I wonder where my package will be tomorrow???

[pjtoledo]

order stuff from the big A. free shipping so I know it won't be fast.
I'm in Toledo Ohio, about an hour south of Detroit. should be a hi-traffic well organized route????? plus I'm within a few minutes of interstates 80/90.

tracking starts at Crest Hill Illinois about 225-250 miles due west of me. very close to 80 & 90.

next day it's in Franklin Indiana near Indianapolis about 225 miles southwest of me. way south of 80/90 by over 150 miles

today it's in Twinsburg Ohio about 225 miles east of me and of course very close to interstate 80, ( 90 splits off in Cleveland. )

so basically my package has been at the end of a 250 mile tether swinging from west to south to east of me.

any bets it will pass right thru Toledo on it's way to a distribution center near Detroit?

 

[rumblecloud]

No idea. If it's on an Amazon truck you'd have a better chance. However...if it's USPS
I'm waiting for one via USPS from Utah. Tracking says it left the Cleveland Distribution Center at 7:35PM on Tuesday the 16th. I know there's been some snow, but Cleveland is only a couple of hours from me and that's the last update.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

USPS just recently took a week to deliver a small (the box fits easily in my hand, it was two relays) from roughly 150 miles away in Ohio.

I also am well aware of how this happens.

The union has a stranglehold on the USPS. The career employees know this and as a result, most of them are incredibly lax. When mail flow picks up through the holidays, they waste time. USPS hires temporary workers to help deal with the mail, but they are handicapped by the fact that they are not permitted to operate equipment other than the large package sorters. No operating bulk sorting machines, no operating pallet jacks or forklifts or anything like that.

So what happens when a pallet needs moved or a load shifted in a trailer and now you need a forklift to fish out the mail carts that are hopelessly jammed together? You go find a supervisor and ask them to call for a forklift and hope. I’ve seen one forklift for a multi-acre facility for an entire 10 hour shift because only career employees can run them and it’s done on a voluntary basis. When mail in the floor gets too backed up, it gets pushed back into trailers and set out in the yard.

The whole deal needs a major overhaul but nobody is willing to make it happen.

Apparently delivery drivers are getting into it all too because often we go for 6 days with only getting one or two pieces of junk mail, then the mailbox gets filled with everything that should have come all week. My favorite is getting something that says something along the lines of “need to respond in 7 days” and it takes 2-3 weeks to get here from the city 15 minutes up the road. My attorney has been thrilled about that one before…

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

USPS just recently took a week to deliver a small (the box fits easily in my hand, it was two relays) from roughly 150 miles away in Ohio.

I also am well aware of how this happens.

The union has a stranglehold on the USPS. The career employees know this and as a result, most of them are incredibly lax. When mail flow picks up through the holidays, they waste time. USPS hires temporary workers to help deal with the mail, but they are handicapped by the fact that they are not permitted to operate equipment other than the large package sorters. No operating bulk sorting machines, no operating pallet jacks or forklifts or anything like that.

So what happens when a pallet needs moved or a load shifted in a trailer and now you need a forklift to fish out the mail carts that are hopelessly jammed together? You go find a supervisor and ask them to call for a forklift and hope. I’ve seen one forklift for a multi-acre facility for an entire 10 hour shift because only career employees can run them and it’s done on a voluntary basis. When mail in the floor gets too backed up, it gets pushed back into trailers and set out in the yard.

The whole deal needs a major overhaul but nobody is willing to make it happen.

Apparently delivery drivers are getting into it all too because often we go for 6 days with only getting one or two pieces of junk mail, then the mailbox gets filled with everything that should have come all week. My favorite is getting something that says something along the lines of “need to respond in 7 days” and it takes 2-3 weeks to get here from the city 15 minutes up the road. My attorney has been thrilled about that one before…

USPS's rightful slogan "Moving at the speed of Government"

My wife had a mail delivery diver try to run her off a gravel road the other day actually. Driving her dorky little van in the middle of the road and even blinking the headlights to get my wife to get out of her way.

 

[Curious Hound]

Reminds me of a game we played as kids. When all the cousins were assembled for a big family dinner. If someone asked, for example, "please pass the mashed potatoes." The mashed potatoes would begun a long, circuitous route around the table, back and forth, from side to side, not reaching the requester. As it went from hand to hand people would repeat "Tom wants the potatoes." And then give them to someone other than Tom. Well, as kids, it was funny. Never should have let the USPS hear about that game.

 

[rumblecloud]

I'm not complaining, but thanks for the explanation. Normally USPS is just fine. I was concerned about this order when I placed it because of the holidays and the weather.
Merry Christmas everyone.