delays in shipping and lost packages are 1) banning payment for overtime work for their carriers and 2) physical removal of automatic mail sorting machines across the nation.

 

[Colquhoun]

There are the political theories, and then there is the simple issue of volume. People are inside and ordering LOTS more online. And with that, there’s lots of returns back through the postal service. I have NEVER seen the kinds of lines at the post office like I’ve seen over the last few months.

 

[auto]

Details:

Problem #1... Tracking for a package showed as delivered, but it was not in the buyer’s mailbox. It appears that either the carrier put the package in the wrong box, or it never left his vehicle despite being marked as delivered. After filing a help ticket online and some calls, the package showed up on the buyer’s doorstep about a week later. It’s not clear whether the USPS found it, or a neighbor got the package and brought it to the right person himself—more likely the latter, since it was on the doorstep, not in his box.

I no longer have a dedicated mail carrier for my neighborhood. It’s now a different person almost every other day. Since this started I have had the neighbor’s mail & packages dropped off at my house in error, so have dropped off the mail to the correct address a few times. One time it was my neighbor’s paycheck.

 

[dennis63]

On the USPS morale / efficiency issue: It has been widely reported in the United States that the post office "loses money" every year.

The truth is that the postal service, as an agency, has made a profit during 18 of the past 20 years. Some time back, the Congress passed a law requiring the postal service to fully fund pensions for 75 years. In other words, they've got to sock away money for the retirement of employees who will begin working for them about 30 years from now. Because this debt is carried, year to year, they will never again show a profit as an agency, and will appear to be failing miserably every year as the target moves farther away each year.

There is a bill in Congress to remove this requirement.

 

[Taghkanic]

Recent troubles aside... Overall the Post Offic provides a remarkable service.

I do not care if it makes a profit. After all, we spend $800 billion per year on “defense” against nations which will never invade us. And in recent audits the Pentagon could not account for trillions. Point being: If one cares about government “waste,” there are much bigger fish to catch.

If the Post Office were to lose some small amount annually, it’s nothing in the context of our national budget. And unlike other expenditures, the USPS actually directly benefits virtually every single American. I don’t get anything out of multi-billion fighter jets or battleships that don’t work.

What prompted the post was the occurrence of two big problems in the last month after years of steady, no-problem service.

If I’d had 2 problems spread out over a period years, across several hundred packages, I’d shrug it off. But now I’ve had 2 in my last 12-15 shipments. That regency of course could be biasing my view, but it naturally tends to feel like a change. Get a few bad beats over 10,000 hands? Expected. Get two in less than two orbits? Weird.

 

[tabletalker7]

What prompted the post was the occurrence of two big problems in the last month after years of steady, no-problem service.

All the problems I have been having shipping or receiving since the pandemic started is all courtesy of USPS. FedEx has come through like a champ. Maybe it is time to give them another chance (hey- what do you got to lose at this point anyway?)

 

[Taghkanic]

What would FedEx charge for the equivalent of a Priority small or medium box?

Also I don’t have any of their stores near me (rural area) so supplies and drop off would be a pain. Presumably boxes can be ordered online, but it’s awfully nice to be able to get boxes and labels without even having to go to the window at USPS.

Shoot, my complaints are turning into a defense..

 

[tabletalker7]

What would FedEx charge for the equivalent of a Priority small or medium box?

Also I don’t have any of their stores near me (rural area) so supplies and drop off would be a pain. Presumably boxes can be ordered online, but it’s awfully nice to be able to get boxes and labels without even having to go to the window at USPS.

Shoot, my complaints are turning into a defense..

So USPS gives you free boxes easily and that is a defense for LOSING YOUR PACKAGES afterwards ........................ Personally I would rather pay for the box

 

[Taghkanic]

Like I said, up until the past month USPS has been flawless with chip delivery. First 120-150 shipments... No problem. Last 12-15... Two big ones.

Any info on pricing for equivalent sizes? What do you use?

 

[RichMahogany]

These are the same issues they’ve been having since the beginning of the pandemic. Nothing has changed except your luck with receiving packages on time.

 

[Taghkanic]

@RichMahogany ::: I had no problems during the thick of the pandemic, including March-July, whether with chips or other packages.

And the both very recent problem have been with (a) sending, not “receiving” and (b) either misdelivery or outright loss, not with “timing.”

 

[RichMahogany]

I had no problems during the thick of the pandemic, including March-July.

