Us Postal Service

I have been having an ongoing annoyance with our postal girl because she breezes by on her ice cream truck, totally oblivious to the fact that the red flag was up on my mailbox. My mom likes getting notes and cards, so I do this once a week. Usually, I have to wait until the postal girl is coming back down the other side and run her down.

FInally, I called the US Postal Service yesterday and he informed me in 1927, the law was passed that 'city limit' carriers do not have to stop for a red flag unless they are also making a delivery. (Note: this does not apply to rural routes.) I never heard of this. I mean, why even have a flag? However, he said a person can call the local post office branch and request a pick up for the next day.

I did go outside today and apologize to the twit. but am I the only person who had no idea of this law/policy?

 

No; apparently there are two of us. We live in a subdivision with the group "pods" of mailboxes, so our carrier never comes to the house anyway.

 

Isn't "postal service" an oxymoron? Y'know, like "plastic silverware" and "military intelligence" and "jumbo shrimp"?

 

@Beth Gallagher
Do your pods have "outgoing" slots? Ours do, but I've lost mail using them, including a mortgage payment.
Frank

 

I've never had any problems with the U.S. Postal Service, and I learned they didn't have to pick up unless they delivered, at least 25 years ago.

My mailman back then used to walk most of the neighborhood carrying a huge sack of mail, and walk up to the front door at each house to the mailbox. I never put out anything extra for him to carry back or to make him make a special trip to the house. I could always mail it at work.

Now they drive, but still have to get out and walk up to each front door, and their routes are longer. I drive right by a post box at least 2 or 3 times a week now anyway.

 

Yes, but I'm not going to hike down the block to use them. Actually, we pay our bills electronically and I don't write letters anymore, so no biggie. Usually if I need to mail a greeting card or something, I just drive past the post office drop box on my way to the grocery store.

 

Your mail person is a prick! No she does not have to pick up unless there is a delivery, but she should.
I retired as a letter carrier and no one at our post office of 87 routes would have been able to get away with that shit.
We always said that Service is our last name and we meant it.

 

I feel kind of bad for our mailman. I think the onslaught of online ordering has really bogged down the "letter carriers" of America. The ratio of packages to actual letters has vastly increased and it's a more physically demanding job than some of the older carriers signed on for years ago.

 

I am a big online shopper, too. Oddly enough, a get a large percentage of packages via USPS...especially Amazon orders. So I suppose it depends on location as to the carrier used.

A lot of merchants are opting for that "mail innovations" or whatever they call the hand-off from UPS or Fedex to the USPS for final delivery. I freakin' HATE that.

 

@Beth Gallagher @Nancy Hart
In our case, the hike down the block is one mile, to a stand of individual boxes packaged in rows, on a concrete slab. There are perhaps 200-300 boxes there; if many cars pull up at once pandemonium reigns. Happens rarely, but fools pull off too close to the roadway, which is a fairly busy thoroughfare, blocking the view to pull back out on the road. I've walked down to the boxes occasionally in winter. We think this system is part of a contracted job let to a private company. The boxes are serviced, however, maintenance-wise, by a guy driving a Postal Service work truck. Once, a rampant mail-seeker banged their car into the boxes, knocking several loose. The guy was busily drilling new anchor bolt holes in the concrete. There is no barricade of any kind. This is the first place we've ever seen with such a set-up. These boxes serve only a rural area all spread out, lots are all 1-2 acres in size.

A housing development north of us a mile uses the same system, but the boxes are located adjacent to a large, grassy park, and are surrounded by a wrought-iron grill-work with a big gate which was accessible by key only to residents, when we first reached this area. Today the gate is gone, and access is unlimited. Serves perhaps 100+ homes, so driving there is still necessary.

As a kid in Berwyn, Illinois, we had a kindly mail carrier, a Mr. Pollock, who carried a huge leather bag, depositing mail at each house, just as Nancy described. Back then, we never, ever experienced even a single omsquig of trouble with the mail!

Why? Does it result in delay? It has worked well here, perhaps better than delivery of the package by UPS or Fed Ex, fast, and the delivery is locked in a box at our mailboxes, not left in front of the door at 115 degrees, and secure.
Frank

 

I love Amazon delivery. The bring it right to the door. Prime is worth every penny I pay for it. I know it's a big conglomerate putting many retailers out of business, but it's just so relaxing and convenient to shop at home. You also have tons of selections.

 

Yes; it delays the delivery for at least a day and sometimes several days.