The new USPS shops - from someone who's done one

An interesting article about the price hike:

[www.cnn.com]

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

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I don't know what's in that article, I glanced, but it just looked like a history lesson and excuses.

the cause of the financial ruin of the USPS started with Congress forcing them to fully fund their retirement pensions for 75 years into the future. They started "cost cutting" measures, "partnering" with other shipping companies so they didn't have to maintain their railroad and air shipping costs, and started increasing postage. Then to seal the coffin, DeJoy was appointed Postmaster, and he has done his level best to render the USPS irrelevant.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2024 09:34PM by Morledzep.

@Morledzep wrote:

the cause of the financial ruin of the USPS started with Congress forcing them to fully fund their retirement pensions for 75 years into the future. They started "cost cutting" measures, "partnering" with other shipping companies so they didn't have to maintain their railroad and air shipping costs, and started increasing postage. Then to seal the coffin, DeJoy was appointed Postmaster, and he has done his level best to render the USPS irrelevant.

No other business has to prefund retirement pensions like that. In fact, most companies long ago converted their defined benefit pensions to defined contribution pensions, like 401K plans. They calculated the cash value of the old plan, set up individual accounts for employees where they put that cash for them, them encouraged everyone to make automatic contributions to their accounts.

And DeJoy should have been one of the first ones bumped off the stage in 2021. In addition to being incompetent, he also has a massive conflict as a major player in his own shipping business--which competes with USPS.

@Susan L. wrote:

And DeJoy should have been one of the first ones bumped off the stage in 2021. In addition to being incompetent, he also has a massive conflict as a major player in his own shipping business--which competes with USPS.

DeJoy can only be removed by the USPS Board of Governors. Until the current (or future) administration(s) can place enough people on the BoG to reach a majority to remove him, he's there to stay until he becomes term-limited.

You need to look at who placed him in that position, and what the motives for that were.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

Non Political update...in my area the po shops now have a $3 bonus. There are still a lot on the board so I am going to wait for a better deal.

Me too!

I did one yesterday with a $3 bonus. It was my first one with the new MSC and didn’t find it any more difficult than with the previous MSC. My package was 4lbs + so I paid .20 out of pocket netting me $7.80. Not bad to ship a package I needed to send. I’ll do more if I need to ship something.

I've seen the $3 bonus. Last I looked, there were 27 available last week or so. Today, got the Available Assignments email. There are 21 available. Since the $15 is not a flat fee, but reimbursement, these are less attractive than the previous ones at $25 fee with bonus. I'll wait unless I have a package to ship.

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230

I've honestly just lost all interest in doing these. I used to do 4 or 5 each month with the old MSC. While there is a $3.00 bonus now, that's still only an $8.00 pay. Not worth it to me. In my area, there are usually 21 locations within a 30 mile radius. There are, and have been, 17 still showing up for the past 10 days or so. Now, **IF** I absolutely needed to ship something, and ONLY IF, then I would probably consider one with the $3.00 bonus. But my goodness, the MSC has just deflated any desire in me to do these, since they've tried to get us to do them for practically nothing.

@guysmom wrote:

de
I've honestly just lost all interest in doing these. I used to do 4 or 5 each month with the old MSC. While there is a $3.00 bonus now, that's still only an $8.00 pay. Not worth it to me. In my area, there are usually 21 locations within a 30 mile radius. There are, and have been, 17 still showing up for the past 10 days or so. Now, **IF** I absolutely needed to ship something, and ONLY IF, then I would probably consider one with the $3.00 bonus. But my goodness, the MSC has just deflated any desire in me to do th in ese, since they've tried to get us to do them for practically nothing.

t

This. I'll do it when I have to send something to a college student in zone 8 in order to offset the cost and planning (keeping it under a certain weight limit, so, necessitating two shops to send everything).

took one for $5/$15. that appeared to be such location is not taking any packages. only small letters. reported as is wit few pictures and got only $5,

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009

@guysmom wrote:

I've honestly just lost all interest in doing these. I used to do 4 or 5 each month with the old MSC. While there is a $3.00 bonus now, that's still only an $8.00 pay. Not worth it to me. In my area, there are usually 21 locations within a 30 mile radius. There are, and have been, 17 still showing up for the past 10 days or so. Now, **IF** I absolutely needed to ship something, and ONLY IF, then I would probably consider one with the $3.00 bonus. But my goodness, the MSC has just deflated any desire in me to do these, since they've tried to get us to do them for practically nothing.

