Woe Is Me, What will I do if the USPS

Tiny

Goes Belly UP?? How will I get my coins then?? Looks like the B&M shops will love it and
the gas companies too since I'll be driving more to coin shows all over the place. O Deary
Me, what will poor ole eBay and the other auction houses do if the USPS is not around
any more?? The current administration is talking about spending 300 billion to jump start the
jobless problem and we know that didn't work the first time it was done. Heck the PO is only
what 11 billion in the hole? why not work on that and save over 600K jobs.


Woe Is Me. How will I get my coins when not if the USPS Goes Belly Up?? Wait a minute how
are y'all going to get your coins also.

O Woe Is Us

WTCG

You won't be the only one facing your type of dilemma.

RYK

1. The post office is not going away anytime soon.
2. If it does go away, the private sector will find a solution.
3. If the private sector is in charge, shipping may be more expensive.

Smittys

Paying someone to do nothing is

Like most companies faced with the problem "Cut the Fat"

Could be like one of those towns we've read about.
Get a pay cut or no job.
Or get 50% of retirement or none if we go bankrupt

derryb

More fear out of Washington to justify more printing. Don't get suckered in.

FunwithMPL

I like to use FED-X or UPS.

Wingsrule

why not work on that and save over 600K jobs.

Because they do not have enough work or revenue to support 600K jobs...

BAJJERFAN

<< <i>why not work on that and save over 600K jobs.

Because they do not have enough work or revenue to support 600K jobs... >>



Only the $600K jobs, eh?

Bankerbob56

Cut the fat or let it go belly up! Why do so many people want to spend our COIN to keep failing operations afloat?!

The USPO needs to go!!!

BBN

The prices of a lot of stuff will go up without the USPS. Shipping through USPS is much cheaper than with anything else. What they need to do is cut the little post offices in towns of 200 people when they could easily get rural delivery or drive to the next town 3 miles away to get a PO box.

messydesk

Since the USPS is heavily unionized, I have full confidence that they'll get bailed out at taxpayer expense so that nobody has to get laid off.

COALPORTER

Ship it by AMTRAK or Greyhound bus.

It's a little know fact, but both of these offer small package shipping service - the only problem is you need to go to the train or bus station to get it. (I used to work at a company that shipped packages on Greyhound all the time )

RB1026

The world is/has changed. Electronic media has replaced letters, physical bills, printed catalogs etc. Online shopping rules the day. The volume of packages is up and other forms of mail down.......dramatically. The USPS will have to adjust, it's that simple. There will be a taxpayer bailout (of course) for the current debt and for now the beat will go on as it has.

Longer term, I expect there to be MAJOR changes in how the USPS does business. They will need to become a LOT leaner and jobs will be eliminated. That won't happen now because President Obama can't have more unemployment during an election year. Bottom line.....more debt for the U.S.

johnny9434

theyll find something with ups or fed ex. no need to worry about usps yet

PerryHall

<< <i>I like to used FED-X or UPS. >>



I hear they're going to merge and their new name will be FED-UP.

TwoSides2aCoin

From: "going postal"
To: "postal going"

Get your forever stamps any time !

PerryHall

<< <i>Cut the fat or let it go belly up! Why do so many people want to spend our COIN to keep failing operations afloat?!

The USPO needs to go!!! >>



When they're gone, how will you ship expensive coins or bullion?

Groiny

A big wig Washington insider said , " The USPS is one of the most poorly managed and dis-honest corporations in America "

80% of their income go's to pay employees vs. around 55% for UPS and 38% for Fed X .........

the postmaster General makes almost twice the income of our beloved President ..........

epcjimi1

Somehow I think the post office cutting back means I'll have to stand in line three times longer for the already intolerable, absolutely slow motion service that postal clerk Rick in my hometown currently provides. Good Grief, he is slow! Drives me nuts.

I know this thread isn't about slow postal service. But it's a contributor to why they don't get the business they used to, along with other previously mentioned reasons.

I say times are changing, if the USPS can't adapt, they gotta go.

goldbuffalo

The Post Office is NOT going away,

It's in the Constitution.

