UPS...what's the deal?

[swollen tongue]

recently our post office advised use that UPS packages will be delivered at the Post Office and then delivered to us, if they can. UPS will not deliver to the house like they used to. Our Post Office is ten miles from where we live one way, and this is making a mess out of things to pick up items. We live right on the main Highway so I don't understand the thinking of UPS to do this. I heard it was to cut costs for them. Anybody else have this problem? It is not really worth ordering thru UPS shipments anymore from the internet companies if this is the case. The UPS guy drives right by our place everyday!

[Pony]

I don't know, but you may want to try to contact UPS to ask them what's the boggle.

We get UPS, and we're also on the main drag.

You could let UPS know that you won't be using them as an option if they won't deliver to your door.

[Windy in Kansas]

As a former postal worker it was my observation that delivering packages at least by the USPS was not profitable. Unlike some delivery services we had to knock on the door and await a response, if none knock a second time, and if none then write up a left notice to leave at the residence. Take the parcel back to the post office where it was once again sorted and placed on numbered shelving. The package was either claimed at the windows which required a clerk or was redelivered upon request where once again the knocking process began. A lot of sorting, etc. behind the scenes as well.

If USP can't make a go of parcels by tossing them on a porch and running, how will the post office come out ahead to deliver for them?

[Horseyrider]

Good question. I don't know, but I always have them write "Can Leave In Barn" on the packages. Now I have just about everybody trained to leave parcels there. They're out of the weather, I don't have to be home to open the door, and the delivery folks can speed on their way.

[Pony]

Originally Posted by Horseyrider

Good question. I don't know, but I always have them write "Can Leave In Barn" on the packages. Now I have just about everybody trained to leave parcels there. They're out of the weather, I don't have to be home to open the door, and the delivery folks can speed on their way.

'Round here, they leave it in the car or truck if no one is home.

[Patt]

When we first moved here the Post Office left a card in our mailbox and asked us what we wanted them to do with packages. We said put them in the mailbox or leave them in the carport if they won't fit.

UPS has a program called UPS Basic where they take it to the closest USPS hub and pay them to deliver it to your house. All of my L L Bean packages are shipped that way now.

[Nature Man]

In this neck of the woods UPS still makes deliveries to your dwelling. I live about 1000' off the paved road and they deliver here whenever I order something, as recently as yesterday. I did ask the UPS driver and my local postmaster about UPS deliveries to my P.O. box, if I wanted it shipped that way. The postmaster said just use the Post Office street address and UPS will deliver the package to the post office and the postmaster will put a card in my P.O. box that I have a package. I do not have a mailbox out at the road.

Bill

[Harry Chickpea]

Already on it.

Here is a link quoting a story from the Wall Street Journal of November
6, 2003. It does a good job of explaining-

http://mindfully.org/industry/2003/U...USPS6nov03.htm

I also received a package from FEDEX this way within the past month.

_CURRENTLY_ stuff that is shipped ground-track is not affected. Only
items shipped "basic" and only items that are on rural routes where the
costs of delivery are higher seem to be affected. While I personally
can avoid this by bumping up one service level, I know how big business
works, and expect to see that level become more costly or find it also
has a drop in service.

What also aggravates me, is the postal service is now required by law to
be self supporting and not use any tax money. When UPS and FEDEX load
it down with stuff that costs it money, because of taking advantage of
regulations, guess what that does to the cost of our first class mail?
Isn't it nice to know that when you mail a letter, part of that stamp
cost goes towards profits for UPS?

All of the above was from an email from me to a supplier for my business.

If all your UPS packages are now coming through the postal service, then what I suspected would eventually happen is already coming true.

[Common Tator]

I don't know about rural property and UPS delivery, but if they have worked out their differences with the postal service, this is very good news for our military overseas. currently, if they want to buy something from the states, and the vendor uses UPS, the package needs to be delivered to an address in the US, and then re-shipped to the service member. This is why you often see a disclaimer on the shipping page of many internet stores that they don't ship to APO FPO addresses. I know that over the past six years that my daughter has been stationed in Germany, we have spent hundreds of dollars re-shipping things to her.

