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ISurfTooMuch
join:2007-04-23
Tuscaloosa, AL

ISurfTooMuch to cdru

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to cdru

Re: The post office should cut costs

Scheduling a pickup is fine, provided you know how much postage to add. How about kiosks placed at convenient locations where you can walk up, place your package on a scale, swipe a credit card, slap on the postage that comes out, and deposit the package? Some may say that security is an issue, but I've mailed many packages at post offices and never once had my package searched, my ID checked, or anything else, so there's no real security there, either.

As for UPS and FedEx not delivering at convenient times, no, they don't. That's something that, if the USPS did it, would be better than these services. And, when I mentioned out-of-the-way package centers, I'm talking about UPS and FedEx.

The post office could be even more helpful if they added a feature that would allow a recipient to reroute a package in transit, provided it could be intercepted in time. Suppose someone mails me a package to my home when I really needed it at work. I could tell the sender, and they'd provide me with a tracking number and security code, which I could then enter on the USPS Web site to allow me to enter a different delivery address. Since it would already be known to the USPS the route the package is going to take for delivery, a printed label could be waiting for it at its next check-in point.

As for the USPS Web site, I'm aware of it. So, why not have kiosks in every post office so people can just walk up and use it? In fact, I just came back from mailing a package, and it sure would have been nice to have been able to skip the line and do everything at a kiosk. And I couldn't have done it from my office because I had to buy the book to place in the package near the post office.
NOVA_UAV_Guy
Premium Member
join:2012-12-14
Purcellville, VA

NOVA_UAV_Guy

Premium Member

said by ISurfTooMuch:

As for UPS and FedEx not delivering at convenient times, no, they don't. That's something that, if the USPS did it, would be better than these services.

One major difference between FedEx/UPS and the USPS here... When leaving packages when inclement weather is expected, FedEx and UPS will put your packages in a plastic bag to ensure they're not soaking wet by the time you get them.

The USPS can't be "bothered" to do "fancy" things like this (i.e. the postal carrier is too lazy) - hence a number of times I've returned home from work at the end of the day to have packages ruined. One time I had the package shipped via UPS, and they handed off to USPS which treated the package like garbage - I was shocked. When asked, UPS told me they couldn't guarantee that the USPS wouldn't handle my packages shipped through them - hence why I will not use UPS anymore either.