I don't completely understand the way the United States Postal Service (USPS) does business. For one thing, I don't understand why magazines show up about twice a week at the BToS Post Office. I know they're likely mailed every day from publishing houses. But they're not a daily item for my mail.
My observation is that the USPS probably 'batch processes' these items and irregularly handles/delivers them on a time available basis. If you are served by a slack regional distribution center like the BToS Post Office is served by, then you may never see your magazines. This also explains why my weekly magazine (Aviation Week & Space Technology) that is to be delivered by the date on the cover (Mondays) doesn't show up until the second magazine delivery of the week, or the next week.
Delivery times are just an irritation to me. The main thing I don't understand is why home mail delivery is free! The USPS pays employees and provides them with the necessary transportation to deliver mail to homes. Folks just walk out to the roadside box or the mail box outside their front door and pick up their mail. Talk about service, and it's completely FREE!!!
Conversely, folks who have no home delivery and have a Post Office Box (a locked container within the BToS Post Office) for mail delivery are required to pay a yearly rental fee. The fee can be fairly expensive (at least as much as taking your family out for dinner) depending on the size of the box you rent. The only real advantage of a Post Office Box is the security of your mail being in a locked container until you pick it up.
As I understand the inner workings of the local BToS Post Office, the home delivered mail is sorted, placed on a delivery vehicle, driven around town and deposited in home mail boxes at no added cost to the customer. Post Office Box delivered mail never leaves the Post Office building and is slipped into the Post Office Box by the mail sorting person, costing the customer a substantial yearly fee and requiring them to visit the BToS Post Office each day to pick up their mail.
I'm sure I'm missing some USPS cost rationale somewhere along the way. Possibly someone could explain it to me. The obvious question is: "Why no added charge to customers for home delivery of mail, which is considerably more expensive than Post Office Box delivery?"
JD
3 comments:
Dang, MEPP. I never thought of that. It makes no sense!
That's why there are 'old farts' like myself around; to raise these points that are ingrained in society with no rationale to support them.
I'll tellya Soopie, your response is the type comment I was looking to draw out of folks that stumble on to this posting.
Try to get an answer at
http://www.usps.com/. When you get bored searching through all the various pages call 1-800-ASK-USPS
(1-800-275-8777) and by the time you go through the extensive menue to get to a live person, you'll forget your question and hang up....Comprendo!
Why don't they just raise the price for them political donating companies to send their junk mail and give the rest of us a break?
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