And....THIS is why the Post Office is losing money.

[enyawd72]

And why postage costs so much, etc.

A package from Scranton, PA to me in Jefferson, OH is only five hours away, (345 miles) yet takes four days...why?

Please see diagram below...this is how tracking went for my package



Package SHOULD go from Scranton, PA to Jefferson, OH = 345 miles. (Actual distance)

Instead, package goes from Scanton, PA to Lancaster, PA = 132 miles. (In the wrong direction, no less)

Lancaster, PA to Warrendale, PA = 255 miles. (Getting warmer!)

Warrendale, PA to Cleveland, OH = 116 miles. (Went right past me!)

Cleveland, OH to Akron, OH = 39 miles. (Again in the wrong direction)

And FINALLY Akron, OH to Jefferson, OH = 80 miles.

Total? 622 miles. Nearly twice as far as it needed to go, PASSING BY the destination once and heading in the WRONG DIRECTION twice.

The USPS....model of efficiency!

[PNGwynne]

Thank goodness there's some consistency in the universe: I can't help but grouse about FTC details, and you can't help lambasting the postal service.

[enyawd72]

Thank goodness there's some consistency in the universe: I can't help but grouse about FTC details, and you can't help lambasting the postal service.

LOL....well, are we wrong? No. No we are not.

[Nostalgiabuff]

a lot of it has to do with the fact that the USPO has closed some of the distribution centers in recent years

[Mikey]

If I send a postcard to someone right down the street it still has to pass through Philly first

[enyawd72]

a lot of it has to do with the fact that the USPO has closed some of the distribution centers in recent years

They must know something we don't, because for the life of me, I cannot see how shipping stuff twice as far as it needs to go, often criss-crossing back and forth past it's intended destination makes any sense in the known universe.
I just cannot fathom how someone in charge hasn't looked at this system and said, hey, we need to fix this.

[jwyblejr]

That's nothing. I just bought a part for my nephew's Xbox 360. When it came from Texas to get here,it got sent to Birmingham. An hour later it was sent out,only to go back. That was done twice. Then it was sent on to Huntsville,then finally here to Decatur. Then what do they do? Sent it back to Birmingham. It didn't get here until the next day.

[ODBJBG]

There's not a better ran, more affordable, more efficient postal service in the country, quite possibly the world.

Try sending something UPS, DHL or FedEx and you'll pay 2 to 3X as much, have worse service and it'll take just as long if not longer.

Your package looks like it took a pretty basic route, honestly. It went to 4 different hubs. Not every post office actually gets packages and such. The smaller offices get their stuff from the larger hubs.

You're complaining about efficiency, but then pretending as if your single package was loaded on a truck all by itself and sent to you in this crazy pattern. But the reason your package traveled 622 miles, is because it was traveling with dozens, probably hundreds of other packages and mail which was going all over Ohio and PA and probably other parts of the country as well. Trust me, it went on a very efficient path that saved USPS money and every person who sent a package money.

Next time, you try driving it 345 miles there (and then 345 miles back) and deliver it to the door and see if it was any cheaper.

Good grief.

[J.B.]

I was tracking my package from work and couldn't believe the shenanigans I was seeing. It should have gone from Santa Clarita to Pasadena, where I live. Instead it took a little joy ride up North. Had to write my wife after it finally arrived in Pasadena:

What! Who the Hell is running this show!?

[enyawd72]

There's not a better ran, more affordable, more efficient postal service in the country, quite possibly the world.

Try sending something UPS, DHL or FedEx and you'll pay 2 to 3X as much, have worse service and it'll take just as long if not longer.

Your package looks like it took a pretty basic route, honestly. It went to 4 different hubs. Not every post office actually gets packages and such. The smaller offices get their stuff from the larger hubs.

You're complaining about efficiency, but then pretending as if your single package was loaded on a truck all by itself and sent to you in this crazy pattern. But the reason your package traveled 622 miles, is because it was traveling with dozens, probably hundreds of other packages and mail which was going all over Ohio and PA and probably other parts of the country as well. Trust me, it went on a very efficient path that saved USPS money and every person who sent a package money.

Next time, you try driving it 345 miles there (and then 345 miles back) and deliver it to the door and see if it was any cheaper.

Good grief.

Yeah, it makes perfect sense to ship something hundreds of miles PAST it's destination then back again. That's like walking out your front door, walking around the house, then climbing through a second story window to use the bathroom. And you're right, it's not just MY package, it's hundreds they do that with. I've had one package go back and forth between Cleveland and Akron three times. Care to explain how that's efficient? I know if that's how I did MY job, I'd be fired.

[Klosterheim]

Maybe, in the future, the package drones will take a more direct route. That might be interesting.

[palitoy]

Economies of scale.

[cjefferys]

Try sending something UPS, DHL or FedEx and you'll pay 2 to 3X as much, have worse service and it'll take just as long if not longer.

Oh yeah, this. In my job I've seen the crazy way that UPS or FedEx ships stuff. Like when something going from Buffalo to NYC is sent down to a Memphis hub first, where it hangs around for a couple days.

The route map you posted looks like a paragon of efficiency compared to what FedEx often does with their shipments.

[cjefferys]

Maybe, in the future, the package drones will take a more direct route. That might be interesting.

Still waiting for Amazon Prime Air to finally become a thing, that will be awesome.

[J.B.]

Yeah, I carry on about the sometimes wacky service from USPS, but boy when I see that the package has arrived, all is forgiven and I'm as giddy as a school kid. Plus my Mail Carrier is a real sweetheart. She always lets me linger while she's sorting the mail and hands me the package I've been waiting for. Plus, she'll sign for me if I'm not around, which I really appreciate. My wife and I always leave her a nice gift for Christmas. She's the best.

Hard to be upset when my Bakersfield sidetrack delivers Bond's ride in "The Spy Who Loved Me" to my small Corgi family.