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You get what you pay for... You can't air up your tires for $.45
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LOLWUT!?!???

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It's true, have you been to a gas station to air up your tires lately, you'll be hard pressed to find any of them for less than $.50. It's ridiculous

For those saying it's not a revenue problem, what would FedEx/UPS charge you to deliver that same letter, assuming they could just leave it in your mailbox and assuming 5 day delivery?

My mailman can't deliver mail to the correct person on my street. After talking to him 3 times, I just gave up and got a PO Box. $44 a year - more this year, as it went up. I finally had to because I would bring mail to the neighbors, but no one ever bothered to bring mine. And I had stuff missing sometimes....

We have had the issue in the past. The reg refers to dangerous or impassable conditions. We were told if they can safely get to the box they are supposed to deliver. i.e. get their fat arse out of the truck.

"When the government fears the people, you have liberty; when the people fear the government, you have tyranny." Thomas Jefferson
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke

Regardless of the USPS regulations, if I was contracted to deliver the mail, and had to deliver to 400 addresses a day (I have no idea how many they do).

If, out of 400 mailboxes, there are cars in front of 20 of them, I don't think I would get out of my car and back in 20 times.

If, there was only one or two, then I think I would deliver unless the street is really busy with 30 mph cars going by.

Except, if those one or two are always the same "offenders", then of course I would not stop.

Just trying to throw something in here from what might be the postmans side of the story. Business-wise, USPS is my enemy and there are definitely some lazy and rude ones that only helps my own business do better.

There must have been a lot of mail carriers screwing mothers back in the day judging by all the USPS hate in here.

I despise cluster boxes, but see the economics of them from the USPS perspective.

If you really want to delve into the mind of where the term "going postal" came from, try calling the USPS to file a claim about a package they claim was delivered, but was not. Few things in this world will piss me off more than having to talk to a computer, especially a computer that cannot recognize english when you speak it, for a half hour in a vicious social experiment.

It's a government service. It's not about satisfaction, it's about "minimum acceptable".

USPS is cutting back to "gain efficiency". There are less mail carriers out there than there used to be. Each carrier has X number of deliveries on his route and Y hours to do it. They're probably given a certain time to complete their route which equates to Z seconds per house. Z seconds is probably (intentionally) not enough time to get out of the truck.

If one jackhole parks in front of a mailbox and still expects mail delivered, then EVERYONE can expect the same. That's just not doable, from the mail carrier's perspective.

Our mailbox is down our street a way, so we only check our mail once every 3 or 4 days anyway. Someone's not blocking your box every day are they? If so, it's your problem to fix.

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For those saying it's not a revenue problem, what would FedEx/UPS charge you to deliver that same letter, assuming they could just leave it in your mailbox and assuming 5 day delivery?

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It isn't a revenue problem. If the postal service didn't have to put back 100x more than they should be into retirement etc... they would have plenty of cash.

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It isn't a revenue problem.

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It is the government. By definition, it is never a revenue problem - it is always a spending problem.

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I miss the days when the mailman carried a large satchel over his shoulder, walking door-to-door delivering the mail. Those guys were never fat. My mailman weighs 300 pounds. He's simply too lazy to get out of his truck. I guess he's too lazy to put the thing in reverse as well because he won't do that either (as stated above).

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We live in an old neighborhood (Houston Heights) and our box is by our door. Luckily we have a really cool mailman and he's thwarted several burglaries when he see a weird car in someone's driveway.

This isn't new. I grow up in the Spring Branch area of Houston and even in the 70's and 80's if your mailbox was impeded they didn't deliver.

Our mailbox is on the front porch near the door. This poses another problem that drives me up the wall. The mailman walks through the grass in the front yard every freakin day. There is a path where he walks, and it gets bad when it's really dry. I understand his day would be exponentially longer if he walked all the way down to the street in order to get to the next house, so I've never complained. Still pisses me off though.

What I want to know is who gets to decide what area gets porch delivery (to boxes by the front door) and what area gets box on street delivery. Obviously, it takes having a row of houses with a box on the street, but 3 and a half years ago, I moved across town -- literally only a mile away. At the old house we all had boxes on our porch and the new house has curb boxes. If I got all my neighbors to change (won't happen, just hypo), would we automatically get door to door service or would the USPS throw a fit?

I don't think they should check your mail either.

My box is on my porch i like it.

91 -

I still think it has to do with the age of the neighborhood. Our 50s neighborhood has to-the-door delivery. One three blocks away, built in the 80s, has street mailboxes. A new duplex area two blocks away has communal boxes.

