Hey, hey, hey. Guess what came in yesterday's mail-- a Christmas card
from my niece postmarked December 4, 2023. It was mailed from "up north"
to me-- "down south".

Google maps says it traveled 831 miles. Listed transit time by car is 13
hours 11 minutes, by bike three days and change, walking is 13 days.

The post office? Four months and two weeks-- or 135 days. Way to go guys!

Yup, sure feeling OK about the upcoming postal rates increase to 73
cents for a first class letter...

I'm thinking bring back the Pony Express!

--
Because we're here lad. Nobody else. Just us.

On 2024-04-18, Colour Sergeant Bourne <bourne@rorke.za> wrote:
> Hey, hey, hey. Guess what came in yesterday's mail-- a Christmas card
> from my niece postmarked December 4, 2023. It was mailed from "up north"
> to me-- "down south".
>
> Google maps says it traveled 831 miles. Listed transit time by car is 13
> hours 11 minutes, by bike three days and change, walking is 13 days.
>
> The post office? Four months and two weeks-- or 135 days. Way to go guys!
>
> Yup, sure feeling OK about the upcoming postal rates increase to 73
> cents for a first class letter...

1. What is the price of first-class postage in comparable Western
democracies?

2. How much would it cost to send a letter from, say, London to Monaco?

Your letter no doubt ended up in a mislaid bag of mail or something.

In any event, I don't use the mail anymore, unless I can't avoid it.

--
Cindy Hamilton

On 4/18/2024 11:55 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On 2024-04-18, Colour Sergeant Bourne <bourne@rorke.za> wrote:
>> Hey, hey, hey. Guess what came in yesterday's mail-- a Christmas card
>> from my niece postmarked December 4, 2023. It was mailed from "up north"
>> to me-- "down south".
>>
>> Google maps says it traveled 831 miles. Listed transit time by car is 13
>> hours 11 minutes, by bike three days and change, walking is 13 days.
>>
>> The post office? Four months and two weeks-- or 135 days. Way to go guys!
>>
>> Yup, sure feeling OK about the upcoming postal rates increase to 73
>> cents for a first class letter...
>
> 1. What is the price of first-class postage in comparable Western
> democracies?
>
> 2. How much would it cost to send a letter from, say, London to Monaco?
>
> Your letter no doubt ended up in a mislaid bag of mail or something.
>
> In any event, I don't use the mail anymore, unless I can't avoid it.
>

I use it a couple of times a month. As for the price, when I send a
letter 1200 miles and it gets there in 2-3 days, 73 cents is quite a
bargain. I'd not walk down the street for that price.

Given the size of the USPS system, there will be some screw ups at times.

From Mr. Google- - -
On average, the Postal Service processes and delivers 23.8 million
packages each day. On average, the Postal Service processes 4,877 pieces
of mail each second. The Postal Service processes an average of 292,628
pieces of mail each minute

On 4/18/2024 11:55 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On 2024-04-18, Colour Sergeant Bourne <bourne@rorke.za> wrote:
>> Hey, hey, hey. Guess what came in yesterday's mail-- a Christmas card
>> from my niece postmarked December 4, 2023. It was mailed from "up north"
>> to me-- "down south".
>>
>> Google maps says it traveled 831 miles. Listed transit time by car is 13
>> hours 11 minutes, by bike three days and change, walking is 13 days.
>>
>> The post office? Four months and two weeks-- or 135 days. Way to go guys!
>>
>> Yup, sure feeling OK about the upcoming postal rates increase to 73
>> cents for a first class letter...
>
> 1. What is the price of first-class postage in comparable Western
> democracies?
>
> 2. How much would it cost to send a letter from, say, London to Monaco?
>
> Your letter no doubt ended up in a mislaid bag of mail or something.
>
> In any event, I don't use the mail anymore, unless I can't avoid it.
>

It's sad when the Federal and many State income tax bureaus advise
mailing tax returns from inside a post office and by some means that
includes tracking. Same thing happened when we just renewed our
passports. The Department of State web site advises mailing the
application including the old passports by priority mail to provide
tracking. They even used priority mail when sending our new passports
to us.

On 4/18/2024 12:21 PM, Ed P wrote:
> On 4/18/2024 11:55 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>> On 2024-04-18, Colour Sergeant Bourne <bourne@rorke.za> wrote:
>>> Hey, hey, hey. Guess what came in yesterday's mail-- a Christmas card
>>> from my niece postmarked December 4, 2023. It was mailed from "up north"
>>> to me-- "down south".
>>>
>>> Google maps says it traveled 831 miles. Listed transit time by car is 13
>>> hours 11 minutes, by bike three days and change, walking is 13 days.
>>>
>>> The post office? Four months and two weeks-- or 135 days. Way to go guys!
>>>
>>> Yup, sure feeling OK about the upcoming postal rates increase to 73
>>> cents for a first class letter...
>>
>> 1. What is the price of first-class postage in comparable Western
>> democracies?
>>
>> 2. How much would it cost to send a letter from, say, London to Monaco?
>>
>> Your letter no doubt ended up in a mislaid bag of mail or something.
>>
>> In any event, I don't use the mail anymore, unless I can't avoid it.
>>
>
> I use it a couple of times a month. As for the price, when I send a
> letter 1200 miles and it gets there in 2-3 days, 73 cents is quite a
> bargain. I'd not walk down the street for that price.
>
> Given the size of the USPS system, there will be some screw ups at times.
>
> From Mr. Google- - -
> On average, the Postal Service processes and delivers 23.8 million
> packages each day. On average, the Postal Service processes 4,877 pieces
> of mail each second. The Postal Service processes an average of 292,628
> pieces of mail each minute

I'm signed up for the free "informed delivery" e-mail notifications of
what first class mail and packages they plan to deliver to my address
that day. It used to be accurate. Lately I receive first class mail
that was not included in the e-mail notification and notification of
mail that fails to be included that day but generally shows up in the
next day's delivery. I'm beginning to wonder why I bothered.

