Firstly, they do have their own private courier service.
Second, if USPS suddenly is pushed by the Administration or whatever upon which the Administration manages to lean, it will become more-expensive than FedEx, UPS, DHL, and so forth. The other clients will then go to those lower-cost providers. Then the USPS will go bankrupt, like the three casinos Trump managed to trash.
FedEx and UPS often just handle the long-haul portion of a shipment and rely on the USPS for delivery from a USPS distribution center to a customer. If the USPS goes away. FedEx and UPS will not take its place. We'll all just be stuck with very expensive, not very convenient shipping.
by Anonymous Coward writes:
on Friday May 18, 2018 @05:16PM (#56635544)
People only look at what is right in front of them. Last mile delivery is the toughest and most expensive to coordinate. USPS owns that. USPS is public. Trump hates public services.
Here's what's going to happen
Trump "penalizes" USPS, cheerleaders are on his side. Amazon responds by furthering its last mile push. Amazon establishes independent and underpaid delivery drivers who run last mile using their own vehicles. Eventually Amazon will be pushed to use a fleet due to the same pressures uber is facing.
USPS is pushed to the side leaving Amazon Road or whatever the fuck they'll call it to do the majority of last mile for the country. Trump and Bezos laugh together at a cocktail party years later about how they privitazed a public service and used the public dime to do it.
What? It's the toughest and most expensive to coordinate, and USPS is losing money on it.
What makes you think Trump hates public services? Reducing the avenue for special interests to exploit and bankrupt public services would indicate the opposite.
We need something better than home delivery. It's inconvenient, most people are at work while it happens anyway. Stuff gets lost/stolen/wet. Lack of time means even if you are in they often don't bother to ring the bell or just lob it in your garden.
I get most stuff delivered to work. We have Amazon lockers. Maybe USPS could consider a low cost deliver-to-locker system? Drive through collection with mobile app that tells them when you get near so the package is taken off the shelf and waiting.
Maybe USPS could consider a low cost deliver-to-locker system? Drive through collection with mobile app that tells them when you get near so the package is taken off the shelf and waiting.
Most department stores here do click and collect (ie organise delivery to their store for pickup) and some also do click and send (ie drop anything off to post), and pretty much every shopping centre has delivery lockers. So I think the home delivery business is already on its way out.
FedEx and UPS often just handle the long-haul portion of a shipment and rely on the USPS for delivery from a USPS distribution center to a customer.
FedEx and UPS were doing that stuff, prior to an agreement which amounted to a bailout for the USPS which requires them to hand off most small packages to the USPS for final delivery. They do get something out of it, though; those packages can be delivered to mailboxes, unlike when FedEx and UPS drop them off, because the USPS has a monopoly on delivering to your mailbox.
Wait, I thought it was legal to put mail in a mailbox if and only if you put a USPS stamp on it first [postaltimes.com]. Stuff that's not a mailbox doesn't count--such as your mail slot or the non-US-Mail-approved letter boxes in your apartment (yep! They're fair game!).
Won't that just push... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:5, Insightful)
Firstly, they do have their own private courier service.
Second, if USPS suddenly is pushed by the Administration or whatever upon which the Administration manages to lean, it will become more-expensive than FedEx, UPS, DHL, and so forth. The other clients will then go to those lower-cost providers. Then the USPS will go bankrupt, like the three casinos Trump managed to trash.
Re:Won't that just push... (Score:5, Informative)
FedEx and UPS often just handle the long-haul portion of a shipment and rely on the USPS for delivery from a USPS distribution center to a customer. If the USPS goes away. FedEx and UPS will not take its place. We'll all just be stuck with very expensive, not very convenient shipping.
Re: Won't that just push... (Score:5, Insightful)
People only look at what is right in front of them. Last mile delivery is the toughest and most expensive to coordinate. USPS owns that. USPS is public. Trump hates public services.
Here's what's going to happen
Trump "penalizes" USPS, cheerleaders are on his side. Amazon responds by furthering its last mile push. Amazon establishes independent and underpaid delivery drivers who run last mile using their own vehicles. Eventually Amazon will be pushed to use a fleet due to the same pressures uber is facing.
USPS is pushed to the side leaving Amazon Road or whatever the fuck they'll call it to do the majority of last mile for the country. Trump and Bezos laugh together at a cocktail party years later about how they privitazed a public service and used the public dime to do it.
Re: (Score:1)
What? It's the toughest and most expensive to coordinate, and USPS is losing money on it.
What makes you think Trump hates public services? Reducing the avenue for special interests to exploit and bankrupt public services would indicate the opposite.
Re: (Score:2)
We need something better than home delivery. It's inconvenient, most people are at work while it happens anyway. Stuff gets lost/stolen/wet. Lack of time means even if you are in they often don't bother to ring the bell or just lob it in your garden.
I get most stuff delivered to work. We have Amazon lockers. Maybe USPS could consider a low cost deliver-to-locker system? Drive through collection with mobile app that tells them when you get near so the package is taken off the shelf and waiting.
Re: (Score:1)
Maybe USPS could consider a low cost deliver-to-locker system? Drive through collection with mobile app that tells them when you get near so the package is taken off the shelf and waiting.
Most department stores here do click and collect (ie organise delivery to their store for pickup) and some also do click and send (ie drop anything off to post), and pretty much every shopping centre has delivery lockers. So I think the home delivery business is already on its way out.
Re: (Score:2)
And why do you believe that the taxpayers should subsidise merchandise delivery?
Re: (Score:2)
FedEx and UPS often just handle the long-haul portion of a shipment and rely on the USPS for delivery from a USPS distribution center to a customer.
FedEx and UPS were doing that stuff, prior to an agreement which amounted to a bailout for the USPS which requires them to hand off most small packages to the USPS for final delivery. They do get something out of it, though; those packages can be delivered to mailboxes, unlike when FedEx and UPS drop them off, because the USPS has a monopoly on delivering to your mailbox.
Re: (Score:2)