US Postal Union Peeved at Staples for Threatening Jobs


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 Would you rather do your mailing at:

A.) The Post Office

B.) Staples

C.) What's mail?

If you answered B, you're in luck, because the Post Office has plans to cut lines and add more hours by offering mailing services at Staples stores. If you answered C, you are one reason why the Postal Service is losing billions of dollars every year.

The embattled U.S. Postal Service, which has been mostly unable to convince Congress to make changes to put it on a firm financial footing by offering extra services and cutting underused local offices, says the Staples deal would be a win-win for customers and employees.

While Staples stores might not be the happiest places on earth, at least they're open at time when local post offices aren't, says Dave Partenheimer, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service. The Postal Service is betting that customers will appreciate the convenience of going to their local Staples store for products and service offered at the same prices as their local postal office.

"Today is a perfect example. It's a federal holiday so our Post Offices are closed," Partenheimer said. "But in those alternative access places customers can still buy stamps, mail packages, and take care of other postal business today. The same is true for Sundays at many of those locations."

As nice as all this might sound for customers, the postal union says this idea should be returned to sender.

On Friday, postal service union leaders delivered angry letters to Staples stores in California that are participating in a pilot program that provides mailing services in more locations for customers.

"Only U.S. Postal Service postal employees are fully accountable to the public, and sworn to uphold the sanctity of the mail," the letter said.

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"Sanctity of the mail"? :rofl:

Is that what they call it when my "mail" is 90% spam, destined for a landfill or fireplace, with the rest slow & looking like it's been stomped underfoot?

Gimme a break. If companies can deliver better service, without the lines & 'I don't care' attitide you get at a post office, have at it.

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Can't be bothered to go read the full source article -- but...  At my local post office, I can "buy stamps" and "mail packages" regardless of whether the 'post office' is open, whether or not it is a holiday etc.  There are machines that provide the ability to weigh a package and purchase the correct postage.  How is this different than what will be offered at Staples.  How is the postal workers union impacted by putting machines at Staples and not by the machines in their own facility?  The "service" the postal service provides me locally is home delivery of mail and "registered mail" handling etc.  These things - I have to do when POSTAL EMPLOYEES are at work - won't be able to do those things at Staples.

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What really annoys me is buying stamps. The post office use to have stamp machines that I would use at 2am in the morning to buy stamps when ever I needed them. Sure they were annoying, where one time I got there and I was short 10 cents and I had to run home and get more. They have taken those out.

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What really annoys me is buying stamps. The post office use to have stamp machines that I would use at 2am in the morning to buy stamps when ever I needed them. Sure they were annoying, where one time I got there and I was short 10 cents and I had to run home and get more. They have taken those out.

 

Yeah I miss the stamp machines, too.

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Can't be bothered to go read the full source article -- but...  At my local post office, I can "buy stamps" and "mail packages" regardless of whether the 'post office' is open, whether or not it is a holiday etc.  There are machines that provide the ability to weigh a package and purchase the correct postage.  How is this different than what will be offered at Staples.  How is the postal workers union impacted by putting machines at Staples and not by the machines in their own facility?  The "service" the postal service provides me locally is home delivery of mail and "registered mail" handling etc.  These things - I have to do when POSTAL EMPLOYEES are at work - won't be able to do those things at Staples.

So, you're telling me you can mail a priority package, international package, etc that weighs 20 lbs without the post office being 'open'?

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For the last few years I no longer send out paper invoices via The postal service, now it's done all via Email with a PDF invoice. Sure if I get some people who are outstanding i'll send a letter. A few weeks ago I sent 20 out of them out.

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http://www.cnbc.com/id/45018432

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/five-things/the-u-s-postal-service/11433/

http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-02/understanding-the-post-office-s-benefits-mess.html

This is why it's broke. Congress mandating prefunding pensions 75 years in advance for people who don't work for them yet in an effort to rob them of usable cash flow and squeeze cheap options from the public to use private pricy options that charge based on the destination.

Private companies want more customers so they bribe politicians to fix the rules and make the USPS artificially broke. Pay attention to your government and get money out of politics

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Oh cry me a river, compete or die.

 

If the USPS dies, I'm sure I'll shed a tear.  A fake one.

USPS is very much unable to actually compete in the area of real growth (package delivery) for a number of reasons. Such as:

 

1. Their prices have to be public. UPS and FedEx negotiate secret contracts between large shippers keeping actual prices a mystery.

 

2. USPS doesn't offer service outside of the US. A major area of vendor lockin by UPS and FedEx is so called "Supply Chain Solutions" where they will pick the package up in China by the pallet and break them down, repackage them, and deliver the individual product to the end user.

 

3. USPS isn't allowed to severely reduce service in rural areas where they realistically should reduce service to a couple days a week and keep service at the 7 days a week (for packages) in urban areas.

 

That isn't an exhaustive list, but it isn't very easy for USPS to compete in the new landscape. That being said, we really need them to stay around. There are a lot of people who aren't served by UPS or FedEx due to the lack of profitability so they dump to USPS. Without USPS many rural persons would end up in a very dark place. But I get that it is fun to jump on the anti-USPS bandwagon.

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That isn't an exhaustive list, but it isn't very easy for USPS to compete in the new landscape. That being said, we really need them to stay around. There are a lot of people who aren't served by UPS or FedEx due to the lack of profitability so they dump to USPS. Without USPS many rural persons would end up in a very dark place. But I get that it is fun to jump on the anti-USPS bandwagon.

I could care less about this bandwagon of which you speak.  I am not anti USPS.  But I definitely don't need them to stay around.

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USPS delivers to locations that FedEx and UPS don't.

