Jul 8, 2010

The United States Postal Service is broke and their solution is to raise their prices again.   Other businesses might think of other ways to cope, but this is our government's solution. 

And yes, I know they claim that they are not a government operation, but just try to open your own mail delievery business and let me know how that works.

Yesterday, I found a card in my mailbox telling me that I had received a package that wouldn't fit into the mailbox. The card advised me to drive down to the post office and wait in line for 20 minutes to pick it up.  The card didn't mention the line, but that's how these things work.

One thing that I noticed at the post office during my wait, was about 25 signs telling me what was expected of me as a patron. 

Don't approach the window until called, don't allow your children to sit on the counter, your credit card must be signed in order to be accepted, fill out forms before approaching the window...you get it.

The funniestgreatest moment at the post office was when an old lady ahead of me in line asked about canceling her  PO box.  The clerk asked her if she wanted her $1 key deposit back and when she said yes, he handed her a form, told her to go fill it out and bring it back to him. 

Enough to make the most hardened old Soviet smile. 

Today, UPS, an actual going concern,  delivered a much bigger box to my house and because I wasn't home, the driver left it inside the gate.  No drive, no line, no rules.

See the problem?  That will be 46 cents please.

Mrs. Sneed went to the orthopedist today.  Her wrist is healing well, so surgery will not be needed.   She has a swell hard cast on her forearm and wrist that has to stay on for the next four weeks.  Plus, she got a cool hinged knee brace to keep her knee in place.  It looks something like this one, except she doesn't wear orange shorts and she can't run in it.

She will be seeing a knee specialist soon and getting some ideas about a more long term solution to her knee problem.


Mrs. Sneed will be off work for at least the next month because of her broken wrist.  My hope is that she can use a sizable portion of her sick leave and then call it quits for good.   






Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

9 comments:

The Bug said...

I'm glad Mrs. Sneed is recovering well - & it would be grand if she could use up her sick time & then be outta there.

Our delivery folks (USPS, UPS, etc.) all leave our packages behind our hedge by the front door. It's a system that works well unless the neighbor kids are playing hide & seek there. I kid - they like to be very careful of our packages & let us know that they're there. Sometimes I wonder if they're waiting for a tip :)

Kurt said...

The letter rate is ridiculously cheap - they should raise it ten cents and be done with it.

Perpetual Chocoholic said...

I like orange shorts.

Steve Reed said...

I think we should cut postal service back to three days a week and dramatically downsize the whole operation.

Barbara said...

Betty Davis was right when she said getting old wasn't for sissies. I hope Mrs. S will be as good as new, or at least well rested, when this ordeal is over. Maybe it's better to just hope it has an end!

I think Fed Ex and UPS are running circles around the USPS. It's no small wonder they are losing money.

A UPS guy rang our doorbell at 7:30 AM today, something we could have done without. I seriously doubt the mail carriers have started work at that time of the day.

I'm guessing the volume of mail has gone down because most people don't write real letters any longer and most businesses have resorted to (junk) e-messages instead of junk mail.

Megan said...

I've seen the pension checks some of those retired postal folks get.

Too bad it's too late for the rest of us.

My apartment complex actually has a mail room. They hold stuff for you. So that's cool.

Hope the lovely missus is feeling all right. Tell her I said hello and bestest wisheses...

Bella Rum said...

I tried to return some books for Dad today. The post office was closed for lunch. Then I had to drive five miles to another one that didn't close for lunch and wait the 20 minutes in line. No good deed goes unpunished.

So happy that Mrs. Sneed is improving. Hope she can retire soon. It's fun.

a. said...

I hope Mrs. Sneed heals up right quick.

BumbleVee said...

UPS.... oh, it's a "going concern" alright.. But... here in Canada...they must be going even better than ever. They charge us $5.00 customs fee...on top of the amount of delivery..which is usually the same amount as what we paid for the article...so in the end...we pay twice the price of said article..plus $5 ....plus provincial sales tax ... which varies with provinces....
We can't even afford to use them, so we're stuck with Canada Post who use our packages for football practice, rip things apart to check and fondle everything at customs.. and still charge us extra whenever they feel like it. Canada Post however, does leave us packages of every shape and size ...hidden at the side of our house near the garden hose reel.... but, UPS definitely never leave anything unless and until we pay up. They have returned several articles to the U.S. .... when I refused to pay because nobody told me it was UPS instead of USPS..... sigh....just couldn't see paying twice as much for motorcycle pipes.....