# USPS lost or stole some Christmas cards **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 2, 2020, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767 "2020-01-02T03:54:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767/21 "2020-01-08T22:17:56Z")
About a week ago, I ordered some incense sticks from a company in Ohio via Amazon. Somehow, USPS associated my tracking number with a package from NYC to Iowa. Seller has already volunteered to send me a duplicate order but I suggested giving USPS until Monday evening before sending more. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767/22 "2020-01-09T20:12:19Z")
AAAAAAND the second card was returned to me last night as unable to be delivered. So both cards were found and handled in completely different ways … of course. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767/23 "2020-01-10T00:53:18Z")
> [@Isosleepy](#): > > I’ve had it where I was expecting an expensive package, from a jewelry store. I was tracking its progress. All of a sudden, it showed delivered _and signed for_. I was home the whole time. I called the postmaster. The package was found on the mail truck. It was a “mistake”. Sure it was. This was the same mail carrier who got us into the habit of having a weekly mail exchange on our block, because he couldn’t be bothered to get it closer than about within two houses or so. I think your mail carrier now works in North Carolina! I had a small jewelry package that showed as delivered, but wasn’t actually delivered to my house. Couldn’t get anything out of the local post office, so I ended up contacting the jewelry store out of desperation. They contacted the post office, and lo and behold the package was ‘located’ on one of the trucks, and showed up at my house the next day. :dubious: I frequently receive mail for other addresses, some of which have the same number as me, and some of which are completely unrelated. If it looks important, I’ll make an effort to deliver it myself; otherwise, it goes back in the box with a “wrong address” sticky note. I’ve had bills, invitations, magazines, and a comic book fail to show up at my house. After a financial statement failed to arrive a couple of years ago, I switched everything over to paperless billing and statements. I still receive dead tree magazines; sometimes they arrive mangled, and sometimes they don’t show up at all (this month, it’s _National Geographic_). Oh, and I have to hire a neighbor to collect my mail when I’m on vacation, because the local post office has no idea how to handle a request to temporarily halt mail delivery. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767/24 "2020-01-10T01:36:08Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > I am on pain management. The pharmacy benefits for our insurance is Express Scripts. If I don’t need my pain pills right this second, I mail my prescription to Express Scripts. I’ve been doing this for years with no problem. > > \ > ~VOW Express Scripts. They’re worth a thread in their own right. ---
**Author:** ![fedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@fedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767/25 "2020-01-10T03:16:05Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Yes, but I don’t believe we should pay extra to have insurance. > > If things go missing, report it on the USPS whistle-blower line. why do any of us get insurance? Because things happen!! If USPS didn’t steal it/them, then at least you get reimbursement ---
**Author:** ![fedman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@fedman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767/26 "2020-01-10T03:20:41Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > AAAAAAND the second card was returned to me last night as unable to be delivered. So both cards were found and handled in completely different ways … of course. so your false implication that ALL usps employees are thieves (rather than small minority) doesn’t deserve apology? I’m sure that Fedex/UPS has same problem. Do you get insurance with them? ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767/27 "2020-01-10T04:38:00Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > One of the cards showed up Tuesday at my mom’s with no postmark - just a blue inkmark through the stamps. That most commonly happens when the mailpiece can’t (or at least doesn’t) go through the automated machinery so somebody applies a “pen cancel.” Were the envelopes too thick, lumpy, square, taller than wide, very stiff, or otherwise problematic for a machine? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767/28 "2020-01-14T18:55:31Z")
> [@fedman](#): > > so your false implication that ALL usps employees are thieves (rather than small minority) doesn’t deserve apology? I’m sure that Fedex/UPS has same problem. Do you get insurance with them? A: Didn’t say all B: Did you notice that it took over 3 weeks for them to do anything and then suspiciously only after I filled out a complaint then dealt with both identical pieces. If they’re not thieves then they are hopelessly fucking incompetent ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767/29 "2020-01-14T20:10:50Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > Express Scripts. They’re worth a thread in their own right. Oh yeah. Especially the branch that handles TriCare. My dad was retired Air Force, and my mother used to say, from the way the retirees and the dependents were treated, the military simply wanted all of them to die. My generation will be killed off by TriCare and Express Scripts. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2020, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767/30 "2020-01-14T21:11:44Z")
Last year, I had mailed my kids gift cards from the Detroit area to the Memphis area around Christmas time. After a while, I figured someone at the USPS had swiped them So I was reluctantly planning on re-buying some cards and sending them FedEx, but they did eventually show up… _5 weeks later._ ---
**Author:** ![SGNY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@SGNY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SGNY)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2020, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767/31 "2020-01-15T01:48:55Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > B: Did you notice that it took over 3 weeks for them to do anything and then suspiciously only after I filled out a complaint then dealt with both identical pieces. If they’re not thieves then they are hopelessly fucking incompetent Not necessarily . I have worked in the Irish postal service and quite simply the volume of undeliverable/difficult to deliver mail (because incomplete address , non existent address , incomprehensible writing etc ) goes sharply up at this time of year . There is also sorting mistakes from temporary staff so items initially get sent to wrong places Even if they have extra staff in the “return to sender” office it takes time to work through those items . I assume the USPS has similar issues at this time of year. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-lost-or-stole-some-christmas-cards/845767.md?page=1)