would the postal service run more efficiently w/o unions?

[Maxwell]

Should be abolished, but it probably.

[barfbag]

The customer service at the postal service is honestly no worse than any private company's, in my experience, and often better. My mom receives and sends a lot of mail as part of her business, and they're always very friendly and helpful to her.

Yea right. If your mom is using the postal service a lot and they know her well then they're going to be nice to her. For those of you who are Democrats, I had to wait to get my driver license renewed because the post office misspelled my name on the confirmation of address change form that I brought to the DMV as proof of address. I hate bureaucracy. When I have a problem with my car or car insurance however, State Farm is there to kiss my ass in many ways.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The problem with the Post Office is not primarily its unions, but rather that it is a odd mixture of private and public that largely has the worst features of both.  It is somehow expected to turn a profit (or at least not lose money) yet it is unable to set its own prices or determine where it will have its facilities, or select its operating hours.  None of those impediments are the fault of the unions.  There is no rational reason to maintain universal six day delivery and pickup of the mail. Indeed, given how unimportant the mail is for quick communication these days, three days a week (either MWF or TÞS depending on location) would be sufficient for first class mail to households, with those who feel they need six day delivery having the option of renting a PO Box or paying a fee for the extra service.

[Lief 🗽]

If USPS had such great customer service, how come absolutely nobody uses them in the one area they don't have a legal monopoly on (package delivery), even though they're usually cheaper?

[citation needed]

Plenty of people ship packages through USPS.

The customer service at the postal service is honestly no worse than any private company's, in my experience, and often better. My mom receives and sends a lot of mail as part of her business, and they're always very friendly and helpful to her.

Yea right. If your mom is using the postal service a lot and they know her well then they're going to be nice to her. For those of you who are Democrats, I had to wait to get my driver license renewed because the post office misspelled my name on the confirmation of address change form that I brought to the DMV as proof of address. I hate bureaucracy. When I have a problem with my car or car insurance however, State Farm is there to kiss my ass in many ways.

You have the same bureaucracy at UPS or FedEx. It's not just going to disappear by privatizing things. The person behind the counter at the UPS store doesn't magically stop being grumpy and unhelpful just because his employer is listed on the stock exchange and he has sh[inks]tty benefits.

[traininthedistance]

If USPS had such great customer service, how come absolutely nobody uses them in the one area they don't have a legal monopoly on (package delivery), even though they're usually cheaper?

A lot of people use USPS for package delivery, including myself (on the rare cases I deliver packages at all).  Excluding one-day (rush) deliveries, they do more business than FedEx in fact.

And, of course, FedEx and UPS both rely on the USPS to handle last-mile duties for several classes of deliveries (SmartPost and SurePost).  Obviously they trust the Postal Service to get the job done.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/19/us-usps-newspro-idUSTRE79I5VK20111019

[Lief 🗽]

It's actually really annoying when someone sends you a UPS package and you live in an apartment without a doorman (or a house I guess?). A few weeks ago I got a UPS package while I was at work, so they left a sticky note on the door on the outside of my building that was luckily still there when I got home, saying they'd try again the next day between like 2:30 and 5. Luckily I didn't have to work past 2 that day, so I get home and wait for my package. Eventually the UPS guy comes at 5:45, rings the buzzer, doesn't come up when I buzz him in, and after running down the stairs to get outside I just barely catch him before he gets back in his truck, having not waited for me for more than like 20 seconds.

Meanwhile, if I get a USPS package and I'm at work, I just go to the post office that's five minutes from me the next day, wait in line for five to ten minutes, hand them the slip of paper the mailman left, and get my package.

[tpfkaw]

If USPS had such great customer service, how come absolutely nobody uses them in the one area they don't have a legal monopoly on (package delivery), even though they're usually cheaper?

A lot of people use USPS for package delivery, including myself (on the rare cases I deliver packages at all).  Excluding one-day (rush) deliveries, they do more business than FedEx in fact.

And, of course, FedEx and UPS both rely on the USPS to handle last-mile duties for several classes of deliveries (SmartPost and SurePost).  Obviously they trust the Postal Service to get the job done.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/19/us-usps-newspro-idUSTRE79I5VK20111019

Actually, the only market in which USPS is in second is deferred-delivery (as opposed to guaranteed express delivery; e.g. "delivered in 2 days") of packages weighing fewer than 2 pounds, a market where in just a few years they have fallen from an over 50% market share to a distant second.  In all other markets, express delivery by ground or air of all packages, and deferred delivery of packages over 2 pounds, they are a distant third with a well under 10% market share.

You know who doesn't trust USPS to deliver packages on time?  The United States federal government.

[barfbag]

If USPS had such great customer service, how come absolutely nobody uses them in the one area they don't have a legal monopoly on (package delivery), even though they're usually cheaper?

[citation needed]

Plenty of people ship packages through USPS.

The customer service at the postal service is honestly no worse than any private company's, in my experience, and often better. My mom receives and sends a lot of mail as part of her business, and they're always very friendly and helpful to her.

Yea right. If your mom is using the postal service a lot and they know her well then they're going to be nice to her. For those of you who are Democrats, I had to wait to get my driver license renewed because the post office misspelled my name on the confirmation of address change form that I brought to the DMV as proof of address. I hate bureaucracy. When I have a problem with my car or car insurance however, State Farm is there to kiss my ass in many ways.

You have the same bureaucracy at UPS or FedEx. It's not just going to disappear by privatizing things. The person behind the counter at the UPS store doesn't magically stop being grumpy and unhelpful just because his employer is listed on the stock exchange and he has sh[inks]tty benefits.

It's not bureaucracy without government. At least people have a choice with which private postal system they use. I'm not arguing for any policy changes for anything though.

[Mr. Bison]

No They Wouldnt & The Postal Service Is Homo Sexual & It A Fact