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USPS functions almost exclusively to deliver unsolicited advertisements. Its "delivery confirmation" is outright fraud.
by throwaway185205 7y ago
USPS functions almost exclusively to deliver unsolicited advertisements. Its "delivery confirmation" is outright fraud.
- nerdponx 7y agoI'd like to see some data on this. I know a lot of small businesses that rely heavily on USPS Priority flat rate for shipping goods.
- throwaway185205 7y agoDo you, personally, more often receive packages, or junk mail? Extrapolate.
- gruez 7y ago> Its "delivery confirmation" is outright fraud. elaborate?
- throwaway185205 7y ago"Hello, merchant? I haven't received my package, but the tracking info says it was delivered at 9:00." Do you know what the merchant says, because they deal with this _all the time_?
- icedchai 7y agoI had a USPS package delivered signature required. They just left it in the mailbox. Unfortunately, it wasn't my mailbox, but one of my neighbors. It took me another 3 days to track it down...
- gruez 7y ago>I had a USPS package delivered signature required. They just left it in the mailbox. What did the signature show up as? Was there no signature? Did the postman sign himself?
- icedchai 7y agoThis was about 7 or 8 years ago, so I don't remember. Apparently this is a common complaint: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/forums/t/usps-drops-off-signature-required-package-without-obtaining-signature/211745 https://sellercentral.amazon.com/forums/t/usps-drops-off-sig...
- icedchai 7y agoSo true. 95% of the mail I get goes straight into the trash. I live in a condo complex with a bunch of centrally located mailboxes. They could save me some time by putting a trash bin right next to the mailboxes.
- yellowapple 7y agoWhat? USPS is the single largest parcel carrier in the US (dwarfing UPS and FedEx by package volume). That ain't even including the numerous packages that UPS and FedEx delegate to USPS for last-mile delivery (via SurePost and SmartPost, respectively). Hell, a lot of rural communities are entirely dependent on USPS for parcel delivery because they're outside of the service areas of other carriers. I don't know where this notion of "USPS only delivers letters and magazines" comes from, but it's patently and demonstrably false.
- throwaway185205 7y ago> What? USPS is the single largest parcel carrier in the US They're the only unsolicited advertisement carrier in the US.
- yellowapple 7y agoSounds like you've never had a flyer stuck under your windshield wiper, then :) My point, though, is that the "unsolicited advertisement" functionality of USPS is minor compared to its significance as America's top parcel carrier, and to write off USPS as "just a source of junk mail" is throwing not only the baby, but also the tub and half the house, out with the bathwater.
- dangrossman 7y agoI just got an ad via FedEx from some "growth hacking" company. The main category of mail I get from USPS are bills and monthly statements, not ads, anyway. They also deliver most of my packages from online stores.
- icedchai 7y agoHe's talking about junk mail. This is mostly what they deliver.
- yellowapple 7y agoMaybe by quantity, but certainly not by volume, weight, or dollar value / revenue.
- voz_ 7y agoThrow-away accounts with no identifying information, purposely flaming comments that add nothing to the discussion (nevermind with no citation, sources, or data) are a very non-hn thing. Is there a rule against this kind of low quality participation?
- throwaway185205 7y agoI'm directly refuting a substance-free political assertion ("flame"). You're sea-lioning.
- voz_ 7y agoYour negative karma indicates that most people disagree. Please come back with a real account and let us have a healthy debate. This is an interesting topic and is worth discussion.