Cindy Hamilton <hamilton@invalid.com> writes:
>On 2024-04-18, Colour Sergeant Bourne <bourne@rorke.za> wrote:
>> Hey, hey, hey. Guess what came in yesterday's mail-- a Christmas card
>> from my niece postmarked December 4, 2023. It was mailed from "up north"
>> to me-- "down south".
>>
>> Google maps says it traveled 831 miles. Listed transit time by car is 13
>> hours 11 minutes, by bike three days and change, walking is 13 days.
>>
>> The post office? Four months and two weeks-- or 135 days. Way to go guys!
>>
>> Yup, sure feeling OK about the upcoming postal rates increase to 73
>> cents for a first class letter...
>
>1. What is the price of first-class postage in comparable Western
>democracies?
>

Does it matter?

The real problem is the grifting loser running USPS.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_DeJoy#Postmaster_general

On 4/18/2024 2:44 PM, Retirednoguilt wrote:

>
> I'm signed up for the free "informed delivery" e-mail notifications of
> what first class mail and packages they plan to deliver to my address
> that day. It used to be accurate. Lately I receive first class mail
> that was not included in the e-mail notification and notification of
> mail that fails to be included that day but generally shows up in the
> next day's delivery. I'm beginning to wonder why I bothered.

May vary with location, but I find it fairly accurate, especially for
packages. Most is junk and not worth the walk to the mailbox.

They do cover themselves with this line though:
Mail may arrive several days after you receive this notification. Please
allow up to a week for delivery before reporting missing mail

On 4/18/2024 11:44 AM, Retirednoguilt wrote:
> On 4/18/2024 12:21 PM, Ed P wrote:
>> On 4/18/2024 11:55 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>>> On 2024-04-18, Colour Sergeant Bourne <bourne@rorke.za> wrote:
>>>> Hey, hey, hey. Guess what came in yesterday's mail-- a Christmas card
>>>> from my niece postmarked December 4, 2023. It was mailed from "up north"
>>>> to me-- "down south".
>>>>
>>>> Google maps says it traveled 831 miles. Listed transit time by car is 13
>>>> hours 11 minutes, by bike three days and change, walking is 13 days.
>>>>
>>>> The post office? Four months and two weeks-- or 135 days. Way to go guys!
>>>>
>>>> Yup, sure feeling OK about the upcoming postal rates increase to 73
>>>> cents for a first class letter...
>>>
>>> 1. What is the price of first-class postage in comparable Western
>>> democracies?
>>>
>>> 2. How much would it cost to send a letter from, say, London to Monaco?
>>>
>>> Your letter no doubt ended up in a mislaid bag of mail or something.
>>>
>>> In any event, I don't use the mail anymore, unless I can't avoid it.
>>>
>>
>> I use it a couple of times a month. As for the price, when I send a
>> letter 1200 miles and it gets there in 2-3 days, 73 cents is quite a
>> bargain. I'd not walk down the street for that price.
>>
>> Given the size of the USPS system, there will be some screw ups at times.
>>
>> From Mr. Google- - -
>> On average, the Postal Service processes and delivers 23.8 million
>> packages each day. On average, the Postal Service processes 4,877 pieces
>> of mail each second. The Postal Service processes an average of 292,628
>> pieces of mail each minute
>
> I'm signed up for the free "informed delivery" e-mail notifications of
> what first class mail and packages they plan to deliver to my address
> that day. It used to be accurate. Lately I receive first class mail
> that was not included in the e-mail notification and notification of
> mail that fails to be included that day but generally shows up in the
> next day's delivery. I'm beginning to wonder why I bothered.

I wonder how much of these problems is a result of DeJoy trashing the
mail sorting machines and other such changes he made.

On 4/18/24 11:55 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On 2024-04-18, Colour Sergeant Bourne <bourne@rorke.za> wrote:
>> Hey, hey, hey. Guess what came in yesterday's mail-- a Christmas card
>> from my niece postmarked December 4, 2023. It was mailed from "up north"
>> to me-- "down south".
>>
>> Google maps says it traveled 831 miles. Listed transit time by car is 13
>> hours 11 minutes, by bike three days and change, walking is 13 days.
>>
>> The post office? Four months and two weeks-- or 135 days. Way to go guys!
>>
>> Yup, sure feeling OK about the upcoming postal rates increase to 73
>> cents for a first class letter...
>
> 1. What is the price of first-class postage in comparable Western
> democracies?
>
> 2. How much would it cost to send a letter from, say, London to Monaco?
>
> Your letter no doubt ended up in a mislaid bag of mail or something.
>
> In any event, I don't use the mail anymore, unless I can't avoid it.
>
According to postal commission figures, last year, the average first
class mail delivery time in the South was 2.6 days. So far this year,
it's 4.9 days.

--
Because we're here lad. Nobody else. Just us.