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I just read a comment[0] about a package shipped via priority taking 45 days to arrive. I can't expect this to work when they don't have funding, there's a huge

I just read a comment[0] about a package shipped via priority taking 45 days to arrive. I can't expect this to work when they don't have funding, there's a huge backlog, among other things. Then the problem becomes that due to shortage of people and backlogs, the prices just keep going up and up if you want it on a 'reasonable' time. The main issue that seems to need fixing is capacity and this won't solve it. Probably overall but also seasonal due to COVID. I wish more of my taxes would go towards this (and that they switch the postmaster general). > There are plenty of people like amazon who will happily use cheap delivery capacity when there is half a truck going in some direction, and deliver by some other route/method when the truck driver is on holiday so mail is expensive. They do this already though. USPS is used a lot for their last mile and they have UPS and Fedex too as well as their own fleet of delivery drivers in some regions and planes and trucks for distribution around the country. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27025166 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27025166

londons_explore 5y ago
> The main issue that seems to need fixing is capacity As evidenced by the fact the vast majority of letters are delivered, it seems capacity isn't the issue. If there were a capacity issue, they would be falling further and further behind as letters were being posted quicker than they could be sorted and delivered. Instead the issue is loadbalancing. Some centers have too much load, while others have spare capacity. That changes day to day, increasing delivery times. The fix is variable pricing to get each local sort center closer and more consistently towards its capacity without exceeding it.
- rovr138 5y ago
  From https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27025496 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27025496 > I read awhile back (but can't find the source anymore, so grin of salt) that when USPS processing centers get overwhelmed they switch from a queue based system to ~~FIFO~~ LIFO. Which would make sense that some packages have been lost for months while newer ones seem to be going through the system just fine. If this is true, it could explain it. And it wouldn’t surprise me if they did to keep the majority if the system working. This does lead to a capacity issue and explains why some might not make it while the majority did.

londons_explore 5y ago

> The main issue that seems to need fixing is capacity As evidenced by the fact the vast majority of letters are delivered, it seems capacity isn't the issue. If there were a capacity issue, they would be falling further and further behind as letters were being posted quicker than they could be sorted and delivered. Instead the issue is loadbalancing. Some centers have too much load, while others have spare capacity. That changes day to day, increasing delivery times. The fix is variable pricing to get each local sort center closer and more consistently towards its capacity without exceeding it.

rovr138 5y ago
From https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27025496 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27025496 > I read awhile back (but can't find the source anymore, so grin of salt) that when USPS processing centers get overwhelmed they switch from a queue based system to ~~FIFO~~ LIFO. Which would make sense that some packages have been lost for months while newer ones seem to be going through the system just fine. If this is true, it could explain it. And it wouldn’t surprise me if they did to keep the majority if the system working. This does lead to a capacity issue and explains why some might not make it while the majority did.