I have also lost interest. There are 19 in a larger city near me, 1 in my town. I did those same 20 quarterly under tbe old MSC. I also did other locations when on a route if there were PO jobs available. I do look every few days if i want a laugh. Someone took 1 of the 19 but a week later it appeared back on the board. This particular MSC has been slow to recognise when a fee it too low for what the job entails. Even a $3 bonus is not enough.

@gene wrote:

took one for $5/$15. that appeared to be such location is not taking any packages. only small letters. reported as is wit few pictures and got only $5,

Since that location only takes small letters, I'm assuming you didn't mail a package. Since the 15.00 is only for reimbursement, you didn't mail anything, nothing to reimburse. So, getting paid 5.00 is correct. Yeah, it bites that the payment amount is so low. But, you knew that when you accepted the shop.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2024 06:00PM by a-scho.

Good grief. I finally broke down and did one of these as I needed to ship something. Same location, same shop I've done at least 100 times over the years. And I get back a LIST of questions from the editor. First they wanted to know if the workstation count was correct because "the building looks big" so "They must have more workstations." Um, no, they don't. They they wanted to know if I took the picture of the package on the counter inside the PO. Um, no...thats my hardwood floor you see under the package...and heck maybe I can show you how metadata works and for the love of Pete who has a hardwood floor counter? I will not bore you with the rest but basically for $5 this person wanted me to write them narrative on 6 different yes/no questions.

Holy sheetballs...The MSC is out of their minds. (on top of being painfully cheap)

@Cassiespark wrote:

Holy sheetballs...The MSC is out of their minds. (on top of being painfully cheap)

out of their minds + painfully cheap = looking for any reason to get out of paying you $5 and shipping

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

I agree but that was a discovery for me such location is working half way only. But I never saw such one listed with old MSC. In other hand that location was open with current MSC when they offer only flat $15. If I took it for $15 I will have $0.

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2024 03:48PM by gene.

I think that current MSC subcontracted USPS from previous one. The previous is getting some pay too (if you will go to previous one web site you will discover that some one still carry USPS account). That is why the reimbursements too low.

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2024 04:33PM by gene.

@gene wrote:

(if you will go to previous one web site you will discover that some one still carry USPS account).

You've mentioned this before. How about the scenario where a haphazard MSC that can't craft a decent set of guidelines doesn't bother to update its website? I'd bet on that horse before anything else.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

@Cassiespark wrote:

Holy sheetballs...The MSC is out of their minds. (on top of being painfully cheap)

I must have gotten lucky. No follow up questions and my shop was approved in about 24 hours.

yes I mentioned before you right. But in other case. They have similar set up in the past. current one subcontracted USPS from previous. Until they change mind and took the whole pie. When news about new company for USPS arrived I guessed who can take it and was right 100%

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/2024 06:00PM by gene.

So you are saying you see current USPS shops on the Shopmetrics platform of the old MSC?

@gene wrote:

yes I mentioned before you right. But in other case. They have similar set up in the past. current one subcontracted USPS from previous. Until they change mind and took the whole pie. When news about new company for USPS arrived I guessed who can take it and was right 100%

@Cassiespark wrote:

So you are saying you see current USPS shops on the Shopmetrics platform of the old MSC?

@gene wrote:

yes I mentioned before you right. But in other case. They have similar set up in the past. current one subcontracted USPS from previous. Until they change mind and took the whole pie. When news about new company for USPS arrived I guessed who can take it and was right 100%

gene thinks that because the shopmetrics/news/team website hasn't been updated to remove the mention of USPS from the person who used to oversee the program at the old MSC, that means the old MSC still has a hand in the cookie jar.

I've more than once tried to make the point that it's more likely the website hasn't been updated, but that doesn't seem to register. Look at it this way: why would an MSC that's notorious for not wanting to answer shopper's questions intentionally leave something on a website that would invite questions, i.e., "Where are the USPS shops?"

