Not a package, but my mother mailed our Christmas card on Tues, December 8, from the post office. She loves 13 miles away - we are both in suburban Wash DC/Balt area. Normally would get it in 1-2 days. On Sat, we were talking on the phone and she mentioned the card. I still hadn’t gotten it. On Fri, Dec 11, she sent another card, with a check for my kids’ Christmas gifts. The card with check came yesterday. Still no Christmas card. This morning, my daily USPS Informed Delivery says it’s coming today, a full week later. Crazy that the other card, mailed three days later, came first.
MIL mailed a check from CA two weeks ago. We still haven’t gotten it.
I’m another who really likes USPS. I frequently mail (media-mail) out-of-state. I’m given a tracking number with expected date of delivery. Items arrive on time or a day or two EARLY. Cost - $3.33. UPS can’t touch that.
The issues for me with USPS, in terms of receiving mail, have been ongoing for at least 10 years. My local post office is awful, to the point where there are constantly complaints on the town FB page (people have complained thru official USPS channels to no avail).
I just talked to my mother this morning. The same day she mailed my card, she mailed one to my aunt in Missouri. My aunt’s card already arrived. My mother could have walked her card to my house faster. 13 miles between us and it took a week.
The UPS SurePost can definitely create delays in getting mail for some people. I live in an area where there isn’t home delivery–you have to get a post office box at the local post office. If I get something delivered by UPS Sure Post–it will often sit in the post office for an extra day because the closest post office has limited hours from 9-2 pm (with a half hour lunch break).
We had always had the sort of mail carriers who could stop to chat- a minute, but that contact. It changed maybe 5 years years ago, when individuals were tracked for how fast they completed their routes, then those routes were expanded. Now, mail to my house is often delivered after 5pm.
So be it. But there is a $$ crunch. I haven’t dug into it. Overall, I think they do us a great service, bringing communications to our doorsteps. But there always have been- and will be- slips.
We just put out a basket of snack packages (granola bars, dried fruit and nuts) and bottled waters with a sign for delivery people/mail carriers to take some.
Side question: Can delivery people accept tips? We have an incredible mail carrier. Always goes the extra mile. He’s been our carrier for years, but I’ve never left anything because I read somewhere that postal workers cannot accept tips. If that’s true, I like your idea @toledo.
Problems typically occur when there is a substitute, which is often now, probably due to the time off our typical carrier has accrued. If I see our regular carrier, I’d really like to leave something extra.
We used to get our mail early afternoon. Occasionally late as 5 pm. Now it NEVER gets here before 5, which means it’s dark out. Sometimes it’s as late as 7:30. I really hate walking out our icy driveway in the dark to get the mail.
Woohoo. USPS box arrived with no damage at all today. DS was very happy and appreciative to get it. Not as much fun as a visit, but better than nothing.
I ordered 2 gifts back in November which haven’t come yet. I’ve ordered plenty of other that are fine, but I’m guessing these 2 are NOT going to make it before Christmas. One is for my husband, so no big deal, but the other is the main gift for my step-daughter’s SO. I’ve tried contacting the company of that one twice, but I just get form letter responses. I sent my gift cards via e-mail this year, to avoid some of the hassle. I sent more cards than normal bc of COVID, but I should have sent fewer -the system is so overwhelmed right now.
I ordered something from Amazon and it shipped UPS. That package got very close to my house and then it was sent across the country. That package traveled more than me in the last few months.
My lone message in Informed Delivery this morning is that USPS is overloaded due to volume and COVID and can’t deliver mail. Amazon and Fed Ex are swamped this time of year also and things are coming as promised, some even earlier.
I particularly feel for those USPS employees right now. I stopped by a local USPS the other day to drop off a package and when I saw, for the first time ever, a line all the way out to the parking lot, I turned around and headed back home. Next day, the same.
I’m still waiting to receive a package that I had ordered two weeks ago. It was trackable initially, then even the tracking stopped suddenly after a week. I have no idea where the package is, but as long as it’s not lost, I can wait.
All the packages to my home got delivered on time, even one originating in England. Just waiting on one last gift. But that one was clear the window would be next week.
Bigger problem is I still need to order one gift for D1. I’m not even set on what. But sure looks like it’ll need to be via Prime.
