Residential Mail - Do You Need Saturday Delivery?

[MossRoad]

I never knew of twice a day delivery in residential areas, ....

We had it in South Bend when I was a kid in the early to mid 60s. We were on a truck delivery route, but inside the city limits. As I recall, our area was one of the few areas inside the city limits with mailboxes at the end of our driveways. Most folks had foot routes with boxes on the side of the door or a slot through the door. We had the same driver for as long as I could remember. We'd leave him loaves of banana bread on holidays. What I remember most was on some days, I assumed his days off or vacations, we'd get a relative or ours as our driver. Many times we would hear the vroom of the engine, then brakes, then vroom, then brakes and mom would send me out to get the mail. I'd run out there and it would be my cousin. I just thought that was amazing. :laughing: And I remember driving around town with my mom and I'd always look at the mail trucks to see if it was our mailman or our cousin.

 

[Bird]

Your cousin may have been a temporary sub, as I was when I started. The postmaster asked me if I'd be willing to deliver mail when he had someone off sick or on vacation and I said I would. However, when we went to fill out the paperwork and he found I was only 17, he said he couldn't hire me because I had to be 18. But the next day, he came back, said he was desperate for help (had a carrier in the hospital), and got permission from the regional office to give me a 3 month appointment. When that expired, he gave me another 3 month appointment and when that one expired I was 18 and he gave me a 12 month appointment. No exam of any kind, but when I applied for full time work in Dallas, I had to take a written civil service exam.

My first job in Plano was delivering the parcel post in that 1949 Willys that looked just like this one except it was white (and rust) and didn't have those fancy wheels. I wasn't given any instructions except to load those packages in the Jeep, deliver them, and don't wreck that jeep or we'll be doing paperwork from now on.:laughing: He said he didn't care if I blew the engine, it broke down, or anything else as long as I didn't hit anything.:laughing:

 

[dave1949]

I think nixing Sat delivery and maybe more would be fine. Alot of it is junk mail, especially when it comes to companies like Verizon, Cox cable, etc. I think all their tv commercials have it covered. Plus they would probably save a few bucks not mailing all those flyers (which could mean lower rates, but probably not). Those things are almost cardboard they're so thick, they can't be cheap at the rate they send them out. We are responsible for 375 summer residents mail and get at least 1 stack(375) from each company a week. Guess where they end up by request?

Ain't it the truth. We get those flyers, I suppose no one is spared Penny's, Sears, Home Depot, Walmart, Agway, Aubuchon Hardware, LL Bean mini catalogs, several grocery stores, Rite Aid, TSC, Direct TV, Northern Tools, Harbor Freight, Foster&Smith Pet Care ... it's endless. I don't figure how they increase their sales with those. It's sort of the carpet bombing ad approach. It must not cost much to do. Uncounted trees go directly from the mailbox to the recycle basket.
Dave.

 

[dave1949]

Your cousin may have been a temporary sub, as I was when I started. The postmaster asked me if I'd be willing to deliver mail when he had someone off sick or on vacation and I said I would. However, when we went to fill out the paperwork and he found I was only 17, he said he couldn't hire me because I had to be 18. But the next day, he came back, said he was desperate for help (had a carrier in the hospital), and got permission from the regional office to give me a 3 month appointment. When that expired, he gave me another 3 month appointment and when that one expired I was 18 and he gave me a 12 month appointment. No exam of any kind, but when I applied for full time work in Dallas, I had to take a written civil service exam.

My first job in Plano was delivering the parcel post in that 1949 Willys that looked just like this one except it was white (and rust) and didn't have those fancy wheels. I wasn't given any instructions except to load those packages in the Jeep, deliver them, and don't wreck that jeep or we'll be doing paperwork from now on.:laughing: He said he didn't care if I blew the engine, it broke down, or anything else as long as I didn't hit anything.:laughing:

Life didn't used to be so complicated. It would be pleasurable to recapture some of that. Just don't bring back my sadistic 6th Grade teacher - Mabel Topping.

Dave.

 

[MossRoad]

Your cousin may have been a temporary sub, as I was when I started. The postmaster asked me if I'd be willing to deliver mail when he had someone off sick or on vacation and I said I would. However, when we went to fill out the paperwork and he found I was only 17, he said he couldn't hire me because I had to be 18. But the next day, he came back, said he was desperate for help (had a carrier in the hospital), and got permission from the regional office to give me a 3 month appointment. When that expired, he gave me another 3 month appointment and when that one expired I was 18 and he gave me a 12 month appointment. No exam of any kind, but when I applied for full time work in Dallas, I had to take a written civil service exam.

My first job in Plano was delivering the parcel post in that 1949 Willys that looked just like this one except it was white (and rust) and didn't have those fancy wheels. I wasn't given any instructions except to load those packages in the Jeep, deliver them, and don't wreck that jeep or we'll be doing paperwork from now on.:laughing: He said he didn't care if I blew the engine, it broke down, or anything else as long as I didn't hit anything.:laughing:

When I was a kid AM General was making postal and army Jeeps in South Bend. There were always 2-3 of them sitting behind the main post office (which my father designed as an architect ) for sale. They were beat to heck and could be purchased for a couple hundred bucks. Rural newspaper carriers tended to buy them for their paper routes.

They stopped using those and switched to the little vans. I had a part time job while in college around 1980-82 driving the postal vans (and Hummers and 5 ton military trucks) out of the AM General factory in South Bend to area rail spurs and loading them up for transport all over the world. The ones meant for Hawaii had some sticky gum sprayed all over them to protect them from salt during shipping. Man, were they nasty to touch or sit in. :laughing: They had big spring bumpers and the transport crews were fond of playing bumper cars with them on the streets at stop signs. Needless to say, those guys got fired when the supervisor found out.

 

[300UGUY]

I won't miss saturday mail delivery, most of my stuff is online now. Kinda feel sorry for the postal workers. Harbor Frieght amazes me. I have bought a few things from them over the years, but they have sent me enough catalogs to paper the earth. I get as many as 3 per week, I think they are cutting trees down just for me.

 

[dave1949]

I won't miss saturday mail delivery, most of my stuff is online now. Kinda feel sorry for the postal workers. Harbor Frieght amazes me. I have bought a few things from them over the years, but they have sent me enough catalogs to paper the earth. I get as many as 3 per week, I think they are cutting trees down just for me.

True enough. What really irks me these days, if I make a small charitable donation to some outfit, cause or whatever - they proceed to spend more than I gave soliciting more donations from me

Not only does it keep my mailbox busy, it's a waste of donated funds. I'm ready to give up on them.
Dave.

 

[dcyrilc]

True enough. What really irks me these days, if I make a small charitable donation to some outfit, cause or whatever - they proceed to spend more than I gave soliciting more donations from me

Not only does it keep my mailbox busy, it's a waste of donated funds. I'm ready to give up on them.
Dave.

I have to agree. We hear so much about conserving resourses these days and how much is wasted straight to the landfill with junk mail? I would bet that I have a weekly stack around 2" tall and only about 6 bills that matter. I have to be careful that bills aren't stuck inside some flyer and thrown out with the junk.

 

[czechsonofagun]

From my experience, US Postal Service is wonderful - compared to what we had when I was growing up and it improved little since the revolution. Saturday delivery and the fact that they pickup your mail is one of the nice perks.

 

[Bird]

I won't miss saturday mail delivery, most of my stuff is online now.

I actually mailed one check last year.

if I make a small charitable donation to some outfit, cause or whatever - they proceed to spend more than I gave soliciting more donations from me

That's a fact!! And last year, I gave a hundred dollars to one via credit card and they charged the credit card a hundred twice.