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It is not just the price.. Amazon is treated like royalty inside post offices. Some examples in tracking, delivery and accomodation. - This past prime day, a

It is not just the price.. Amazon is treated like royalty inside post offices. Some examples in tracking, delivery and accomodation. - This past prime day, a clerk had to come in at midnight to accept an extra 800 Prime packages from Amazon (normally delivered to PO at 4amish). Amazon barks, the PO acts!. Normally no clerk is required. This meant OT for other clerks as the rate of >$40/hr. there are 32,000 post offices. * BTW, prime this time was a bust... no real uptick in parcels. - Extra tracking. Regional management often calls the individual offices if any Amazon is not delivered, and wants to know an explanation. This never happens for any other company. Even dumb stuff like "dog interference" or "vacation holds".. Every Amazon has to be delivered each day. Can't miss one. It is all BS. - Extra effort. So, the package was mis thrown into another hamper, and the carrier has left for the office. Delier it tomorrow, right? Nope. not if it is Amazon. CAll someone back, give them OT, and deliver it today. NEVER happens for other packages, even USPS own Priority. - Amazon Prime is King Trump. So we get them early. they sit on a pallet. Each as a delivery window: 7-10am or 10am-1pm. Extra OT is always approved. We deviate from the route to make the deliveries. AND we have to take back the empties. It is not just the price... The entire organization has made every supervisor and postmaster and above Amazon aware...

arcbyte 9y ago
It sounds like Amazon is demanding improved efficiency and the PO is not operating at that level, hence your complaints. Or am I misinterpreting something?
- losteverything 9y ago
  well.. the PO charges $21+ for its Priority Express service (next day).. And to that extent those pacakges are treated like gold. separated upon receipt, etc... Amazon is treated the same way, or better. Just their parcels do not go through the mail system as they are brought to the individual post offices. Given 2 parcels, One has Amazon on it and one Lands End, the Amazon is given extra attention and all others are not. That is my point. As far as efficiency goes, getting a piece of paper for less than $.50 is not to bad, IMO. Yes, things can always get better.
FussyZeus 9y ago
So basically they're making the Post Office work the way it should be working anyway? Like it sounds pretty high pressure but as a customer, I don't give a rats ass if my package got put in the wrong bin, that's not my problem to solve. Get it here please.
- losteverything 9y ago
  true... but the other parcels, say Lands End, do not have the same priority as Amazon. If a Lands End is missed, so be it. As a customer, you don't expect Lands End EXACT date, but as Amazon you do. Shouldn't the PO get paid MORE for this, instead of less? We know its all BS.. and somebody greased someones elses palms (NO data, just hunch.. sorry)
  - FussyZeus 9y ago
    I expect everything on time. The fact that I get let down so often is a problem that Amazon solves for me. I can't remember the last time I had a late delivery from them.
zippergz 9y ago
The only thing I'll say is that it is not safe to say that Prime Day was "a bust" based solely on packages being sent through USPS (which is what it sounds like you have insider data on)....
- losteverything 9y ago
  yeah.. n=1 is not a trend...
thephyber 9y ago
This sounds just like any vendor for Amazon, WalMart, IKEA, etc. When you are locked in a cage with 1 angry 9000 pound gorilla and 9000 angry 1 pound rats, you don't focus on any one rat. You choose to either focus on the gorilla or the group of rats. You should probably be thankful that Amazon is using the USPS. I've seen lots of Lyft drivers in my neighborhood making Amazon package last mile deliveries all week -- even on Sunday and in the evenings. I can't imagine the USPS with pensions and their antiquated policies (especially with Congress preventing them from innovating and forcing them to fully fund their previously underfunded pension program) can match Lyft contractors who require no capital investment and no large contracts. I think the USPS still sees the writing on the wall. Snail mail is increasingly becoming less relevant for paperwork. My USPS SNR is very low these days -- just a few bills that I can't turn electronic, yet. If not for Netflix, I wouldn't check my mail box but once a month. If I were you, I would find ways to make Amazon's investments in your organization pay dividends to Land's End and the other USPS customers. Without some distinguishing features that beat email + FedEx/UPS/DHL + Lyft/Uber, the USPS will continue to atrophy. Make sure you and your fellow USPS workers encourage a virtuous circle and don't allow it to fall into a downward spiral.
- losteverything 9y ago
  Having been in the real world before cell phones displaced me, I know USPS can be blind to this. The congressional mandate seems to be strong; years and years the demise and privitization has been predicted. A Trump action could make change occur, but Russia and his ego may never get it on the radar. When I say there is absolutely 0 organizational memory/ability to think like a for profit organization, that would be an understatement. Or they are quite bad about comminicating such. To find ways to use the investments is logical. To inspire an organization to care about customer service is difficult. I suggested that the latest budget include a line "deliveries will be made by a human" or some such language; to get it in now so it becomes legacy like 6 day delivery. But nobody even thinks about disruption. Kind of sad, actually. If driverless cars really do become commonplace, the privitization of now-public roads, IMO, would come quickly. That may be the straw that breaks the Postal back. As far as pensions, only the old timers have one. Most, like me, have the federal Thrift savings....

