# In Praise of the US Postal System **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 9, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557 "2010-12-09T18:35:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/21 "2010-12-10T05:42:30Z")
I had someone mail a first class package to me last week. It left Alaska on Saturday morning and was in my mailbox by noon on Monday. I’m pretty happy with the USPS right now. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/22 "2010-12-10T07:26:17Z")
Never ONCE in my entire lifetime had anything sent USPS not arrived as scheduled. Maybe once a year I’ll have one letter roughed up. I usually just use whichever is more convenient, which is usually UPS considering there’s 3 UPS and 1 FedEx place all closer than the Post Office. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/23 "2010-12-10T08:23:21Z")
Count me with those who think the USPS is a fine institution. Polls of weak “consumer satisfaction” with American mail service do not impress me. For example, people seem to gripe about every two or three cent bump in first-class postage. Yet the next proposed bump to 46¢ is _very_ closely comparable, in real dollars, to the price of stamps pretty much throughout my lifetime. Gnash and moan about inflation if you like, but letter postage has _not_ been getting more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/24 "2010-12-10T11:43:30Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > **Ferret Herder** , that’s quite interesting. I’ve never heard the argument before. Do you have a cite? I had a coworker over the summer (he was a temp) looking to get out of the house from his wife, retired from the Post Office. Something like the #3 guy in the region, said things were awful and liable to get worse because of pension problems. I’m surprised he didn’t speak of what you are. [Formula required high overpayment](http://www.postalnewsblog.com/2010/12/02/napus-president-urges-congress-to-fix-pension-overpayment-and-preserve-universal-service/) of at least $50 billion surplus, which they are asking the relevant Congressional subcommittee to correct. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/25 "2010-12-10T13:22:46Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Count me with those who think the USPS is a fine institution. Polls of weak “consumer satisfaction” with American mail service do not impress me. For example, people seem to gripe about every two or three cent bump in first-class postage. Yet the next proposed bump to 46¢ is _very_ closely comparable, in real dollars, to the price of stamps pretty much throughout my lifetime. Gnash and moan about inflation if you like, but letter postage has _not_ been getting more expensive. And how many people are aware that UPS and Fedex are planning on bumping up their rates by 4-5% next year? I would guess very few. I guess it helps that they don’t have to justify to and get permission from Congress to do change their rates. ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/26 "2010-12-10T14:16:32Z")
Last year I pre-purchased Win7 which was picked up by Fedex three days after the release date. Watching the tracking service, it took **THREE** round trips! before they finally dropped it off at the USPS center. Three days later, even with the snowstorms, I finally got my package. I would have had it weeks earlier if they had just dropped it off with the USPS in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/27 "2010-12-10T14:19:21Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > AFAIK, none of the private carriers will let you “mail” a letter for less than the smallest package rate, which is far more than the first class letter rate. Uh, ever heard of the monopoly on letter delivery that the USPS enjoys? The US government is the entity that won’t “let” you mail anything other than an express letter (at express rates) with FedEx or UPS. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/28 "2010-12-10T14:33:08Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Uh, ever heard of the monopoly on letter delivery that the USPS enjoys? The US government is the entity that won’t “let” you mail anything other than an express letter (at express rates) with FedEx or UPS. I really doubt that UPS/FedEx would send a letter from Miami to the wilds of Alaska for 46 cents or anything close to it. Furthermore, I doubt those companies would like to handle that kind of service. As part of a concession on their monopoly on letter-class mail, the USPS hosts FedEx dropoff bins outside their post offices. Meanwhile, FedEx planes move some USPS mail (including letters) around the country between distribution centers. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/29 "2010-12-10T14:34:26Z")
I love USPS, too. I still send letters overseas and there really isn’t any cheaper way, and they always get there. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/30 "2010-12-10T14:48:24Z")