Which is why I said your luck has changed

None of this is new. I’ve been lucky too, only had 2 packages delayed( one by a day, one over a week) and 3 that arrived a day early

 

[Taghkanic]

Note also that I am talking about domestic shipments only. Stuff to/from Canada and Europe have been wildly delayed in some but not all cases. And that’s totally to be expected.

 

[Venturalvn]

I had no problems during the thick of the pandemic, including March-July, whether with chips or other packages. And the very recent problem have been with (a) sending, not receiving and (b) not with “timing“ but either misdelivery or outright loss.

Staying as far away from politics in this thread as possible, but in blunt terms you're asking what's wrong with the USPS lately, and the reason is because of what I mentioned above. There really is no guessing game or theories to be had - this is all fact based and can be confirmed. Starting with new procedures in July, mail sorting machines that sorted 30,000 pieces of per day were removed from 600 post office centers nationwide. Additionally, workers are no longer allowed to work overtime.

What we have is a removal of automated processes coupled with a decrease in man hours and an increase in online shopping.

Here's an article about what's happening if you care to peruse.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alison...anges-raising-alarm-louis-dejoy/#ca4478f106f5

Quotes of note directly related to your recent issues:
"Multiple outlets report that the USPS is removing more than 600 mail sorting machines nationwide, which postal workers say may further slow down the mail"
"CNN and the New York Times report that some post offices were being forced to reduce their hours of operation, and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WVa.) and American Postal Workers Union president Mark Dimonstein have warned of rumors that some post offices may soon be closed entirely. "
"DeJoy also implemented transportation and processing changes, including mandating that drivers leave on time—resulting in mail getting left behind, rather than mail carriers waiting for it to be processed—and prohibiting extra trips to deliver mail. "

 

[RichMahogany]

@RichMahogany ::: I had no problems during the thick of the pandemic, including March-July, whether with chips or other packages.

And the both very recent problem have been with (a) sending, not “receiving” and (b) either misdelivery or outright loss, not with “timing.”

Oh haha didn’t see this when I responded last. Still, some packages I’ve sent have arrived late, some early. Seems rather random to me

edit: no major issues for me besides timing

 

[upNdown]

@RichMahogany ::: I had no problems during the thick of the pandemic, including March-July, whether with chips or other packages.

And the both very recent problem have been with (a) sending, not “receiving” and (b) either misdelivery or outright loss, not with “timing.”

I wonder how many chips and packages you’ve received in that time period:. Because my track record with USPS over the past few years has been almost flawless. 2-3 business days always meant 2 days. Now, since covid, having received a buttload of packages in that time, 2-3 business days means 5-10 business days.
I will say that it’s gotten better in the last month - it’s been more like 3-5 business days.

 

[ReallyGoodUsername]

Staying as far away from politics in this thread as possible, but in blunt terms you're asking what's wrong with the USPS lately, and the reason is because of what I mentioned above. Starting with new procedures in July, mail sorting machines that sorted 30,000 pieces of per day were removed from 600 post office centers nationwide. Additionally, workers are no longer allowed to work overtime.

What we have is a removal of automated processes coupled with a decrease in man hours and an increase in online shopping.

Here's an article about what's happening if you care to peruse.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alison...anges-raising-alarm-louis-dejoy/#ca4478f106f5

This. I’m at my local PO at least once a week, probably averaging twice a week for the last year, on first name basis with everyone of them and thus we bitch about stuff all the time. While a couple had issues with being essential workers who worked through March-May most were frustrated over the slow downs mentioned above. Restrictions on overtime and not being able to cover extra shifts of people who can’t make it in (leaving that shit shorthanded) have a lot to do with the longer lines people are seeing as well as the obvious need to space the lines out more now with social distancing.

 

[Venturalvn]

This. I’m at my local PO at least once a week, probably averaging twice a week for the last year, on first name basis with everyone of them and thus we bitch about stuff all the time. While a couple had issues with being essential workers who worked through March-May most were frustrated over the slow downs mentioned above.

Yes it's unfortunate that the workers who commit to getting us this mail on a daily basis, many for their entire careers, are being saddled with the fallout of the changes. On top of having massive changes being passed down to them requiring that they do more manual labor and cannot actually deliver full loads on time even if they wanted to, they then have to deal with the angry public who argue with them about it. Be nice to your mail people.