Bochiman

<< <i>The prices of a lot of stuff will go up without the USPS. Shipping through USPS is much cheaper than with anything else. What they need to do is cut the little post offices in towns of 200 people when they could easily get rural delivery or drive to the next town 3 miles away to get a PO box. >>



What they also need to do is to let go the folks who are subpar.....there should be a standard and there should be performance goals.
I have some good folks at my local USPS branches, but there are some that really bog things down and one leaves worse off than entering, when having any issues, as they have NO idea what is going on or how to do things, and they act like they don't care (very slow, unprofessional, etc).

I'm still kicking myself for not trying to get a USPS job when I got out of the Army years ago.......I could have coasted, or been a star, without half trying (and, THAT, I believe, is why I did NOT try for a USPS job.....I don't believe in being like that).

MsMorrisine

<< <i>1. The post office is not going away anytime soon.
2. If it does go away, the private sector will find a solution.
3. If the private sector is in charge, shipping may be more expensive. >>




USPS, even registered, on 4 figure and up coins can be expensive already.

I just sent a low 4 figure package that at registered rates would have been $21.
FedEx? Standard Overnight $13.50 or 2nd day for $12.61
UPS? 2nd Day $15.36


FedEx and UPS don't insure coins but these rates include insurance through a 3rd party insurer.



The downside is, as noted on other threads, UPS and FedEx don't care if a package is lost. They don't look for it. If it's gone, it's gone. And I'm with the others on "I would rather have the coin back. Forget the money."

Blackhawk

The problem with any other delivery service now, or any that would be created in the unlikely event that the USPS ceases to exist, is that comparing apples to apples, all would be in the same boat. For those living in an urban area, it's believable that an upstart service that just delivers in the city could offer delivery rates a bit cheaper than those currently set by the USPS for packages (maybe not for general mail), depending of course on volume and physical delivery area. If you live in a rural area, forget it...there's nobody that can deliver a letter to your home cheaper than the the current postal service. Right now, rural delivery is subsidized by those living in the city -If that ends, if you live in a rural area would you be willing to pay the entire cost of fuel, maintenence, depreciation, delivery employee wages, etc., to have a $25.00 coin delivered to your house from the nearest city?

Nobody is fighting for a chance to compete in a delivery market where every US citizen gets the same service for the same price.

Bankerbob56

<< <i>

<< <i>Cut the fat or let it go belly up! Why do so many people want to spend our COIN to keep failing operations afloat?!

The USPO needs to go!!! >>



When they're gone, how will you ship expensive coins or bullion? >>



Fed-Ex...........

The ONLY NON-UNION delivery company in existance!!!

Real Estate expenses only account for +/- 1% of the USPO operating expenses. The union has negotiated contracts with the postal service that provides benefits to it's employees well in excess of the best govt. employee! The contract even forbids layoffs!!!! BUST them all like we did with the ATControllers in the 80's!!!

LindeDad

Get rid of the junk mail rates then they will have time to handle the real mail. My postman spends about 1/3 of his time handling junk mail that all we do is throw into the recyling.

19Lyds

<< <i>1. The post office is not going away anytime soon.
2. If it does go away, the private sector will find a solution.
3. If the private sector is in charge, shipping may be more expensive. >>



Slight correction: If the private sector is in charge, shipping WILL be more expensive.

19Lyds

<< <i>I like to used FED-X or UPS. >>

If you don;t mind spending $19.95 to mail your brother/sister/mother/father/children a Christmas/Birthday/Anniversary card then do it!

I kinda like being able to send greeting cards for .44 cents.

Smittys

<< <i>

<< <i>I like to used FED-X or UPS. >>

If you don;t mind spending $19.95 to mail your brother/sister/mother/father/children a Christmas/Birthday/Anniversary card then do it!

I kinda like being able to send greeting cards for .44 cents. >>



fedex and ups have lots of deliveries at much less than 19.95

19Lyds

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>I like to used FED-X or UPS. >>

If you don;t mind spending $19.95 to mail your brother/sister/mother/father/children a Christmas/Birthday/Anniversary card then do it!

