How many of you use "Priority Mail"?

[RAFlorida]

For $5.20, you're being ripped off. Here's a news report and what the Postal worker said:

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/new...ority-11112011

[cabinetman]

It was interesting about the weight and box issues. I try to use UPS or Fedex when I can.

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[steve-norrell]

Priority mail, especially the flat rate boxes, works very well for sending material to and from Alaska. However, you do have to be careful about the weight as the flat rate parcels are more costly than first class for letters and small light weight items. The flat rate boxes are very useful for such things like router bits and other tools that tend to be heavy but which will fit in the boxes.

Regards, Steve.

[jackellis]

People with common sense will check prices. IMHO people without common sense get what they deserve.

If something absolutely has to get there the next day, I use Fedex. If it doesn't, priority mail for larger items is probably less hassle up here since we have a local post office but I can't tell you where the nearest UPS office is.

[Stytooner]

It is less hassle for me to use PM. The give you free boxes and stick on label envelopes. The boxes come in many sizes. The same boxes are used to ship International. They have better tracking than First class. They are also insured for about $100 I think. I haven't checked that in several years, so that may no longer be the case. Also free delivery confirmation and cheaper labels when you buy them online.
They have a scan form for bulk shipping. This tends to allow much better tracking than a single package without a scan form. Even Internationally.

If you ship a lot of packages, PM is great way to do it.
Maybe not so good for one time shipments or infrequent usage.
It does have it's faults, but still the best that I have found.

[JimD]

I went to the post office today intending to send two flat rate folders - a DVD of my daughters wedding and a couple programs to both grandmothers. The line at the post office was HUGE, not moving at all, and they were about to close. I have much too little patience for that. I decided to stop at a independant shipping storefront close to me. They sold me the folders and shipped via first class mail for less than the flat rate folders would have cost me. Best of all, there was no waiting. Should have gone there first. They also ship Fed Express or UPS so you can get prices each way. I used them another time to ship some clothing when I needed a box and just wanted to get it done. I thought I was paying more by going to them, now I'm not sure.

Jim

[herb fellows]

I believe 13 ozs. is the max weight for first class, after that you have to use priority?
Every time I check the rates for sending a package, without fail, the usps is the best rate. Maybe if you're getting a discounted business rate one of the other services are better, but for the average guy/gal just sending an occassional package, usps seems to be the way to go.
Where you bring it is very important also. I send dvd's in a small envelope with just a paper sleeve, and 2 post offices charge me differently for this every time. One charges a small package rate of about $1.71, the other charges me the first class 2 oz rate of .64. This is due to the flexibility or lack thereof of the envelope.
One says it cannot be machine sorted because it is inflexible, the other doesn't bat an eye and gives me the lower rate.
Go figure.

[tommyt654]

U.S.P.S. has been rippin off the public for yrs to fund underworked ,overpaid employees and lavish partys and travel for the bigwigs. Let em fold

[Alex Franke]

I use USPS a lot, too, including priority mail, but not flat rate boxes. I typically choose priority when the worker behind the counter tells me it's the best price. I've never had a problem with USPS, and it's always been pretty clear to me that it's roughly the same delivery time as first class. I have used the priority mail packaging from time to time because it tends to get noticed more at the other end -- less likely to be thrown away with the bills.... er -- I mean junk mail.

U.S.P.S. has been rippin off the public for yrs to fund underworked ,overpaid employees and lavish partys and travel for the bigwigs. Let em fold

You're right: Having to pay 44¢ to have someone hand-deliver a letter and new family photo to grandma a thousand miles away in about two days is just highway robbery. I bet Fedex and UPS wouldn't rip me off like that!

[Pappy]

U.S.P.S. has been rippin off the public for yrs to fund underworked ,overpaid employees and lavish partys and travel for the bigwigs. Let em fold

I read this last night but, after working 11 1/2 hours to deliver my route and 1/3 of another, I wasn't going to comment. While there are perks reported at the top level that are out of line in my thinking (can't speak to the parties), they don't extend to the rank and file employees.

Yes, we have our share of 'workers' that are going to see how little they can get by with doing, the same as any company, but they are the exeptions. The clerk craft, which includes the people that sort the mail to the routes in the station, is being cut putting more work on the ones left to get the job done in time to get us (Carriers) on the street. The shortage of clerks also causes longer lines at the windows.

From the carrier side, routes that are unmanned due to vacation/injury/illness still have to be sorted and delivered. There are a few temp and part time carriers, all of whom are properly trained, but not enough to cover all the routes. The other regular carriers have to step in to sort and pull the mail to go to the street. While a large portion of the letter mail is sorted by machine, the magazines and large envelopes aren't. We have to work that by hand in the morning. Delivery is the same. It doesn't matter whether it is 110 or minus 20 that mail gets delivered, often by a carrier that has already worked his or her own 8 hour route. Add to that that we put up with irrate customers on these routes complaining (and often cussing) about why he didn't get his check at 11 am.

Until you have been there, don't tell me about how overpaid or underworked I am!

BTW, about 1 in 10 new carriers hired don't make it through their probation period. Either they can't perform the job properly, or they can't handle the pressure of the job trying to deal with both management and the customers.

[Pappy]

BTW, pay attention to the address on your mail, expecially Christmas cards and other personal mail (including packages). When Aunt Sophie screws up the house number, or leaves off the apartment number, and it gets delivered to you anyway.....

Thanks that overpaid, underworked guy or gal driving the white truck.

[Alex Franke]

When Aunt Sophie screws up the house number, or leaves off the apartment number, and it gets delivered to you anyway....

...even in the middle of a snowstorm. We got one with an incorrect address a couple years ago when the only cars on the road were snowplows, and the rest of the town was essentially shut down. I figured our letter carrier must live at the post office or something.

Our regular guy always chats with the kids for a bit when they run out to meet him, too. It's really nice -- Dempsey is a part of the community around here.

[tommyt654]

Don, You might be the exception, but for the most part I haven't been able get my mail delivered correctly if at all in yrs. Rain sleet and snow my ****. I can't even get it in a heavy rain . The paid regular gov't holidays + regular paid vacations and benefits most americans would die for are just too little for most of the folks I see delivering and yet they want more. Enough to cause this entity to go bankrupt possibly unless they get bailed out due to poor management and employee perks. Plus your unionized so much to the point a bad employee can't get fired until multiple reviews and then if at all. File a complaint with who another postal employee,ha!. Lost mail and packages are everywhere so much to the point they have auctions to sell stuff they can't deliver.Yes there are few of ya, but very little IMO while many of the fatted cats livin off the federal dole enjoy a strict 40 hr work week and no more thanks to your union. I feel for ya,but just can't quite reach ya.

[Stytooner]

In the 8.5 years I have been using USPS, there has been only ONE package that was not received. The reason? It was sent to an old address because the buyer neglected to change it in his Paypal. I ate that loss. This is probably approaching 10,000 packages we are talking about. That is simply outstanding.

They are fantastically reliable if you ask me. Everyone that has anything to do with the mail around here are incredibly good people. Hard working and make every effort to please you. I went to school with some of them.

This is true in other towns around here as well. I have had occasion to do business at several of the area PO's and that was always the case. I wish I received that kind of service from everyone I have done business with. Those perks that you mention used to be standard at most all places where one worked. There are far too few companies offering them today.

Tommy, it sounds like you may be the exception, not Pappy.

[RAFlorida]

I am agreement with Don.

The people that do the route/delivery are exceptional people. Out in the boondocks where I live, we've always had great people delivering the mail. Some times they drive up to our door if a package is too large for the box at the road. But I was one of the dimwit that thought priority mail was faster.