Postal system enigma... WHINE ALERT

[Chainfire]

Or insanity as the case may be.

I live in a rural area. There is a Post Office three miles from me, one nine mile from me and one 16 miles from me, all in my county. Of course, my mail comes, rural delivery, from the Post Office that is 16 miles from me.

After a years long hiatus, I am beginning to sell stuff on eBay again. Yesterday, I take some packages to the PO that is 3 miles from me. Instead of forwarding the packages directly to the regional sorting PO 35 miles to my East, with the rest of their stuff that goes there every afternoon, they first sent the packages to "My" PO (the 16 mile one) in the opposite direction. "My" PO is a rinky-dink outfit, not a sorting center. That move added a day to the shipping. My wife looked the issue on the USPS website, and it seems to be policy, that regardless of where you post your packages, they go back to "your" PO before being sent to a sorting center (sometimes.) It is all about who gets the "credit" for the shipping...

I often receive packages that go Jacksonville to Tallahassee, (E to W) Tallahassee back to Jacksonville (W to E) , then Jacksonville directly to my local PO again (E to W) It is like they haul the packages an extra four hundred miles just to cool off and delay delivery by two days. If that route had not happened several times, I would not have mentioned it. I have also had packages go Jax to Tall, Tall to wrong city, Tall back to Jax, Jax back to Tall, then Tall to my local...It is enough to make a preacher cuss.

I hope that I have totally confused you with trivial bs. But now, I feel better.

[Conjuay]

1. I once watched a package

(not a trivial item - a cello) Start out from Cali, make it to Atlanta, and then start back across the country to Arizona. I called the carrier in a panic; one thing instruments don't need is extended periods of heat, and I know the back of a truck isn't 'climate controlled".
I managed to convince them that the cello needed to get to Flortida, not to California. The person I talked to took pity on me, and had the instrument flown to Orlando.

It really is amazing the way the P.O and shippers in general will spend so much fuel and time and act like it doesn't matter.

[debm55]

2. Last summer, I ordered polymer clay from Joanne Fabrics. Their delivery was coming from Ohio, I live

in Pittsburgh. As tracked the order USPS, it went to Buffalo, Rochester, Scranton, Wheeling and then to my local. It sat there for 3 days. was so mad.I called Joanne's and the USPS as it was hot. They very calmly told me that is the route they take.

[Conjuay]

3. And then they

jack up the price of items becauyse of the "cost of shipping".