Taking the long way home

[Old Goat]

Just got my order in from Wood Turningz and everything is great, but USPS decided to take them on a tour of the midwest before they got to me (no fault of WoodTurningz - all Uncle Sam). I actually live in Illinois due east of their shop in Noblesville (210 miles), but my package was flown from Indy all the way to Kansas City, then transported to St Louis, then Springfield and me (about 900 miles total). On Friday the USPS tracker said it was going to be delivered on that day, and at the same time the notes said was being processed at KC. I think their tracking system is about as reliable as the Domino's Pizza timer.

 

[Old Goat]

 

[InkyMike]

We've had a similar problem in my town - only folks simply aren't getting their mail. We made the news because our local USPS office is so short staffed, folks were going a week without getting mail.

 

[Old Goat]

We've had a similar problem in my town - only folks simply aren't getting their mail. We made the news because our local USPS office is so short staffed, folks were going a week without getting mail.

Maybe it's because they have their people add an extra 700 miles to a simple delivery. No wonder they have to keep raising their prices - lol

 

[Velcrodog]

Just got my order in from Wood Turningz and everything is great, but USPS decided to take them on a tour of the midwest before they got to me (no fault of WoodTurningz - all Uncle Sam). I actually live in Illinois due east of their shop in Noblesville (210 miles), but my package was flown from Indy all the way to Kansas City, then transported to St Louis, then Springfield and me (about 900 miles total). On Friday the USPS tracker said it was going to be delivered on that day, and at the same time the notes said was being processed at KC. I think their tracking system is about as reliable as the Domino's Pizza timer.

Two years ago I ordered some mechandise from California. USPS tracked it to El Paso where it is still. Filed missing package report, still showing El Paso. Last month USPS delivered a package very quivkly, only problem, it was delivered to an address and zipcode in Mo. Unfortunately, I live in Ga. Filed missing package report. Still no package. Luvkily, both times the vendors came to the rescue.

 

[InkyMike]

Maybe it's because they have their people add an extra 700 miles to a simple delivery. No wonder they have to keep raising their prices - lol

lol could be. My understanding is they had a lot of folks quit - they may have a long hiring process. One thing I learned from someone whose brother works for USPS - once you're trained, they can send you anywhere. So even if you train at your hometown facility, you may not end up there.

 

[Woodchipper]

We had delivery problems but seems to be much better. We now get out mail much earlier than before. Sometimes as late as 8 PM. If mail is a week late, that would play heck to get bills paid on time. What is funny: we moved here in 1966. The main PO had two slots, one for local mail and one for out of town. Now if I mail a birthday card to my neighbor, it goes to Chattanooga and back, 35 miles one way. Go figure.

 

[Old Goat]

My grandfather retired from USPS a long time ago and he was a rural carrier - and always delivered. One time during a snowstorm his truck went into a ditch and he broke his arm. He walked a mile to the next farm house, then he and the farmer came back with a tractor and pulled him out ... and then finished his route before going to the doctor - he'd probably be rolling in his grave if he knew the way things ran now.

 

[TellicoTurning]

Some years ago the post office went to a semi-hub system... they have multiple sort centers around the country and all mail goes through those sort centers... I live about 70 or 80 miles from Chattanooga which is (I think) the sort center for this part of Tennessee.... we mailed a Christmas card to our neightbor that lives behind and above us... I go up his driveway to get my truck near my shop... the card went to Chattanooga and back for delivery.... everybody in Tellico Plains knows my neighbor... he is a big member of the local chamber of commerce, heads up the Christmas parade, 4th of July parade, the wagon train over the Cherohala Skyway and is a proctor at all local elections. A good number of locals have bought cars from him when he ran the local auto parts store and had a car sales lot in the parking lot.... you would think the mail carrier that goes from my mail box to his on the next stop .... ??

Same is true if you use Fedex -- every package goes to Memphis to be sorted and returned.... when I was still working, one of my tasks was to negotiate letters of credit for my customers... usually issued by a down town Houston bank.... Fedex picked up the documents at my office at the junction of the I10 and I610 enterchange, about 12 miles from downtown Houston... Documents worth any where from 1/2 to $1M plus flew to Memphis and back to be delivered 12 miles away.... When I worked in San Francisco, did similar work and had similar results.... documents flew from SFO to MEM, then back to SFO for delivery.

UPS uses a similar system, but I don't remember where their hub is located.

 

[TellicoTurning]

A funny story about delivery.... back in the early 70s, I worked for TWA as the load master on our cargo jets.... we had a plane that blew a tire on take off, ingested chunks of rubber through one or more engines on one wing and was not able to rotate and lift off... the plane went off the end of the runway into San Francisco bay. two days later, EMERY airfreight, a courier company in business in those days (and was later merged with another company whose name I don't remember) posted an ad in TIME magazine that read"

"Dear customer, we have found your package, it is located in the belly cargo section of flight 604 in San Francisco Bay."

EMERY was one of the first freight companies to go computerized and track their packages.

 

[wouldentu2?]

Your package got a free plane ride, would you deny it that?

 

[sbwertz]

View attachment 346631

Took the scenic route.

 

[sbwertz]

Some years ago the post office went to a semi-hub system... they have multiple sort centers around the country and all mail goes through those sort centers... I live about 70 or 80 miles from Chattanooga which is (I think) the sort center for this part of Tennessee.... we mailed a Christmas card to our neightbor that lives behind and above us... I go up his driveway to get my truck near my shop... the card went to Chattanooga and back for delivery.... everybody in Tellico Plains knows my neighbor... he is a big member of the local chamber of commerce, heads up the Christmas parade, 4th of July parade, the wagon train over the Cherohala Skyway and is a proctor at all local elections. A good number of locals have bought cars from him when he ran the local auto parts store and had a car sales lot in the parking lot.... you would think the mail carrier that goes from my mail box to his on the next stop .... ??

Same is true if you use Fedex -- every package goes to Memphis to be sorted and returned.... when I was still working, one of my tasks was to negotiate letters of credit for my customers... usually issued by a down town Houston bank.... Fedex picked up the documents at my office at the junction of the I10 and I610 enterchange, about 12 miles from downtown Houston... Documents worth any where from 1/2 to $1M plus flew to Memphis and back to be delivered 12 miles away.... When I worked in San Francisco, did similar work and had similar results.... documents flew from SFO to MEM, then back to SFO for delivery.

UPS uses a similar system, but I don't remember where their hub is located.

Because Amazon has a warehouse in Phoenix area, most of my Amazon deliveries are in a little white Amazon van instead of UPS, FEDEX or US mail.

 

[TellicoTurning]

Because Amazon has a warehouse in Phoenix area, most of my Amazon deliveries are in a little white Amazon van instead of UPS, FEDEX or US mail.

I think the closest Amazon warehouse to me is Chattanooga, although I also think they are building one in Alcoa near the airport... both are about 50 to 60 miles away.... we usually get deliveries via USPS, FEDEX OR OOPS.

 

[Velcrodog]

I think the closest Amazon warehouse to me is Chattanooga, although I also think they are building one in Alcoa near the airport... both are about 50 to 60 miles away.... we usually get deliveries via USPS, FEDEX OR OOPS.

We have a huge Amazon distribution center about 4 or 5 miles away. Get stuff next day, sometimes the same day. In the mornings all the Amazon vans leave the warehouse at the same time. Looks like a major parade on the highway.