Long discussion about mailbox placement. Doesn't really answer the question of where the boxes go, except to say that ALL new neighborhoods will have cluster boxes.

[This message has been edited by CanyonAg77 (edited 2/22/2013 6:51p).]

I live on a cul- de-sac. Two lazy ass neighbors always park head-in in front their respective homes. I don't know why, but our mail person always stops the delivery truck, gets out and puts their parcels into their boxes.

They're so damn inconsiderate to park as if they own the street that it would give me great pleasure for the mail person to cease delivery when access is restricted.

You still worry about mail? I cant remember the last time I received a piece of mail that actually somehow affected my life.

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I guess I consider myself lucky we get mail delivered to the front porch box by real postmen/women.

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Around here, there is no mail delivery to any location within the city limits. Not to houses. Not to businesses. Everyone goes to the post office to pick up their mail. Only if you live in the country do they deliver to the mail box.

[This message has been edited by eric76 (edited 2/22/2013 9:58p).]

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Move your mailbox or tell the people taking lessons to park elsewhere. You should be providing access to the box.

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I wonder if one could put up no parking zones near the mailbox.

Something like: "No parking from 10 am until 3 pm. Violators will be towed."

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Customers must keep the approach to their mailboxes clear of obstructions to allow safe access for delivery. If USPS employees are impeded in reaching a mail receptacle, the postmaster may withdraw delivery service.

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LAYMAN'S TRANSLATION:

If the postal worker has to do anything more than ride his big ass around in a truck and stick tiny letters and the occasional package in a box, he doesn't have to if he doesn't feel like it.

Ahhh....I wish I could work for the gubmint. I know if I told my company that I don't feel like working on this project today because the client is making it inconvenient for me...they'd fire my ass on the spot.

If they didn't and others followed suit you'd have a company like, well, the post office....inefficient, costly, and pretty much useless.

The USPS is like tits on a hog. I had a package take 4 days to get from Houston to Hempstead....FOUR MOTHER****ING DAYS!!!

[This message has been edited by BrazosDog02 (edited 2/22/2013 9:59p).]

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I guess I am lucky. The Shell, Exxon and Kroger near my house all have free air. Or I can stop by my oil change place and they'll air me up for free as well while I sit in my truck. Or I can use my air compressor at my house. Why would someone pay for air?

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Around here, the city barn has an air hose in front. Just pull up and air your tires up.

They also have one at the recycling center.

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You still worry about mail? I cant remember the last time I received a piece of mail that actually somehow affected my life.

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Considering I'm treasurer of a POA, and I subscribe to Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Texas Sporting Journal, ad nauseam, and my kids get birthday cards from friends and family, and we receive Christmas cards from same, to answer your question simply, yes.

I think you're misplacing your frustration personally.

Need to change the law so UPS and FedEx can take regular mail.

Some years ago we were at a Fourth of July pool party. One of the folks there worked at the post office and she brought one of her co-workers with her. He was bragging about going out to sleep in his pickup while he should have been working. During the course of the conversation he admitted to all sorts of goofing off.

The usps needs to be either deleted or torn down and re-built to be run correctly like a business. I do not expect 0bama to treat his union bosses that way, though.

[This message has been edited by 76Ag (edited 2/24/2013 9:54p).]

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Need to change the law so UPS and FedEx can take regular mail.

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i believe they already move quite a bit of it freight wise.

Traffic cones might solve your problem, OP. Get a couple, space them out near your mailbox in the morning.

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Need to change the law so UPS and FedEx can take regular mail.

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I agree, I think it would be a reasonably simple transition...however, people are fooling themselves if they think UPS or FedEx will deliver a letter for $.45, the rate would increase significantly.

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The USPS is like tits on a hog.

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you almost nailed it

My idea for a more efficient USPS:

1st class mail, full fare, actual stamp or meter equivalent, delivered 5 days a week.

Anything reduced rate, presorted, addressed to "occupant", or equivalent gets delivered once a week. Divide the area into 5 zones and each of those zones gets their junkmail on a specific day of the week.

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I agree, I think it would be a reasonably simple transition...however, people are fooling themselves if they think UPS or FedEx will deliver a letter for $.45, the rate would increase significantly.

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Thats part of the problem. Fedex will charge what it costs to send the item. Am I the only one that finds it abnormal that I can send a letter to my next door neighbor for the same rate as it costs me to send that same letter to Alaska or Maine?