They put as much thought into their website as they do their guidelines.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

Never was able to hook up with a partner under the old regime. Now that doesn't seem to be a workable strategy.

There was one with a small bonus at the post office I normally use, which is only a few blocks away.

And I had to return a travel mug to the boss at the non-profit I work for in North Carolina, so I booked it.

Broke down an Amazon box and flipped it inside out, added a sandwich bag with some dog treats to make sure I was over 1 lb, and off we went.

Surprisingly the place was not busy, so I was in and out within a couple of minutes. Shop was easier than the previous implementation, and the report was accepted even with my out time being 1 minute after the receipt time.

These don't strike me as the kind of shop to make part of the daily routine, but, obviously, they can come in useful if you need to mail something anyway and want to pocket a few dollars in the process.

Have synthesizers, will travel...

Yes, some potential here if you have to mail a box for out-of-pocket costs, and your local post office is available. Otherwise not worth the gas money for $0 or $5 pay. None of the shops have been picked up within 50 miles, and it is the opposite of how the shops were booked quickly with the previous MSC. Staying hopeful for the fee to increase!

Maybe the USPS really doesn't want most of the locations shopped, but want just enough to happen that their employees BELIEVE that they are. Keeping them on the job board, even unshopped, is "proof" that the program is still running, which would keep post office staff on their toes. And the client would pay less $ for the program.

I remember a few years ago they cut back on the frequency of shopping the locations here which is a big city. So maybe now they don't mind cutting back even further and rather than doing each far flung location at least once a month they are satisfied if someone takes it that month but it is okay if it not taken every single month.
I often used these shops in the past if I was doing another shop in a neighborhood I do not usually go to so I could make a few extra bucks for an easy job and send something to my kids. Or if i had to drive to somewhere in the city also not an area i usually go to but had a doc appt there or had to travel there for some other reason so i could offset the mileage with a shop. Of course this would not help with those of you who travel long distances. For me these are short mileage trips , usually under 10 miles, that take forever to get to in this gridlocked city.
Unfortunately I can no longer mail to zone 8 and earn anything!

@Susan L. wrote:

Maybe the USPS really doesn't want most of the locations shopped, but want just enough to happen that their employees BELIEVE that they are. Keeping them on the job board, even unshopped, is "proof" that the program is still running, which would keep post office staff on their toes. And the client would pay less $ for the program.

Yeah, this is consistent with a change in philosophy.

We know the rule from the previous MSC was "every location once per quarter plus a certain number of second visits." And they had a good system for doing that. Under the new rules it's basically just "If you were going to ship anyway." Which is fine if that's all they want. But any location that was getting $35, $50, or more for the previous MSC will surely not be getting filled by coincidence for this new one.

Or to phrase it differently, if it turns out they do need every location shopped then those bonuses are going to be HUGE when it gets close to deadline.

I'm seeing them at $10 now: $5 plus $5 bonus. Right direction but not nearly far enough.

While I don't blame anyone for taking a shop if they're going to ship a box anyway, I hope on the whole we all hold out for 20+ even on convenient locations. If the MSC is going to play this game then we can too.

Personally, I would be willing to re-shop the two near where I live at the $5 bonus. Have two packages to send out, and the $15 reimbursement exactly covers a package from TX to CA. The nearest one is within walking distance. My favorite one is three miles away. Not too bad during mid-afternoon.

Currently, the last date is 8/1, but hopefully as a whole, the bonus continues to increase further into August.

Editing to add, well maybe it won't be $15 now. It's been about a month since I last visited.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/30/2024 06:08PM by Okie.

Grille I picked up this tip on an earlier post. A company called Pirate ship will send your packages at about half price. So if you have to send a weighty package it will cost you less to send it that way with no report.
I sent my son a 5# package to zone 8.using USPS . It ended up costing me around $15 Priority with Insurance. No hassle with the report. And they send you cute pirate jokes anytime they need to contact you. (Thank you Service Award)
I did one yesterday with a $3 bonus. It was my first one with the new MSC and didn’t find it any more difficult than with the previous MSC. My package was 4lbs + so I paid .20 out of pocket netting me $7.80. Not bad to ship a package I needed to send. I’ll do more if I need to ship something.[/quote]

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The new USPS shops - from someone who's done one

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