USPS inefficiency with a simple shipment

Mike Cline

Mike Cline

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The USPS, most likely unintentionally, is delivering a fly line in a “tight loop”. I acquire a big portion of fly fishing and fly tying stuff from Ebay. It’s almost always shipped with USPS and usually without issue. But a recent purchase is indicative of part of the reason the USPS is going bankrupt.

https://postaltimes.com/amid-loomin...s-to-include-reforms-in-any-financial-relief/

I acquired a New Old Stock (NOS) SA Sonar Fly Line from a seller in Maine at a really decent price back on May 2nd. It was promptly shipped. It should arrive in Bozeman tomorrow-13 days after being posted. Why, because the USPS in their attempt at efficiency routed it a tad bit out of the way—roughly 5000 miles instead of the more direct 2500 miles which means the per/parcel $$ to deliver my fly line doubled.
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I do realize that it probably wasn’t intentional but the USPS delivers ~22 million parcels every day. If only a small percentage of those received the treatment mind did, its no wonder they are losing $$.
 
USPS is a service, not a business. But... The main reason for its financial issues have nothing to do with package routing and everything to do with how their pension program was sabotaged to essentially make it so financially inefficient as to create the rhetoric we hear now about it.
 
It takes 7 days for a letter to go across town from my house.
 
Almost every package I’m being sent usps spends days on detours. I’ve watched packages arrive in Sacramento, ~30mi from me, then head south 100 mi. Then back to Sacramento and then north 100 mi sped a couple days before returning to Sacramento and nd finally making it up the hill to me 10 days late. They have to be losing money with that many hands touching it.
Have a rod coming from mt right now that left butte and headed east. Two days later it’s back in butte and finally moving west.
 
I bought a rod from a guy in Georgia. It went to NJ first rather than heading directly west.
I just figured it was some type of postal hub logistics but it took a damn long time to finally get to my place.
As @Evan B said though, their pension situation is their biggest financial problem.
SF
 
USPS isn’t alone.
FedEx has bypassed my house after traveling the hi-line, stopping outside Tacoma before heading back east to me. Has happened several times.
 
I have mailed things items at the Ennis Post Office, going to an Ennis address, only to find out the item must go to Billings and then back to Ennis. Makes absolutely no sense to me at all. :unsure:
 
Evan B said:
USPS is a service, not a business. But... The main reason for its financial issues have nothing to do with package routing and everything to do with how their pension program was sabotaged to essentially make it so financially inefficient as to create the rhetoric we hear now about it.
Click to expand...
Sounds like Oregon PERS… 😏
 
These days there just isn't a high volume of junk mail to keep the USPS in the black. I only need to check my mail box a few times per month.
 
Purging yourself from the data broker's files helps immensely.
 
A certain president appointed the Postmaster General specifically to fvck up the postal system with one objective being that mailed in ballots wouldn't arrive in time to be counted. Maybe other delays are just unintended consequences of the intention to fvck things up.
 
It is expensive to do 'the final mile'. It is affecting the delivery of many sellers/carriers.

Increased internet sales has only exacerbated that. I often look for free shipping. When not available, I look at costs of fuel versus shipping. Shipping is often cheaper now...
 
I ship daily packages ups to jobsite, every now and then i get those ones that go rougue and you often wonder how they make money on these types of senarios. Yakima to San Diego I selected 2 day for delivery, Its turned into 4 here is the stops
Yakima-Spokane-Ontario, Ca-San Diego-San Francisco-Redding-Tacoma-Spokane-Louisville, KY-Ontario CA-San Diego.
 
Salmo_g said:
A certain president appointed the Postmaster General specifically to fvck up the postal system with one objective being that mailed in ballots wouldn't arrive in time to be counted. Maybe other delays are just unintended consequences of the intention to fvck things up.
Click to expand...

It's not just about ballots. It's being driven into the ground with "Delivering for America" and the pre-funding of retirement so it can be split up to contractors or just allowed to fail so private carriers can pick up the pieces.
 
I really don't understand some of the routing of parcels, since I assume at this point the entire system is pretty much automated. If parcels are rerouted at the expense of time that quickly shows up as a loss of profit.

This happens with all shipping companies including the USPS. I had one UPS parcel that wandered around Wisconsin for four days. I was shipped by truck so maybe the parcel was looking for a truck with room?? It showed up on time, but the time frame I was given was over seven days. Like they knew it was going to round and round and round in Wisconsin??

When I lived in Idaho during the 1970's LOTS of my incoming mail went to Iowa first. I actually talked to a postal employee and they were aware of the problem. The issue was that postal employees on the east coast had never heard of Idaho, and just assumed it was a mis-spelling of Iowa. Lots of that mail went to Iowa where it was stamped and then forwarded to Idaho.

At least the folks in Iowa knew that Idaho existed.
 
509 said:
I really don't understand some of the routing of parcels, since I assume at this point the entire system is pretty much automated. If parcels are rerouted at the expense of time that quickly shows up as a loss of profit.

This happens with all shipping companies including the USPS. I had one UPS parcel that wandered around Wisconsin for four days. I was shipped by truck so maybe the parcel was looking for a truck with room?? It showed up on time, but the time frame I was given was over seven days. Like they knew it was going to round and round and round in Wisconsin??

When I lived in Idaho during the 1970's LOTS of my incoming mail went to Iowa first. I actually talked to a postal employee and they were aware of the problem. The issue was that postal employees on the east coast had never heard of Idaho, and just assumed it was a mis-spelling of Iowa. Lots of that mail went to Iowa where it was stamped and then forwarded to Idaho.

At least the folks in Iowa knew that Idaho existed.
Click to expand...
You honestly believed that it was due to East Coast employees not knowing where Idaho was?
 
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