I kinda like being able to send greeting cards for .44 cents. >>



fedex and ups have lots of deliveries at much less than 19.95 >>

How many do they have at .44 cents and will they pick up at my home?

PerryHall

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>Cut the fat or let it go belly up! Why do so many people want to spend our COIN to keep failing operations afloat?!

The USPO needs to go!!! >>



When they're gone, how will you ship expensive coins or bullion? >>



Fed-Ex........... >>



Will they insure an expensive coin? Will their service be more secure than registered mail?

Smittys

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>I like to used FED-X or UPS. >>

If you don;t mind spending $19.95 to mail your brother/sister/mother/father/children a Christmas/Birthday/Anniversary card then do it!

I kinda like being able to send greeting cards for .44 cents. >>



fedex and ups have lots of deliveries at much less than 19.95 >>

How many do they have at .44 cents and will they pick up at my home? >>



But guess that .44 home pickup isn't working therefore 11 billion in the hole.

PerryHall

The USPS isn't going away but you can expect big rate increases so you better load up on those forever stamps.

messydesk

As far as I know, they aren't allowed to raise their first class rates beyond inflation. Add-ons like delivery confirmation, insurance, registered mail, on the other hand, are fair game for big increases.

CertifiedGoldCoins

Those who advocate doing away with the US Mail system ought to consider the consequences. It has unified the country since 1775, allowing anyone to communicate with anyone anywhere -- and everywhere -- else. Serving every American, regardless of geography is expensive, but no taxpayer dollars are involved. Would eliminating that capability benefit citizens and businesses?

Even though its competitors have skimmed the easy part, they charge more for doing less. None of them covers every address, in every city and town, every day. If they had to, their costs would go way up. So they only deliver to some of the addresses -- if they have a package to be delivered.

SeattleSlammer

Well put CertifiedGoldCoins!

But predictably some won't or can't look past their hatred of all things having to do with the government...yet often at the same time they enjoy the benefits of the service they're lambasting.

messydesk

Elimination of the USPS as we know it would not necessarily mean bulldozing all post offices and putting the mail trucks in a cash for clunkers car chipper. Someone out there is probably very interested in their customer base and would like to buy it as long as they could restructure all the labor costs and rules such that it could be profitable for the long term.

johnsim03

<< <i>Those who advocate doing away with the US Mail system ought to consider the consequences. It has unified the country since 1775, allowing anyone to communicate with anyone anywhere -- and everywhere -- else. Serving every American, regardless of geography is expensive, but no taxpayer dollars are involved. Would eliminating that capability benefit citizens and businesses?

Even though its competitors have skimmed the easy part, they charge more for doing less. None of them covers every address, in every city and town, every day. If they had to, their costs would go way up. So they only deliver to some of the addresses -- if they have a package to be delivered. >>



This is an important point that most people do not understand! The USPS must deliver everywhere. UPS and FEDEX "will not" do that. The basic problem with USPS is that
they are "required" to fund fully employee pension funds for 75 years - which is ridiculous. The employee union itself has proposed a plan which would solve the USPS problems
overnight, i.e., to change the policy of not being able to borrow against the pension fund, or to change this policy burden. Congress is expected to gear up those proposals
soon.

If USPS goes away (which it likely will not), the complaints about cost/delivery problems, especially to rural areas, which we will see here will rise to incredible levels. And,
you won't be able to send a letter for 44 cents... Small businesses would be crushed by a reliance on private carriers, with the increased costs...

John

Rampage

I can't believe some of the comments I have read in this thread. Some of you folks have absolutely no clue. I hope you get your wish, then let's see how you feel.

fiveNdime

i would pay more for a stamp if it meant no more junk mail, forever!

golden

A big problem with the Post Office is the unions.The Post Office has thousands of good employees ,but a lot that are not worth anything.The ones that won't work are the same ones who go crying to the union over and over again to protect them when someone actually wants them to do some work!This really lowers morale.I have actually seen employees ,who work sitting down, fall asleep after being or the job for 15 MINUTES.

coindeuce

<< <i>Since the USPS is heavily unionized, I have full confidence that they'll get bailed out at taxpayer expense so that nobody has to get laid off. >>



AND keep feeding the monster of a pension fund deficit for all of the baby boomer retirees that even as union employees marched in lock step with the administration when they were fighting privatization back in the 1970's.

