USPS "cost savings" ...yeah, right

[redhawker]

We moved into a new housing development almost a year ago. It's a small development with 29 homes and two streets. At the entrance, we have our "Cluster Mailboxes". I'm sure you've seen them (picture attached). They're usually used in large apartment buildings, and everybody has an approximate 3" x 12" x 18" mailbox with their own key. To clarify, we are not in an apartment building or condo; these are single-family houses. Well, now, I guess within the last few years, the good old USPS has decided that all new housing developments are required to have cluster mailboxes. They tell us it's a cost-saving measure because the mail carrier doesn't have to drive around the neighborhood and put the mail into individual mailboxes at the curb. But here's the thing about that. Every day, the mail carrier pulls up to the cluster mailbox in her Official USPS truck and spends 10 minutes or so distributing mail to the individual boxes within the cluster mailbox. It also has a couple of "parcel boxes" where she'll leave a key in a person's mailbox, and then she'll put a small package in the parcel locker, and the person receiving it will use the key to open that and get their package. However, there are always more packages and bigger packages than the parcel lockers can handle. So, what does our nice USPS lady do? She drives around the neighborhood, placing various packages onto the porches of the houses in the neighborhood. So, if she has to drive the neighborhood daily distributing packages why couldn't she just put mail into curbside mailboxes? I can't see how this would take any longer than what she's doing now. We've asked several people, some of them "higher ups" in the Post Office, if there was a way to get the individual curbside mailboxes, and they are adamant that the Post Office saves money with the cluster mailboxes and they will not allow us to change.

 

[NikA]

These are common in rural areas. Rule says they are supposed to take packages that don't fit back to the PO unless delivery address is less than half (or maybe one) mile from cluster box. That's maybe 3 houses in our cluster. There's real savings there. Not sure about in suburban developments.

 

[JohnL]

All of our mail goes to a PO Box at at the station. No local delivery. A few years ago the Big Brains at USPS Central Control wanted to close our station as there are only 150 or so people here. We made quite a racket over that as it completely contradicts what is written on the first page of the Postal Service Act of 197X. SO, they cut the hours of operation down to four hours per day M-F and two hours on Saturday. The station front door is locked from 1901 hours until 0700 hours. The odd homeless person would spend the night inside during Winter and we cannot allow that. oh, no! Then one of our neighbors started burglarizing the local stations at night. The Postal Inspectors and all of us know who it was but no prosecution.

 

[Mobuck]

I don't have an absolute answer since I retired from USPS many years ago. The 'cluster boxes' are supposed to ensure better security than just a remotely located mailbox (which they do). I saw numerous cluster boxes that had replaced a whole row of mailboxes along the main highways when we were in Colorado a couple weeks back. Generally speaking, cluster boxes also reduce cost of mail delivery.
Unless the regulations have changed, rural carriers get paid by number of boxes and miles of assigned route. Adjustments are made based on a periodic 'mail count'. Individual mailboxes placed close together usually count as ONE stop (same as a cluster box).
In reality, if your carrier is driving around the 'housing development' delivering packages to your door that's 'super service' provided by 'our nice USPS lady' over and above the requirements. This could be local exception or just going above and beyond by your carrier.

 

[Fox Mike]

In my OLD neighborhood most all mail boxes are clustered in fours. The mailman doesn't have to stop a gazillion times each day this way, only a quarter of a gazillion.

 

[Jeepnik]

So here's my question. If the USPS is providing less service with fewer employees why has that service gotten worse and the cost of that service gotten higher?

If the USPS were a private enterprise it would have gone belly up decades ago.

 

[87flht]

Bob Wright May chime in. My aunt lived in an older part of Memphis and the mailboxes were on the porch, so the carrier would walk down the street delivering to each house

 

[Hertervillian]

So here's my question. If the USPS is providing less service with fewer employees why has that service gotten worse and the cost of that service gotten higher?

If the USPS were a private enterprise it would have gone belly up decades ago.

Less service and increased cost. Pretty much describes everything. Self checkout at increased prices,

 

[redhawker]

For those commenting, here's a little more detail: We are not rural; we are within city limits. Our population is 72,000 + or -. The furthest house from the cluster mailbox is approximately 825 feet (walking distance measured on Google Maps). These mailboxes are pretty much 90% of the reason we have an HOA. If we had individual mailboxes, we could probably disband the HOA, as the maintenance of this mailbox area is almost the only reason for the HOA's existence. We don't have any other amenities in the development. No clubhouse, no pool, no nothing, just mailboxes and a sign.

 

[Mobuck]

"If the USPS were a private enterprise it would have gone belly up decades ago."
USPS is not allowed to 'make a profit'. USPS is required by law to provide service throughout these United States 6 days per week. NO FUDGING. When an argument arises about what 'private enterprise' would do, step back ask if 'private enterprise(UPS, FedEx, XYZ)' go to every address that has mail delivery in these United States 6 days per week.
From the lonely bachelor rancher in nowhere North Dakota to the slum dweller in NYC to folks like myself--USPS provides the opportunity for any of US to send or receive mail 6 days per week.
Oh Yeah, how about the military service personnel serving half way around the World? They get mail, too.

 

[Kevin]

On our street, the mail boxes are on the sidewalk. All individual homes. When we get a package, the mail carrier will put the mail in the mailbox at the curb, yet walk the package up to our front door.

Well sometimes he does this. Last week, at 8pm, after finishing his route. And I know all this because I stood outside watching. He finished, left the neighborhood, drove around the block, came back, dropped off our package. The letter and other mail? He didn't deliver that until the next day.

I should have said, when he finishes his route, since my side of the street is the last. When it's late enough, he skips us until the next day.

