[Richard]

New Orleans? Maybe that was your mail carrier Bryan Williams saw floating by...

I've had issues with all the major carriers on occasion (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL) but have had nothing but positive experiences with the USPS here at my local post office. For example, I had ordered a special Christmas gift from a company in upstate New York on 15 Dec 2014 to take with us to Dallas on the 23rd. The normal UPS delivery expectations were 3-5 business days, which meant it should have arrived here in NorCal on Saturday the 20th at the latest. However, due to the weather and the volume of holiday shipping, the package – according to the scanned tracking system - did not arrive in the Sacramento terminal until the 22nd at 6 a.m. It was then turned over to the USPS for delivery at 11 a.m., too late for the day’s normal courier delivery.

I waited until 2 p.m. to ensure it was not in the day’s mail, and then went to the post office to see if I could pick it up there. As the daily delivery of packages, a huge bin about 8’ x 8’ x 8’, had not been sorted and scanned into the post office’s system, the clerk told me to check back by 5 p.m. (closing time) to see if it was available.

I returned to the post office at 4:45 and told my story to another clerk who informed me that they had not finished the sorting, but that the package would certainly be delivered in the next day's mail. I told him I was leaving for Texas the next day on a 5:30 a.m. flight and that would be too late, and that the package was a special Christmas gift meant for somebody in Dallas. He then gave me a number to call and told me to call him that night around 7:00 p.m. to see if the package was available.

I checked the USPS on-line tracking system after dinner and saw the package had been scanned into the local post office at 6:40 p.m., and called the number. No answer – so I drove to the post office and rang the bell for the customer service window.

Upon the second ring, a voice called out that they were closed. I called back that I was in earlier and told to come back around that time to check on my package. Several minutes later, the postal clerk opened the window to me and I told him I had seen where my packaged had been scanned in at 6:40 p.m. Another employee called out that they were supposed to be closed, but the clerk told her that he had promised me to check for my package when they sorted the mail and left to look for it.

Several minutes passed and he returned with my package, giving it to me after checking my ID against the name/address of the package.

I thanked him and offered him a tip when we shook hands. He told me it was unnecessary, he was just doing his job, but I insisted and told him how much I appreciated his assistance, and wished him and his family a joyous holiday season.

For important mail (e.g., renewing my passport recently), I use the USPS flat-rate priority mail w/signature notification. I used it most recently when renewing my passport - Sacramento to Philadelphia (sent on Fri afternoon and signed for at the DOS center on Mon morning), DOS processed, and returned to me by priority mail. Entire process took 3 weeks.

As with most organizations, I think it varies quite a bit depending upon the employees and management involved.

Richard