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United States Postal Service tries to compete with Google using fear

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Re: United States Postal Service tries to compete with Google using fear

#91

Post by logn »

jdthomas wrote: post #67

If the USPS wants more usage, rather than marketing, they need to "innovate" just a tad. There is a value-add service that I really wish the USPS would provide. It is very simple too... I would like an abstraction layer for my address. I am still fairly young and move semi-frequently -- every few years. I want a static address that I can give to my bank, DMV, anything that needs to mail me things. This address will a…

Good idea. Also, I'd like to be able to send electronic documents via the mail and for the USPS to introduce a legally acceptable signature they can put on the document. That way I can do all of my legal stuff easily through the mail or send that letter to grandma who's off the grid.

Re: United States Postal Service tries to compete with Google using fear

#92

Post by Karunamon »

FTA> Can the government acquire private companies? I imagine you could. Take your commercial money you are blowing on this crap, and start acquiring companies doing innovative things with mail.

AHAHAHAHAHA. No. It would take a lot to drive me away from Google, but this would definitely be the fastest.

Re: United States Postal Service tries to compete with Google using fear

#93

Post by noblethrasher »

tsotha wrote: post #73
hammerdr wrote: post #16

This is something that is very close to my family so I have a bit of experience with how the Postal Service is going. The big sell of the postal service is that it costs the same amount to send a letter from San Francisco to Los Angeles as it does to send a letter from the bayou in Louisiana to Honolulu, Hawaii. In this, physical mail is the big equalizer. The USPS is also required to deliver mail to even the most re…

>The big sell of the postal service is that it costs the same amount to send a letter from San Francisco to Los Angeles as it does to send a letter from the bayou in Louisiana to Honolulu, Hawaii. That's not a big sell if you're sending a letter from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I don't see any reason for rates not to reflect costs - why am I subsidizing other people every time I send a letter?

You're not subsidizing other people in that case anyway. First class mail is subsidized by the bulk mailers.

Re: United States Postal Service tries to compete with Google using fear

#94

Post by Lewisham »

ojilles wrote: post #79
jdthomas wrote: post #67

If the USPS wants more usage, rather than marketing, they need to "innovate" just a tad. There is a value-add service that I really wish the USPS would provide. It is very simple too... I would like an abstraction layer for my address. I am still fairly young and move semi-frequently -- every few years. I want a static address that I can give to my bank, DMV, anything that needs to mail me things. This address will a…

Man, I've been searching for this (but I live in Europe, so across country borders, there is no hope unfortunately). Instead what USPS could do is actually scan all this stuff and email me a PDF. 80% of the snail mail I receive I don't need to have physically anyways. For those pieces that need physical delivery -> check a checkbox and USPS could send it to my current address. (Notice how that also solves the address…

I'd love this too. A bit of clicking around discovered a company in the UK that does this, but it couldn't look more shady [1].

I'd happily pay USPS $50 a year for such a service, which is certainly a lot more than they'll get in stamps from me.

[1] http://www.ukpostbox.com/

Re: United States Postal Service tries to compete with Google using fear

#95

Post by tomkarlo »

noblethrasher wrote: post #93
tsotha wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The big sell of the postal service is that it costs the same amount to send a letter from San Francisco to Los Angeles as it does to send a letter from the bayou in Louisiana to Honolulu, Hawaii. That's not a big sell if you're sending a letter from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I don't see any reason for rates not to reflect costs - why am I subsidizing other people every time I send a letter?

You're not subsidizing other people in that case anyway. First class mail is subsidized by the bulk mailers.

Well, until now. But it's starting to look like that won't be the case any longer, given the deficits they're projecting.

Re: United States Postal Service tries to compete with Google using fear

#96

Post by tomkarlo »

roc wrote: post #55
pnathan wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> UPS and FedEx are great and all, but they've nowhere near the customer focus that the USPS has. Wut? The local post offices I've used are perennially understaffed, never has enough people, the workers are unbelievably slow, the paper products are overpriced. It's absolutely the consistently worst customer service I have ever used.