CertifiedGoldCoins

There's really no such thing as "junk" mail. Businesses which use it employ many people, and get a cut rate because they pre-sort it. Since carriers must cover the same territory each day, commercial mail actually subsidizes part of the cost. That way, someone will be on the job to deliver "important" mail to whichever day it arrives.

BBN

<< <i>Well put CertifiedGoldCoins!

But predictably some won't or can't look past their hatred of all things having to do with the government...yet often at the same time they enjoy the benefits of the service they're lambasting. >>




Bingo. It's en vogue to bash all things and all people in government. Many of these people are all about image and nothing more and do not fully know what they believe. It's just cool to show up at a gathering with a tricorne hat and DTOM flag and hope to get on TV yet would raise ten kinds of hell if someone touched their social security check. Many of these people blindly do bashing without putting much thought into it. I agree that government so bloated and spending has been out of control forever, but not everything in government is evil. Public safety services and other issues are going to be needed no matter how bad some hate everything govt.

Groiny

<< <i>I can't believe some of the comments I have read in this thread. Some of you folks have absolutely no clue. I hope you get your wish, then let's see how you feel. >>



.I'm not sure what folks are wishing for ; I would miss the USPS very much - so would my wife , she works for them !

But lets face facts , big changes, and I mean BIG , are coming .

You can not operate a business that looses double digit billions year after year -

but heck - no body's gonna be mailing anything after the whole U.S economy collapses

coindeuce

Yes, and all of the above rebuttal coming from a member who claims in his profile to reside in the Socialist Republic of Illinois. Ain't that an oxymoron.

BBN

<< <i>... Small businesses would be crushed by a reliance on private carriers, with the increased costs...

John >>



Yep. All of that junk mail is annoying but many businesses would disappear without that low cost means to advertise. I've even done business with bsuinesses that send out bulk mail because I have a ph# rates, etc on the junk mail. I know many people believe that business doesnt need govt' but this is one small example where many businesses benefit from govt. Oh, and I'm not liberal either. I just realize that there are some necessities with government.

BBN

<< <i>A big problem with the Post Office is the unions.The Post Office has thousands of good employees ,but a lot that are not worth anything.The ones that won't work are the same ones who go crying to the union over and over again to protect them when someone actually wants them to do some work!This really lowers morale.I have actually seen employees ,who work sitting down, fall asleep after being or the job for 15 MINUTES. >>




You are right here. I work a unionized job and it would be amazing how much harder people would work if their pay and job security depended on them alone. The union fosters bad behavior and lowers the morale of those that have ambition but get nothing more in compensation than the ones that do nothing.

coindeuce

<< <i>I just realize that there are some necessities with government. >>



Yes, such as bloated union pension plans.

BBN

<< <i>Yes, and all of the above rebuttal coming from a member who claims in his profile to reside in the Socialist Republic of Illinois. Ain't that an oxymoron. >>



Nope. Illinois is an extreme example. Illinois is government out of control. I see it everyday. There's a way to run government effectively and a way to run it irresponsibly and run it in the ground. This would be Illinois. I agree that the USPS has to do a major overhaul, but it would be foolish to wish it to go away. That's just too simple IMO.

BBN

<< <i>

<< <i>I just realize that there are some necessities with government. >>



Yes, such as bloated union pension plans. >>




No, I never said that. I'm defending a totally different thing than you are bashing. Pensions need killed very soon. I agree. My point is to not kill the USPS altogether. Pension overhaul and streamlining operations, yes. Kill the USPS, no.

Moldnut

<< <i>Well put CertifiedGoldCoins!

But predictably some won't or can't look past their hatred of all things having to do with the government...yet often at the same time they enjoy the benefits of the service they're lambasting. >>