[jwal10]

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

Already on it.

Here is a link quoting a story from the Wall Street Journal of November
6, 2003. It does a good job of explaining-

http://mindfully.org/industry/2003/U...USPS6nov03.htm

I also received a package from FEDEX this way within the past month.

_CURRENTLY_ stuff that is shipped ground-track is not affected. Only
items shipped "basic" and only items that are on rural routes where the
costs of delivery are higher seem to be affected. While I personally
can avoid this by bumping up one service level, I know how big business
works, and expect to see that level become more costly or find it also
has a drop in service.

What also aggravates me, is the postal service is now required by law to
be self supporting and not use any tax money. When UPS and FEDEX load
it down with stuff that costs it money, because of taking advantage of
regulations, guess what that does to the cost of our first class mail?
Isn't it nice to know that when you mail a letter, part of that stamp
cost goes towards profits for UPS?

All of the above was from an email from me to a supplier for my business.

If all your UPS packages are now coming through the postal service, then what I suspected would eventually happen is already coming true.

Here is the link. Does't look right that a for profit buisness can load down the U.S. post office but it looks like they can for now....James

http://www.mindfully.org/Industry/20...USPS6nov03.htm

[Windy in Kansas]

Originally Posted by Harry Chickpea

What also aggravates me, is the postal service is now required by law to be self supporting and not use any tax money. When UPS and FEDEX load it down with stuff that costs it money, because of taking advantage of
regulations, guess what that does to the cost of our first class mail?
Isn't it nice to know that when you mail a letter, part of that stamp
cost goes towards profits for UPS?

All of the above was from an email from me to a supplier for my business.

I don't know who supplied you with that information but the postal service has not received tax monies since 1970 when an adoption called the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 took place. The U.S. Postal Service functioned as a regular, tax-supported, agency of the federal government prior to that.

Actually first class mail does little to pay the bills of the postal service because there is so little of it. Even though bulk mailers receive what seems like incredible discounts it provides the largest income.

One needs to understand to a point as to why the bulk mailers get the heavy discounts and why there are many different bulk mail and pre-sort first class mail rates depending upon how the mail is prepared.

There is no printing of stamps needed for bulk (now called standard), hence less cost to the USPS. The mailing is weighed and cost is determined on a weight and count cost.

The bulk mail comes to the post office for the most part already in bags for delivery to certain areas of the country thus eliminating initial sorting.

The bulk mail is also bundled for each mail route and is also in delivery sequence so there is little time and effort involved to insert it with other sequenced mail thus saving clerk or machine sorting and also carrier sequencing.

Bulk mail has a multi-day window for delivery and can be held at the post office for a few days until other mail volumes are lighter. Bulk mailing licenses used to be suspended during December to allow for accommodations of larger first class volumes for Christmas cards, etc. Actually carriers looked forward to December for the lighter volumes, but dreaded January when the bulk mailers sent out very high volumes to make up for lost time.

Most people despise bulk mail but to help keep the USPS afloat I for one can certainly toss it in the trash, burn it, shred it for composting, etc.

The postal service does a very poor job of helping people understand the workings, the whys, etc.

In the 1980s I came across a 1911 pocket notebook of my grandfather's and in it the printer had included postal information. Then the postal rate was 2 cents per ounce and only 1 cent per ounce where there was no postal delivery with all mail being picked up at the post office in that location.

Can you imagine the savings for gasoline and carrier wages if most postal delivery were halted and people instead picked up their mail?

If memory serves there are 5 cities in the United States when combined that receive over 50% of all of the mail sent. Compare the entire population of your state to the population of just one MAJOR city such as Los Angeles, New York, Dallas-Ft. Worth, etc.
Perhaps it would make a difference about which state you live in, but with Kansas as an example it is quite easy to understand the statement.

