[marcozombie]

[quote=Overbear;77273043The USPS is a waste of taxpayer money.[/QUOTE]

Great, so If you want to get rid of the Post Office you'd have to amend the constitution yes?

[FreeEnterprise]

gdude, you may have worked in a post office, but every post office I walk into (and I do for my job often) they are still to this day HAND cancelling the netflix mailers. And they don't charge for that hand cancelling...

It costs the post office a fortune to hand cancel all those dvds...

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/u-s-po...-on-labor/7251

This came out in 2007... But, they are STILL using the same (illegal) mailer today... AND not paying for the additional costs.

"Netflix's return DVD mailers are apparently costing the U.S. Postal Service $21 million in annual labor costs (in 2006). And the Postal Service wants some of its money back. (but they never did anything, and netflix has grown dramatically since 2006)

Simply put, Netflix's return DVDs clog the postal machinery and require manual sorting. When Netflix subscribers open their mailers the leading edge of the package is removed. On return, the same package comes back without the hard edge and plastic instead and jams the sorters."

I have read the manual on mailing CD/DVD's and the netflix mailer did not meet the criteria... And instead of kicking it out, and charging more for the hand cancelling, they instead got a special deal.

There is ONE mailer that I know of that is patented that meets the postal regulations for mailing a CD/DVD's two ways without breakage through the automated equipment, and Netflix/blockbuster does not use it, as it costs too much and their business model depends on mailing at rates that the regular public can't get.

Blockbuster directly copied netflix's mailer and it still was not being accepted by USPS, that is why they sued.

No wonder they won.

My friend owns the patent for the only mailer that fits the criteria and can be put through automated equipment with minimum breakage. And netflix is not using it... They got special "rules" from USPS that no one else can get... Namely hand processing and cancelling without using the machine. while not PAYING for that service.

I know all this because I helped my friend develop the mailer and printed all the test versions, and watched them go through the MERLIN system at the post office with no breaks.

http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2010/0...-detailed.html



Bottom line, Netflix pays for AUTOMATED rates, in a mailer that does not pass the regulations for a two way mailer of CD's/DVD's. And if you or I tried that, we would be hammered with our mail kicked out, and our postage doubled.

But, again, it is WHO you know... and what palms you grease...

I work in this industry, and deal with the post office daily. Walk in with a netflix envelope and try to mail it to your house, and see what they would charge you for that...

[EPAPressure]

Interadesting. Still peanuts to the overpaid pensions.

[drgonzo]

I'm not sure what about bulk rate negotiation people don't understand. Hell Amazon has a whole class of service of its own.

It's not like this isn't standard with private shippers as well.

But again, the postal service is mandated to be revenue neutral. So there is no conspiracy here as the money will have to be made up somewhere. Claiming political bias is nonsensical. And for the last ****ing time, USPS DOES NOT COST THE TAXPAYERS MONEY.

[FreeEnterprise]

Originally Posted by EPAPressure

Interadesting. Still peanuts to the overpaid pensions.

It was costing the post office $41,000,000 in 2007.

Today it is costing them at least triple that number... Last I heard it is close to $150,000,000 a year in losses for the USPS for the "free" hand cancelling they are GIVING Netflix and now blockbuster.

That ain't peanuts, when you consider that loss is every year... Why is the post office allowing a company to profit off of their work, while not paying for the work?

[F1VENOM]

So it's not just Netflix if it's also Blockbuster.

[Frank101]

Originally Posted by drgonzo

That's because it is not capitalist. It is not allowed to make a significant profit. Interesting, huh.

Originally Posted by Frank101

American Letter Company

Originally Posted by drgonzo

Why is no one calling out the repeated bull**** that USPS costs taxpayer money?

I called you out and you ignored me.

[drgonzo]

Originally Posted by Frank101

I called you out and you ignored me.

Posting irrelevant bull**** isn't calling anyone out.

[Frank101]

American Letter Company was a privately run mail delivery service delivered mail more cheaply and efficiently than the USPS at the time and the only reason it went out of Business was Constitutional law that grants the Feds monopoly privilege of the service.

You responded to SniperForce-Duffek

I prefer USPS over the other carriers. They're cheaper and faster than fedex and UPS but almost half.

With this snarky bit

That's because it is not capitalist. It is not allowed to make a significant profit. Interesting, huh.

Lysander Spooner ran ALC, for profit, more cheaply and efficiently than USPS. Which factually disproves your comment implying a service run for profit is worse than the USPS monopoly of the service.

Perhaps USPS can deliver mail cheaper to rural areas than UPS because it has monopoly privilege to do so and does not have to compete for it and therefore has the market cornered. People living in the sticks are being subsidized by the massive amounts of mail that is more cost effective to deliver. Would costs go up for people living in remote locations if UPS competed and charged? Probably. Is the cost to deliver to rural areas worth the same 42cent stamp as it is to deliver to a PO or city building? I'd say not likely.

[licence2kill]

Thats a completely different argument. Believe it or not frank, we don't always care about efficiency. When it comes to our basic mailing infrastructure our primary concern is equality of access.

[drgonzo]

Originally Posted by Frank101

American Letter Company was a privately run mail delivery service delivered mail more cheaply and efficiently than the USPS at the time and the only reason it went out of Business was Constitutional law that grants the Feds monopoly privilege of the service.

You responded to SniperForce-Duffek

With this snarky bit

Lysander Spooner ran ALC, for profit, more cheaply and efficiently than USPS. Which factually disproves your comment implying a service run for profit is worse than the USPS monopoly of the service.

Perhaps USPS can deliver mail cheaper to rural areas than UPS because it has monopoly privilege to do so and does not have to compete for it and therefore has the market cornered. People living in the sticks are being subsidized by the massive amounts of mail that is more cost effective to deliver. Would costs go up for people living in remote locations if UPS competed and charged? Probably. Is the cost to deliver to rural areas worth the same 42cent stamp as it is to deliver to a PO or city building? I'd say not likely.

This has nothing to do with whether the USPS costs taxpayer money. You are making an irrelevant argument because you don't understand what I am talking about or know what you are talking about.

[kapa o pango24]

How much would USPS save if we stopped delivery on Saturday?

[drgonzo]

Originally Posted by kapa o pango24

How much would USPS save if we stopped delivery on Saturday?

Nothing. USPS is mandated to be revenue neutral.

[barrel roll]

So their pensions to be paid is eating into their operating funds? Is that the problem?

[dub CRISP]

I ****ing love the USPS, they are always faster than UPS or FedEx and since I live in a city they have access to my apartment's foyer area and don't have to leave "sorry we missed you" slips on the door.

I live in the middle of Boston. If USPS fails to deliver a package for some reason I can pick it up 1 block from my house. If FedEx fails to deliver a package I have to drive 30 miles outside of the city.

[SniperForce-Duffek]

Why don't they leave it at the office?

[Eric the Fish]

Do you know of any public or private sector business that is required ( by law) to pre fund future pensions 75 years out? Thats what congress has done to the USPS. Hmm maybe thats why they are running a deficit, that and because we are in the greatest recession in the last 80 years. Derp

[kapa o pango24]

Originally Posted by drgonzo

Nothing. USPS is mandated to be revenue neutral.

Yea I meant operationally. Sorry for the lack of specificity.

[drgonzo]

Originally Posted by kapa o pango24

Yea I meant operationally. Sorry for the lack of specificity.

Obviously cutting service would mean less operational expense. However the point of USPS is to deliver mail.