arcbyte 9y ago

It sounds like Amazon is demanding improved efficiency and the PO is not operating at that level, hence your complaints. Or am I misinterpreting something?

losteverything 9y ago
well.. the PO charges $21+ for its Priority Express service (next day).. And to that extent those pacakges are treated like gold. separated upon receipt, etc... Amazon is treated the same way, or better. Just their parcels do not go through the mail system as they are brought to the individual post offices. Given 2 parcels, One has Amazon on it and one Lands End, the Amazon is given extra attention and all others are not. That is my point. As far as efficiency goes, getting a piece of paper for less than $.50 is not to bad, IMO. Yes, things can always get better.

FussyZeus 9y ago

So basically they're making the Post Office work the way it should be working anyway? Like it sounds pretty high pressure but as a customer, I don't give a rats ass if my package got put in the wrong bin, that's not my problem to solve. Get it here please.

losteverything 9y ago
true... but the other parcels, say Lands End, do not have the same priority as Amazon. If a Lands End is missed, so be it. As a customer, you don't expect Lands End EXACT date, but as Amazon you do. Shouldn't the PO get paid MORE for this, instead of less? We know its all BS.. and somebody greased someones elses palms (NO data, just hunch.. sorry)
- FussyZeus 9y ago
  I expect everything on time. The fact that I get let down so often is a problem that Amazon solves for me. I can't remember the last time I had a late delivery from them.

zippergz 9y ago

The only thing I'll say is that it is not safe to say that Prime Day was "a bust" based solely on packages being sent through USPS (which is what it sounds like you have insider data on)....

losteverything 9y ago
yeah.. n=1 is not a trend...

thephyber 9y ago

This sounds just like any vendor for Amazon, WalMart, IKEA, etc. When you are locked in a cage with 1 angry 9000 pound gorilla and 9000 angry 1 pound rats, you don't focus on any one rat. You choose to either focus on the gorilla or the group of rats. You should probably be thankful that Amazon is using the USPS. I've seen lots of Lyft drivers in my neighborhood making Amazon package last mile deliveries all week -- even on Sunday and in the evenings. I can't imagine the USPS with pensions and their antiquated policies (especially with Congress preventing them from innovating and forcing them to fully fund their previously underfunded pension program) can match Lyft contractors who require no capital investment and no large contracts. I think the USPS still sees the writing on the wall. Snail mail is increasingly becoming less relevant for paperwork. My USPS SNR is very low these days -- just a few bills that I can't turn electronic, yet. If not for Netflix, I wouldn't check my mail box but once a month. If I were you, I would find ways to make Amazon's investments in your organization pay dividends to Land's End and the other USPS customers. Without some distinguishing features that beat email + FedEx/UPS/DHL + Lyft/Uber, the USPS will continue to atrophy. Make sure you and your fellow USPS workers encourage a virtuous circle and don't allow it to fall into a downward spiral.

losteverything 9y ago
Having been in the real world before cell phones displaced me, I know USPS can be blind to this. The congressional mandate seems to be strong; years and years the demise and privitization has been predicted. A Trump action could make change occur, but Russia and his ego may never get it on the radar. When I say there is absolutely 0 organizational memory/ability to think like a for profit organization, that would be an understatement. Or they are quite bad about comminicating such. To find ways to use the investments is logical. To inspire an organization to care about customer service is difficult. I suggested that the latest budget include a line "deliveries will be made by a human" or some such language; to get it in now so it becomes legacy like 6 day delivery. But nobody even thinks about disruption. Kind of sad, actually. If driverless cars really do become commonplace, the privitization of now-public roads, IMO, would come quickly. That may be the straw that breaks the Postal back. As far as pensions, only the old timers have one. Most, like me, have the federal Thrift savings....