Parts of the post office, or any official government postal entity is set by the US Constitution controlled by congress.

It's a *service* not a business. 

 

(Edit) and see above about the mandatory funding of retirement for 75 years by Co_Co.

The postal service has also sent information to congress on changes they can do, that only congress could approve, to save money.

Until congress acts, they can't implement them. 

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I prefer UPS or even FedEx.  Using the USPS I've had broken packages, lost packages, letters that had been opened when they arrived at my mailbox, etc.  The one time I tried to collect the insurance for a broken package I'd shipped via the USPS, they handed me a packet about 20 pages thick front and back.

 

Relative to the article though, using a Staples would not be more convenient for me.  There's rarely any lines at our local post office, and the closest Staples for me is about an hour's drive away.

I use the USPS to send letters and other paper correspondence, and that's just because it's easier to carry a letter out to my mailbox than it is to call UPS for a pickup, but when it comes to packages, I don't trust them any more, they have more than demonstrated their incompetence and lack of professionalism with experiences I've personally had in the past, and with videos like this.

 

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FWIW, a small city near here has a hardware store that's also the post office for the South side of the township. Yeah, like Sam Drucker's genetal store in Petticoat Junction.

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I could care less about this bandwagon of which you speak.  I am not anti USPS.  But I definitely don't need them to stay around.

So you care a lot about it? I'm not sure what you're saying regarding the bandwagon...

 

Just because you don't actively use something doesn't mean it shouldn't stay around. I never venture to the city's recreation centers and I don't have kids. I wouldn't agree that we should get rid of them all simply because I don't use them.

 

As I mentioned previously, UPS and FedEx do not deliver to everyone in the US. Losing USPS would effectively wipe many people off the map. It would also dramatically increase the cost of sending hard copies of documents. Even if you need this rarely it is still required in many cases (like notifying you of a deed change if you own property). E-Mail is cool and hip, but people do change email addresses or let them expire (yes E-Mail addresses at GMail, Hotmail, etc. expire). There needs to be a stable and reliable way to reach everyone when it is important to do so.

 

But sure, we'll just get rid of anything that you don't personally actively use...

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I prefer UPS or even FedEx.  Using the USPS I've had broken packages, lost packages, letters that had been opened when they arrived at my mailbox, etc.  The one time I tried to collect the insurance for a broken package I'd shipped via the USPS, they handed me a packet about 20 pages thick front and back.

 

Relative to the article though, using a Staples would not be more convenient for me.  There's rarely any lines at our local post office, and the closest Staples for me is about an hour's drive away.

I use the USPS to send letters and other paper correspondence, and that's just because it's easier to carry a letter out to my mailbox than it is to call UPS for a pickup, but when it comes to packages, I don't trust them any more, they have more than demonstrated their incompetence and lack of professionalism with experiences I've personally had in the past, and with videos like this.

 

 

I can agree the performance of the USPS can be less than desired. I lived in Center City Philadelphia until recently and the difference between Center City and South Philadephia is like night and day. We have had mail delivered as late as 11PM and oddly, though not frequently, skipped. Occasionally we have had 2 or more mail deliveries in a single day. It seems this PO is very badly managed...

 

That being said, I have had mixed professionalism from all delivery companies. I have had UPS claim they have attempted to deliver packages to me and I wasn't home when I lived in a 24 hour doorman building where that is effectively impossible. I have had UPS mysteriously "lose" packages. The same is true for FedEx. Sadly, the organizations are made up of people and unlike computers we can't get the same level of performance out of each and every one of them.

 

Overall I prefer USPS. A lot easier to get to the PO if I need to pick up in person, they deliver packages on Sunday, deliver early in the day to residences, etc. If anything, I think we should have choice. Delivery companies are a lot like cell phone providers; varies by location.

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I'll care about the USPS when they can actually deliver a PRIORITY package in less than a week, 2-5 business days my ass, been 6 and I'm still waiting on my 2 pound package, and no it's not what you think it is, those should be shipped via FedEx I hear 

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But sure, we'll just get rid of anything that you don't personally actively use...

Sure, if you want to.  I still couldn't care less.

 

Not caring if they die does not mean I have any desire for them to.  You are perhaps reading things that are not there.

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Returned a bit of tech by USPS last week. Seller sent a prepaid return box with the replacement item. Detroit area to Louisville, ~315 mi/510 km. Could have drove it there in a few hours.

9 FRICKIN' DAYS!!

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Sure, if you want to.  I still couldn't care less.

 

Not caring if they die does not mean I have any desire for them to.  You are perhaps reading things that are not there.

 

Stop being selfish for a minute and realize that the US mail might actually be important to the country as a whole, even if you don't think it impacts you directly.

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"Sanctity of the mail"? :rofl:

Is that what they call it when my "mail" is 90% spam, destined for a landfill or fireplace, with the rest slow & looking like it's been stomped underfoot?

Gimme a break. If companies can deliver better service, without the lines & 'I don't care' attitide you get at a post office, have at it.

This.

 

I can't think of the last time I dealt with a Postal Worker (For work or personal) that actually cared...

 

And the things they think are acceptable are just appalling...

 

I'm glad they seemingly care about their jobs when someone else offers to do it cheaper and better, but they never cared about that when they had no fear for this job...

 

Oh, and for a little example.  (I actually got this call today).

 

On 10/24/13, I sent a collection letter to a company located approximately 15 minutes drive from our office.  Today they called me because it arrived...

 

I could have WALKED it there sooner...

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Stop being selfish for a minute and realize that the US mail might actually be important to the country as a whole, even if you don't think it impacts you directly.

I already realize that.  What exactly are you expecting here?  If you want to make me care, you're about twenty years too late.

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