That actually happens about 3 or 4 times per month.

Again, my thought is to privatize the mail. Prices are already sky high. Today I paid $20 to mail a large box to Chicago.

 

[GypsmJim]

On my rural street, the houses are continuous, but a few hundred feet apart (big lots). Thus, the mail carrier makes frequent stops and if there is a package too big for the mailbox, she stops and walks to the front porch.

If she sees me she waves. If I'm out front she gets out of the truck and hands me the mail. This isn't new. Its been that way since I can remember.

I check tracking all the time. UPS is always a day late, Fedex is on time, BUT the USPS is a day EARLY.

When I need to buy something and different carriers are an option.....or if I send something and check rates, the USPS is always the cheapest.

I realize everyone has a hardon for the mail, and possibly some districts are all screwed up, but in my experience they are awesome and I can't live without them.

Personally, I think the govmt is completely screwed up, but the USPS is the only agency I can count on. If they are having financial problems, maybe they should up their fees and charge what the others charge.

OK, go flame on....

 

[Mobuck]

"Again, my thought is to privatize the mail. Prices are already sky high."
OK and then what happens when the 'privatized' delivery businesses decide some areas aren't 'profitable'?

 

[Bennj1]

Don't know about that sixth paragraph, but I can pretty much set my watch to our mailman's delivery schedule. If there's a package that won't fit in the box at the curb he will bring it, and the mail, to the front porch. I know his efforts are appreciated by many of us on his route since he's shared with me how much the amount of tips he gets around Christmas. On the other hand, I ordered a spare extractor from a business in Miramar, Florida. It shipped to Opa locka, Fl. distribution center to Orlando dist. center. Then to Oakland, CA dist. center to another dist. center in CA, then on to me in NJ.

 

[Jeepnik]

Mail boxes here are at individual houses. Most have them on the porch. I started a minor trend when I put mine out on the sidewalk. Some folks as why. Well it's simple. My dad worked for the USPS, retiring in 1986. First as a letter carrier and later when his legs needed a break inside. Today's USPS is a mere ghost of what it once was.

Oh, and as to delivery 6 days a week, every week with a federal holiday delivery is only 5 days a week. They do have a reg that they can't go more than two days without delivery.

Just as an aside several of my neighbors and myself noticed that every now and then no one saw the carrier. A quick poll of the block discovered than no one had received any mail. I contacted the postmaster and he flat denied that no delivery was made to us that day and no one must have had any mail. I informed him that 22 houses in a row hadn't received mail. I ask him the odds. Hasn't happened here since. Elsewhere?

 

[xtratoy]

All of our mail goes to a PO Box at at the station. No local delivery. A few years ago the Big Brains at USPS Central Control wanted to close our station as there are only 150 or so people here. We made quite a racket over that as it completely contradicts what is written on the first page of the Postal Service Act of 197X. SO, they cut the hours of operation down to four hours per day M-F and two hours on Saturday. The station front door is locked from 1901 hours until 0700 hours. The odd homeless person would spend the night inside during Winter and we cannot allow that. oh, no! Then one of our neighbors started burglarizing the local stations at night. The Postal Inspectors and all of us know who it was but no prosecution.

Maybe you could post a flyer on the post office door with your address for the odd homeless person so they can sleep out of the cold.

 

[vito]

Before modern communications were invented and available, postal mail was the only way to communicate over distances. The U.S. Post Office was established to help unite a new, disbursed nation where travel was arduous and lengthy. Without a mail service it might have never been possible for this nation to have even been born. But those days are long past.

I see no downside to privatizing the mail service, and eliminating the requirement for whoever runs that service to provide 6 day a week delivery regardless of location. If someone chooses to live far from other people, like the rancher in remote Montana, a taxpayer supported service should not be obligated to provide that costly service. Maybe a government issued mailbox in the nearest sizable community would be all that was obligated on the mail vendor.

In reality, when a person chooses to live in other than an urban area, they are knowingly putting themselves far from sophisticated medical services, far from retail shopping opportunities, far from cultural activities, but that is their choice. Without obligated mail service, choosing to live rural would just be adding one more aspect of remoteness. Maybe the mail vendor could be obligated to deliver to every location, but be allowed to charge whoever is at that location an appropriate fee to make that delivery feasible.

 

[Jeepnik]

Vito, having folks pay for delivery based on location would never fly. Not in a world where my utility bills have a fee to pay for utility service to others who won't work for a living.

 

[Hertervillian]

Not interested in a 3rd world mail service. Some services are worth paying extra for. I could support 5 day service, I've gotten used to slower mail. For me in this small town, USPS gets the highest marks, followed by UPS, then comes the guy that scatters the Penny Saver across the yard, followed by Fed Ex Ground (currently battling with them, a photo of my pkg on a porch 6 blocks away).

I grew up in a small town in E Central IL., population 1150. As far as I know everyone went to the post office to collect the mail, we had a PO Box so could get the mail a few hours before and after the window closed. Anyone outside city limits could opt for home delivery.

 

[Mobuck]

I have a copy of a picture of my Aunt (at maybe 16-17 years old) on a good sized saddle horse with a mail pouch for letters and two 'gunny sacks' for parcels. I'm fairly certain it was 1942-1944 since it was one of the older girls riding the 'mud loop' because the 'boys' were fighting the Germans in Europe. There was mud up to the horse's knees so it must have been spring. Grandpa would have been delivering on the better roads using the one horse 'mail hack' although at times Gramma drove the hack and Grandpa took another 'mud loop' by saddle horse .
This level of dedication is long gone (not only in the Post Office but most other service type jobs, also).