Poor Skills at the Post Office

[belleweather]

So the USPS just released new regulations about how much it costs to mail stuff, and we got bitten by them. My darling husband was sending out resumes, and since he generally has to send writing samples with them, he had been sending them in 8x10 envelopes. It turns out that with the new regulations, sending documents in an 8x10 envelope even if it

Comments

[heinleinfan]

No tips, but frustrations for sure. I work in a store that has a very prolific eBay business and the new regulations on size, weight and shape of package have caused major backlash from our customers and more difficulties when we're trying to securely package everything

[amyleaton]

Actually, the USPS is funded entirely by revenues from postage; not tax dollars. http://www.nalc.org/postal/perform/selfsufficient.html#subsidize.

But still.

[heinleinfan]

Not tax money then...but all that extra postage we're paying.

Point is, lots of money being wasted for a "brand recognition" marketing type change, not any actual efficiency change.

[nanimo]

Well, except for the sizble start-up grants the government gives them every time they want to implement a new program. You could also make the argument that they're implicitly funded through not having to pay taxes, but meh.

[catmomma]

so you mean all my "priority mail" boxes I have in my closet are not usable anymore? I occasionally sell on ebay and used to pick up the boxes by the case so I have quite a few left.

[heinleinfan]

I think the changes are mostly just for the international stuff, not US. Or rather, I *know* they don't affect US only priority envelopes/boxes, those are still fine. Though shipping prices have changed with the priority boxes, because now they calculate the length, width, heighth of the box into the shipping cost as well as weight, instead of going by only the weight.

[catmomma]

ok so those are not going in the recycle bin today, whew.

I did notice yesterday that the "flat rate" boxes now actually DO have a weight limit. 70 lbs. I have actually put 50 lbs of car parts into them a few times and the post office people were a little shocked when they went to drag them off the counter.

[heinleinfan]

Heh, I work at a coin shop that also deals in bullion and we often take half an hour getting that flat rate box to weigh *exactly* 70 pounds, trying to avoid having to ship multiple boxes and whatnot. I'm sure the post office folks hate to see our shipping guy walk in the door, many days we'll have 6 or 7 of these 70 pound boxes! Heh...

[catmomma]

the post office is actually onto that trick. Some of their priority boxes are even printed on the inside with "priority mail"

[ellipser]

Actually, if you go to usps.com, you can order boxes, for free, and they will deliver them to you, for free, in 7-10 days.

[heinleinfan]

Yes, you can get them "free". But some box manufacturer somewhere isn't making those boxes for free, they are charging the post office to do so. As it was pointed out to me, the post office apparently doesn't use our tax dollars anymore, they run only on postage...so our postage costs are what pay for those "free" boxes and our postage costs are what paid for all those that are now being thrown away.

[ellipser]

So email everyone and don't send anything through the postal service any more if you don't like paying higher postage. Pay your bills online. Only shop locally.

If you like, you could pay the increased fuel surcharges that are being added on by UPS and FedEx now because of the higher fuel costs.

I don't see your complaint. Inflation happens. The postage increases not just to make boxes, but to pay their employees perhaps a few cents more an hour so that they can continue to survive, and to pay the overhead to deliver you your paper mail (remember those higher fuel costs?).

[heinleinfan]

Erm, I think you are misunderstanding what my complaint is. I'm all for the post office paying workers fairly and not increasing postage as gas prices go up and all that jazz.

But, the truth of the matter is that the "free" boxes are not free, they are being paid for somehow. How much of all the money the USPS makes goes towards making those "free" boxes? Could we all just reuse our shoeboxes or whatnot instead of using these pretty printed boxes and lower the overall operating expenses of the post office?

But that's a whole other issue.

My major complaint I was trying to get across is that the actual international service provided did not change at all. The USPS only changed the *name* of the service and the design of the envelopes/boxes for that service. And instead of allowing the old style boxes/envelopes to be used with the new name until they're all gone, they are requiring people to throw them away.

That is a horrible mis-use of money.

[ellipser]

Complaints go here.

In the alternative, you can call 1-800-ASK-USPS.

[belleweather]

Um, believe me. Postal employes make PLENTY already. I mean, not that everyone can't use a few cent raise, but they're making far above a living wage already, even to start. My husband was a temporary postal clerk in 1999 and he made $13/hr as a temp. Permanent postal people make more and get guaranteed cost of living raises and federal benefits. Whining about how we need to pay more in postage to protect the poor underpaid postal workers is compeletely disengenuious.