What is going on with the U.S. Postal Service and now that they have a new Postmaster General, are they going to be able to fix it? It shouldn’t take a week for something mailed from Stanley to get to Owen, but I have had two people with that issue lately in regard to their subscription renewals. I had a letter that was mailed from Altoona that took two and a half weeks to get to Withee. It would have gotten here faster had it come by Pony Express.
Then there was the Amazon package, remember that deal they made with Amazon so all the rest of us have to wait for our mail, that took an extra day to get here. First, it was in Owen, then the message said it was transferred to another carrier for delivery, and finally the message said the customer said to hold it at the post office in Withee. It could be that Amazon told them to do that but I doubt it, and I assumed I was the customer, even though I hadn’t spoken to anyone. The last message was at 8 p.m. at night, so I think it was just late and whoever the package was transferred to didn’t want to deliver it. It did come the next day.
I have also been getting a lot of calls and having a lot of people come up to me saying they didn’t get their newspaper. This is happening more and more frequently. Sometimes they show up weeks later, sometimes not at all. But, as our customers often point out, it isn’t news anymore if they don’t get their newspaper for three or four weeks. I have said they can look at it online now, but many of them just like the feel of a newspaper in their hands. They don’t want to have to read something else on a screen.
We also got a notice saying my nephew’s newspaper wasn’t delivered and couldn’t be forwarded. I am not sure why they couldn’t deliver his newspaper as he has been at the same address for a number of years.
I feel that our local people try hard with what they have to work with, but overall, the postal service keeps raising their rates and there is only one thing you can count on when they do. Service will get worse.
I saw something on the internet that said the U.S. Postal Service was not meant to be a for profit business, it was a service. I agree with that person who said “service” in their name ought to mean something.
Back in the day, when they just delivered letters and packages, service was a lot better. I don’t go to the post office to buy things like cards or stuffed toys, or any of the assortment of other things I’ve seen them peddle the last few years.
It is time for the U.S. Postal Service to get back to what they did best, delivering the mail. Then, maybe they won’t continue to lose customers who would prefer to do what they need to do online rather than have it take a month to get 20 miles down the road.