I was referring to the mailbox that each and every residence and place of business has, regardless of their proximity and population density. FedEx and UPS have service centers, but nowhere near as many as post offices and neither run widespread residential routes for pickup.

Yeah, but the law prohibits UPS and Fedex from delivering to those private mailboxes. So it's not really fair to complain they don't and the USPS does.

Re: United States Postal Service tries to compete with Google using fear

#97

Post by tomkarlo »

"Mail is so awesome now more than any time ever because it’s so much less full of junk than my email."

Maybe it's just because I am almost entirely switched to e-bills, but my experience is totally the opposite. I rarely get spam messages in my gmail account (once a month?) but my email every day is 90%+ commercial bulk mail. Maybe once a week I get a personal letter or other item specifically sent to me. The rest is either catalogs, credit card offers or financial disclosure / privacy disclosure letters from my credit cards or brokerage.

Re: United States Postal Service tries to compete with Google using fear

#98

Post by malandrew »

rubidium wrote: post #77
tsotha wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The big sell of the postal service is that it costs the same amount to send a letter from San Francisco to Los Angeles as it does to send a letter from the bayou in Louisiana to Honolulu, Hawaii. That's not a big sell if you're sending a letter from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I don't see any reason for rates not to reflect costs - why am I subsidizing other people every time I send a letter?

Because, in theory, you care that they can vote and mail in their taxes at a reasonable price, even from places that are economically unfeasible to have a mail delivery system. Whether you actually care is up to you, but the US government has decided US citizens care. It's similar to the gov't money that was paid to run telephone lines to rural areas (ref: freeconference.com article from the other day).

There is a very reasonable solution to this. Offer special rates for civics activities like voting and taxes. AFAIK, a special rate with return receipts already exists for filing taxes.

Re: United States Postal Service tries to compete with Google using fear

#99

Post by malandrew »

Why are government services spending time and money with advertising at all. They exist to provide a service to citizens if citizens want it. We're both shareholders and customers. They certainly don't exist to ensure their ongoing existence.

This isn't a PSA for the greater good of the country, this is full blown advertising and it should never happen with tax payer dollars. ever.

This blows my mind.

Re: United States Postal Service tries to compete with Google using fear

#100

Post by tsotha »

rubidium wrote: post #77
tsotha wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The big sell of the postal service is that it costs the same amount to send a letter from San Francisco to Los Angeles as it does to send a letter from the bayou in Louisiana to Honolulu, Hawaii. That's not a big sell if you're sending a letter from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I don't see any reason for rates not to reflect costs - why am I subsidizing other people every time I send a letter?

Because, in theory, you care that they can vote and mail in their taxes at a reasonable price, even from places that are economically unfeasible to have a mail delivery system. Whether you actually care is up to you, but the US government has decided US citizens care. It's similar to the gov't money that was paid to run telephone lines to rural areas (ref: freeconference.com article from the other day).

>Because, in theory, you care that they can vote and mail in their taxes at a reasonable price, even from places that are economically unfeasible to have a mail delivery system.

"A reasonable price"? A reasonable price, in the long run, is what the service costs. And there aren't any areas that are economically unfeasible to deliver mail - just not for less than a dollar. I'm okay with people out in the sticks paying, say, $2.50 to send a letter. Are you trying to tell me there are people who can't afford, say, five bucks a year to send two letters (even assuming they do vote by mail)? If money's that tight in rural Nowheresville they can move to the city and get a desk job like everyone else.

>Whether you actually care is up to you, but the US government has decided US citizens care.

Sure, because rural voters have proportionally more voting power. There's no secret why the system is the way it is.

>It's similar to the gov't money that was paid to run telephone lines to rural areas (ref: freeconference.com article from the other day).

Yes, the telephones, the roads, airports, mail... still don't see why people can't pay their own way. Look, there are things I pay more for where I live. Housing, for instance. Why aren't they paying part of my rent?

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