As to UPS, USPS, and Fedex, the USPS and Fedex has been in somewhat of a partnership for several years. When Fedex planes aren't full they often complete their load with USPS mail. In many cities you will find Fedex drop boxes just outside of the post office.

As to UPS and USPS, it sounds like they have worked out some sort of an agreement too, good, bad, or indifferent.

[norcalfarm]

We recently ran into the same problem. UPS would not drive our road and would deliver to the post office. Problem was that the post office is in the town closest to us but the opposite direction from where we work and not anywhere that we can get to in a timely fashion. I talked to a friend who delivered for FedEx, he said that likely the delivery person was lazy and the company had no idea that he was doing it. Sure enough, one phone call stating what had been going on and letting them know that we would not be using them if this continued, cured the problem.

[Paquebot]

Originally Posted by Windy in Kansas

As to UPS and USPS, it sounds like they have worked out some sort of an agreement too, good, bad, or indifferent.

Not long ago, I had a USPS Priority package coming from one of the Carolinas. Tracking route had two different UPS flights before being turned back over to the USPS.

Martin

[Gary in ohio]

USPS has been delivering smaller UPS packages around here for years. Only the larger boxes are being dropped off at the house.

[Teri]

Yup, they do that here, too. Thankfully, we're only a mile and a half from town. The lady who runs the post office doesn't like it one bit, either.

[Aohtee]

I just ordered something online and took advantage of their free shipping. I was told they couldn't deliver to a P.O. box. When I checked the shipping method, I was told UPS picks packages up at the business and delivers to the nearest USPS facility.USPS then handles the delivery.

So how come they don't ship to P.O.'s?

[ronbre]

we are way out on a backroad and UPS delivers to us several times a week..

[Trisha in WA]

UPS doesn't deliver to our house either, but that is pretty common around here I am told. They will deliver to a drop off point that the locals agreed upon. They have done that "smart post" crap with me a few times too. The nearest "hub" apparently is on the other side of the state!!! To which I cry foul! So, I try to get everything just shipped to our PO Box. If I can't then I have to deal with the UPS garbage anyway.

[Missy M]

If you were notified by e-mail this may be a scam. I recieved an e-mail in my spam folder a few weeks ago about a UPS package left at my local post office. The postmaster has never been able to confirm this and I was not expecting a package from anyone. The e-mail was sent to my spam folder because a virus was detected. I just deleted it. Instead of trying to retrieve the information off of it. I've recieved UPS packages at my home since this time, so I know this was a scam.

[solidwoods]

I got this from ups


Dear UPS Customer,

We appreciate that you have chosen UPS as your trusted logistics provider, relying on us daily to help your business run more efficiently. Next year, the published rates for our services will be increasing; however, the value we offer through our innovative products and logistics know-how can help you be more competitive, serve your customers better, and grow your business.

2011 Rates Information

Effective January 3, 2011, UPS Daily Rates will increase as follows: UPS Ground services will increase a net 4.9% through a combination of a 5.9% increase in rates and a 1% reduction in the UPS Ground fuel surcharge; UPS Air and International services will increase a net 4.9% through a combination of a 6.9% increase in rates and a 2% reduction in the UPS Air and International services fuel surcharge.*

Even with this change, Daily Rates for UPS Next Day Air® remain up to 6% lower than our largest U.S. private competitor for similar services.

In addition, effective January 3, 2011, the dimensional weight divisor used to calculate dimensional weight will change from 194 to 166 for domestic U.S. UPS Ground and Air services shipments, and from 166 to 139 for U.S.-origin export shipments. To review these dimensional weight changes, as well as other accessorial changes taking effect on January 3, 2011, visit ups.com/rates on the following dates:


Plus I hear our property taxes are going up 50% (I'll let you know on that one when I see it in writing)
jim