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Why would these businesses use private shippers if they didn't provide value to them ?
The USPS niche is packages under 2 lbs. As packages get heavier, the private carriers get considerably cheaper. This has a lot to do with how the logistics of each group are designed.
But on top of that, the private carriers provide contracted discounts to large businesses; USPS does not (other than the normal bulk mail discounts).
Another factor is delivery times. USPS does not offer guaranteed next day shipping nor does it offer morning delivery. If you want those, you go with a private carrier. Since large businesses routinely need these services, they _will_ have a contract with a private carrier, and that contract is going to give them big discounts for add on business that USPS might be able to handle better or cheaper. (You pay for those guaranteed times though. With the private carrier guarantees, you are going to easily pay double what USPS charges for a non-guaranteed service that normally delivers in the same time frame.)
The main reason you cannot compare UPS and FedEx to USPS is the daily home pickup that USPS offers in most of the country. That costs a lot of money to do.
In most areas in the country the USPS comes by every mailbox in every neighborhood every day to see if you might have anything to send. Not doing that is why UPS etc can deliver as cheaply as they do. Sure packages require visiting the post office in person, but that's not the only service that USPS offers.
You are not a large business though. USPS is cheaper for an individual.
However in our mail room, and in the mailrooms of every company I've ever worked for UPS, FedEx and DHL have huge presence. Why would these businesses use private shippers if they didn't provide value to them ?
Because big businesses negotiate huge discounts from Fed Ex and UPS. I'm well aware of that, my husband worked for a company that did just that. Most of the posts in this discussion have been about ordinary citizens sending and receiving mail. I can't get big discounts from UPS or FedEx, for a while I had a 15% fed ex discount and it was, in most cases, still more expensive than USPS
I think the USPS has been intentionally maligned by the Right Wing to bring it down. So much is made out of the USPS' financial troubles but the entire situation was created by Republicans in congress, forcing the USPS into a situation that no private business would ever face or have to face. In my entire life I can only remember one package being lost by the USPS, but it was eventually found and made it to my door(a month or so late). I've had numerous packages lost by UPS and numerous packages severely damaged by FedEx. The last thing I ordered that FedEx delivered was marked on all sides as "FRAGILE" and yet one edge of the box was completely smashed in and the bottom of the box had been stepped on, complete with a boot print. My item(an expensive Wacom monitor) was ruined and had to be returned.
I think the USPS has been intentionally maligned by the Right Wing to bring it down.
Of course the Right Wingers hiding under your bed are the ones who are maligning the post office.
Like those notorious Right Wingers, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, who created the "Newman" character and maliciously made him a stereotypical lazy mailman just to bring down the USPS.
(Is there a rule that on City-Data a thread has to turn political after a certain number of replies?)
Like those notorious Right Wingers, Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, who created the "Newman" character and maliciously made him a stereotypical lazy mailman just to bring down the USPS.
That's why they are called "stereotypes", everyone knows an "Archie Bunker" or they are made up of a combination of people, the prejudiced, right wing uncle, the guy who has his "favorite chair" etc.
I've known some pretty crappy mailpersons, and some damn good ones also. The one who don't ring your bell for a registered letter, just leave a "sorry we missed you note" in the mailbox, then there's the mailperson who gets concerned when someone hasn't emptied their mailbox for a few days.
The Republicans in Congress seem to be the ones who want to privatize everything at the same time they demand better service. Sarah Palin today said her son wouldn't have been arrested if "Obama had done more for returning troops", of course completely neglecting the fact that the Republicans vote down any appropriations.
Last edited by Jeo123; 01-21-2016 at 07:45 PM..
Reason: tag fix
Thank you for taking another thread political. I am going to pull out my tin foil hat as I close this one.
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and USPS does home pickup
