You can use the USPS app to look up those bar codes.
I heard a rumor today
- Thread starter drakeME
- Start date
You can use the USPS app to look up those bar codes.
LostinDakota
Well-known member
Rt2mailman, it isn't always about the price paid. Sometimes it is about capacity. All the delivery companies struggle to make on time delivery during the Christmas period. Multiply that by 10 because there will be big restrictions on the Black Friday store sales because of number of people allowed in the stores at one time, social distancing, etc. which will drive even more online shopping. If I am having to pay a surcharge on shipping during this time, that package better have on-time delivery. If they pass off the ones they just can't handle to the USPS, UPS can blame it on the postal service when the package is late. Plausible deniability. Even if the USPS didn't receive the package until it was officially late.
Rt2mailman
Well-known member
It is about $. If a store will send out 100 products at a higher cost with UPS, they will turn to the USPS and pay less. If the USPS was as smart as UPS, we too would have a sur-charge for this rise in demand on shipping through us.
Supply and demand are basic economics that many of us learned in 7th grade, unless you are an upper postal manager.
Supply and demand are basic economics that many of us learned in 7th grade, unless you are an upper postal manager.
LostinDakota
Well-known member
USPS has asked the postal regulatory commission for permission to add a surcharge on its competitive parcel products from October 18th through December 27th. But permission has not yet been granted and we are less than 3 weeks away from the beginning of peak season.
callofthewild
Well-known member
We had something come up on Saturday, should the Regular Carrier be paid for the full load of Amazon parcel left for her on Saturday because Amazon was running a little late? This would be very akin to Amazon being delivered to the Post Office on a Sunday and sitting there until delivery on Monday. I was always told we could be held one hour after our leave time listed on the 4240 for late incoming mail, all the Carriers waited the 20 minutes save the one RCA.
callofthewild
Well-known member
Yes, rural runner that is what happened, but they called and they knew they were inroute but just 20 minutes late.
And for a later Tyson ear bite, I was reading that Amazon Black Friday deals would start earlier and last longer with non Prime Members in mind. Then Cyber Monday.
DB.Cooper
Well-known member
I can't believe Bezos is paying anybody well.... but, I can believe USPS is likely getting less than anybody else....
IF it's true, this should be a clear alarm for the HIRING of parcel runner RCA's or RAC's to supplement regular carriers. The post office would win big time as they're much cheaper, no overtime etc.
Oh , sorry didn't mean to fall back on common sense again.
Sprocket
Well-known member
Sprocket
Well-known member
We are 10/01/2020 tomorrow. With the USPS excellent hiring record, lol, there is no way parcel runners, rca's and / or RAC's can be hired fast enough.
And even if they are, to get trained and to stay. Many show up in office first day for ride along and....poof....gone the next day.
No one hired here in over a year. 23 days until regular retires. 2 rca's that have full time jobs that can work little, if any, during the week. Other rca will be filling in as regular retires.
Grim.
IF we start the hiring process NOW perhaps a single RCA would be in place by June for vacations next year. At least that's my perception of the speed of a SLOW snail the hiring guru's move at. IF at all.
Every day I'm amazed at how disconnected District and Region are from any hint of reality. They're absolutely totally completely DATA driven, and if their little number says so, then everyone must follow that stupid number.
In one of our offices we have over 100 cul de sacs, where motorized routes must turn around at the end of the street, no other option. District bangs us for "U turns" and when PM explains and asks what the hell you do, District says the data says you make too many U turns, so make those streets park and loop. Some streets have 50 boxes and are over a mile long. If a carrier progresses even part way down the street, they still have to turn around. Oh and carry those Amazon 70 lb beds a mile.......
Is it medication? Illegal substances? Mental issues that need to be addressed by EAP?
Totally correct OF - and I did get my supervisor to confirm that it is in fact happening. Who is working on expediting hiring? Seems no one up the chain gives a crap. Still. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
What it will amount to at least in my location, is about one additional route's worth of packages on normal Sundays. Christmastime, it might make for 2 or 3 above and beyond our normal. Which, if we had the people, really wouldn't be a big deal. But we don't. I take 2 full routes just about every week as it is. It's ridiculous. They keep piling on more and more.
What it will amount to at least in my location, is about one additional route's worth of packages on normal Sundays. Christmastime, it might make for 2 or 3 above and beyond our normal. Which, if we had the people, really wouldn't be a big deal. But we don't. I take 2 full routes just about every week as it is. It's ridiculous. They keep piling on more and more.
Haychica
Well-known member
Are you kidding?..after a holiday.!????..smgdh???
Remember, at least in our offices, the impact of Prime comes two to four days after the "day." Also, due to supply chain issues with China manufactured products, many are delayed and backordered. Not saying it's not going to be a whopper, but also customers have other choices they didn't have much of last year, such as Target and Walmart next day service. The climate, at least here, is also customer pickups, which makes it simple and fast to order on line and go a couple of miles where Walmart puts the stuff in the back of your car.
Maybe on Columbus Day (or, as it's called in some states now, Indigenous People's Day) I should get tested for the Amazon Flu.
LostinDakota
Well-known member
Where do you find parcel runners? Maybe in a big office you can hide the hours on a green card and not assign them to any route number, but in the smaller offices outside of Christmas, we carry all of our own parcels every day, unless the postmaster has clerk hours available, takes pity on us and carries a few big ones out. Last Christmas with no RCAs at all was very grim. With 1 retirement for sure and maybe another, this year looks worse.
