That nice feeling you get when a card you mailed your friend arrives the very next day? It’s going to be a thing of the past, as huge cuts by the U.S. Postal Service will ensure that no stamped letters will arrive so fast, as well as a general slowdown in first-class mail delivery. [More]
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It's About To Become 5% More Expensive To Ship With UPS
By 11.18.11
In news that must surely have folks at the Postal Service cackling with delight — or at least it would if it weren’t after 4 p.m. and they hadn’t all gone home for the day already — UPS announced that it will soon be raising its published rates almost 5% on all domestic ground, air and international shipments that originate in the good ol’ U.S.A. [More]
Postal Service Offers Amnesty For Return Of That Mail Bin You're Using For Anything But Mail
By 11.16.11
You know those hard, white plastic bins that the mail carrier occasionally leaves at your office (and which people then take to use for their own purposes)? You’re supposed to be giving those back to your carrier the next day. So after decades of hemorrhaging money over un-returned bins, the USPS is offering amnesty through Nov. 26. [More]
You'll Soon Have To Pay More For Those Stamps You Don't Use
By 10.18.11
Because none of you are using the U.S. Postal Service — unless you are deliberately mailing a check you hope gets lost or delayed — that means it’s time for the struggling USPS to raise rates on first-class stamps… by one penny. [More]
The Styrofoam Cube In This Letter Serves A Bureaucratic Purpose
By 10.18.11
When Chris opened a letter from the Indiana Election Division, he was curious why in the world there would be a small Styrofoam cube inside the envelope. Luckily for everyone involved, there was an explanation. [More]
US Postal Service Adds To Your Mom's College Care Package
By 10.13.11
Robert received a Priority Mail package at college from his mother. The box contained a variety of canned foods: Vienna sausages, sardines, beans, liverwurst, spam, and corn. Which is awfully nice of Robert’s mother, except that the box she sent him only contained fifteen cans of Goya brand beans. Where did all of this other stuff come from? [More]
Family Sticks Block Party Invites In Neighbors' Mailboxes, USPS Charges Them Postage
By 10.12.11
A Connecticut family that put invites for an upcoming Halloween block party in their neighbor’s mailboxes got spooked when the USPS figuratively rang their doorbell holding a big open bag. It was a bill from the USPS charging them 44 cents for postage for all the invites they had put in the mailboxes. [More]
The USPS Is Fine With Being Over A Week Late Delivering Package
By 10.10.11
It is one thing to have a delayed package, but it’s an entirely new level of aggravation when customer service basically shrugs and is like, “It’ll get there when it gets there!” Such is the case for reader Brian. [More]
Another Postal Worker Caught Stealing Netflix DVDs
By 10.7.11
It’s been over five years since we first wrote about postal workers being busted for detouring Netflix DVDs into their own private stashes, and yet there are apparently still some USPS staffers out there who think they can steal more than 100 DVDs and not have it set off alarm bells. [More]
USPS Stops Delivering To Building Because Of Leaky Pipe
By 10.6.11
The famous oath inscribed above the entrance to the James A. Farley Post Office Building in Manhattan reads, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” But it appears as if that unofficial postal creed doesn’t extend to leaky pipes. [More]
USPS Holds Our Mail During Vacation, Keeps Holding It
By 10.5.11
While less and less of our crucial information comes by post now, that doesn’t mean that it’s okay if a few weeks’ worth of it just disappears into nowhere. Especially when you’re expecting presents in the mail. That’s what happened to Dave’s mail after he and his wife left town for their honeymoon. Expecting cards and gifts after the wedding, they requested a two-week hold on their mail. Evidently, the postal service held their mail, all right, but isn’t too keen to give it back. [More]
My USPS Package Took A California Vacation, Didn't Invite Me Along
By 9.22.11
Using the U.S. Postal Service’s Priority Mail, Justin mailed a gift from his home in New York City to a friend in Georgia. Package tracking meant that he was able to follow the gift’s journey and make sure it arrived safely. He was baffled, though, when the tracking information stated that it first traveled out to California for no reason, then made its way back to Georgia, eleven days later than anticipated. Where it was then delivered to the wrong person. In a different town. No one knows where the package actually ended up. [More]
US Postal Service Swaps Box Of Love Letters For Strangers' Mail
By 9.15.11
David has saved every piece of paper correspondence that he’s received from his wife during their entire life together. When shipping most of their possessions during a cross-country move, the box containing all of these cards and letters was damaged, and the contents lost. They were replaced with an awful lot of random items that don’t belong to David at all. So where are David’s letters? And who are the random people whose mail was stuffed in the box? [More]
USPS Looking To Close Half Its Processing Centers, Cut 35,000 Jobs
By 9.15.11
With dark financial skies looming on its horizon, the U.S. Postal Service has already talked about closing thousands of post offices. But that’s apparently not going to be enough to salvage the sinking ship, as USPS announced today it may close or combine 252 of its existing 487 mail processing centers. [More]
White House Developing Plan To Save USPS
By 9.7.11
“I’m operating right now with a week’s worth of cash,” Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe told Senators on Tuesday. After the Postmaster General went to Capitol Hill to pass the hat around, the White House announced it’s a few weeks away from developing a plan to save the USPS from bankruptcy. [More]
Ideas For Saving USPS From Bankruptcy
By 9.6.11
Before it even has a chance to deliver the next letter to Santa, the US Postal Service could be bankrupt. The USPS might not be able to make a $5.5 billion payment it owes this month. Lawmakers will hear all about it and ideas for staving off default in a Senate committee hearing today called “U.S. Postal Service In Crisis: Proposals To Prevent A Postal Shutdown.” [More]
For USPS, 'Do Not Bend' Means 'Fold Law School Diploma In Half'
By 8.24.11
Even on days when the only thing in my mailbox is a renewal notice for a magazine I never subscribed to in the first place, the United States Postal service is a fantastic value for the money. But then, I didn’t have the same experience as Tony, where his forwarding order was ignored, and a very, very expensive piece of paper smushed into a small mailbox. [More]
USPS Could Close Nearly 3,700 Post Offices You Never Use Anyway
By 7.26.11
Someday soon, you may no longer be able to drive by your local post office and show your children where all those credit card offers and unread political mailings come from, as the U.S. Postal Service looks into the viability of nearly 3,700 of its 32,000 locations around the country. [More]