> [@Qwakkeddup](#): > > Last year I pre-purchased Win7 which was picked up by Fedex three days after the release date. Watching the tracking service, it took **THREE** round trips! before they finally dropped it off at the USPS center. Three days later, even with the snowstorms, I finally got my package. I would have had it weeks earlier if they had just dropped it off with the USPS in the first place. That sounds like “[Smartpost](http://fedex.com/us/smartpost/outbound/index.html)” - a completely worthless product. I order frequently from a company that uses this method of shipment and when my packages don’t get lost, they take forever to get here. FedEx and the USPS do not work well together. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/31 "2010-12-10T15:06:35Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > The US government is the entity that won’t “let” you mail anything other than an express letter (at express rates) with FedEx or UPS. Most folks would say that it is the Constitution that prohibits competition, not a government policy (as some might read into your comments). I had to mail a box to Germany this week. I went to a UPS Store and got immediate assistance: to send the 10 pound box, it would cost $254 by UPS and it will be there this week. No, I said, too much. Okay, they said, you can pay $125 for regular mail, and it will be there in 10 days. Nay nay, I said. I shall take my custom elsewhere. I walked across the street to the USPS. Although I had to wait in line for 20 minutes, it cost $66 to send the package. It arrives there in 10 days. Although my time is extremely valuable, I find 20 minutes of line-waiting to be worth $60 in savings. The UPS Store can kiss my ass. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/32 "2010-12-10T15:21:43Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I really doubt that UPS/FedEx would send a letter from Miami to the wilds of Alaska for 46 cents or anything close to it. Furthermore, I doubt those companies would like to handle that kind of service. > > As part of a concession on their monopoly on letter-class mail, the USPS hosts FedEx dropoff bins outside their post offices. Meanwhile, FedEx planes move some USPS mail (including letters) around the country between distribution centers. Your doubts really have nothing to do with the discussion at hand. The post I responded to asserted that private carriers don’t “let” their customers mail letters for a reasonable rate, which is completely wrong. You and I could go back and forth about what they would or wouldn’t do, but it would be a stupid argument. We have no way of knowing. > [@Ravenman](#): > > Most folks would say that it is the Constitution that prohibits competition, not a government policy (as some might read into your comments). Well, then most people would be wrong. The Private Express Statutes are not part of the US Constitution. They are contained within Title 18 of the United States Code. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/33 "2010-12-10T15:36:35Z")
I generally like the US Postal Service. Sure, I’ve read of all the problems and even Charles Bukowski’s soul-crushing experiences working for them before he managed to make it as a writer. But they’ve usually done me okay. Except for one amusing time. There used to be a bar here in Bangkok called Shadow Bar, owned by an old Vietnam War vet called Shadow Jack. He later sold the bar, moved upcountry and died in controversial circumstances. But that’s another story. While he still owned Shadow Bar, he came up with the idea of having all his bargirls shave off their pubic hair and hand it in to him. When he had enough, he’d have it encased in Plexiglass for bar keychains. I still have one or two squirreled away somewhere myself. And I bought several and mailed them to friends in the US. But one friend told me he received an envelope with a large hole in it (I’d used padded envelopes) and nothing inside but a note from the Postal Service apologizing for the mishap. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/34 "2010-12-10T15:43:25Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Ms. **lindsaybluth** , that’s an awful nice as you’ve been grinding, though. I have an awfully nice ass, eh? ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/35 "2010-12-10T15:56:52Z")
I do like the USPS, and I’ve personally never had a package go astray, but when they go bad, apparently, they go Dark Sith Lord bad. A friend who worked as a company bookkeeper started taking all their bill payments to a further post office because the nearer one lost two of three letters. I suspect it was one of those instances where postal workers were using mail as insulation because the building was cold. Another friend ordered some really cute t-shirts from a popular company. Too popular and too cute, apparently. The order tracking showed the package arriving at her local post office, but the package never made it to her. Apparently, someone there decided the shirts were just to her taste as well. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/36 "2010-12-10T16:08:07Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > I have an awfully nice ass, eh? Oh my god, I never made the connection between your username and Arrested Development until I read this particular post. :smack: Funny how the mind works. Anyway, every major carrier has lost exactly one of my packages, so I hate them more or less equally from a reliability standpoint - but I prefer being shipped packages via USPS for the sole reason that they deliver on Saturdays. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/37 "2010-12-10T16:23:40Z")
How could you miss me? I’ve been parading around this prison in sheer clothes for years! ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557/38 "2010-12-10T16:54:10Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > How could you miss me? I’ve been parading around this prison in sheer clothes for years! And wasting the money I need to pay off the stabbers and rapists. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-the-us-postal-system/563557.md?page=1)