quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
Can't even go to the store for kitty litter?

Anybody here seen the movie Wall-E? Apparently its prediction of future humans will prove to be true.

I don't know about kitty litter specifically, but it is actually cheaper to order our dog food online through Amazon or Chewy, with it being shipped halfway across the country and then delivered to my doorstep by my mailman, than it is for me to buy it at Walmart or a pet store and drive it home myself.

It's not about laziness. It's just the financially smarter move.

But hey, if you choose to spend the extra money on buying your dog food in person just so that some anonymous interweb acquaintances won't think you're lazy, that's your prerogative.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
Can't even go to the store for kitty litter?

Anybody here seen the movie Wall-E? Apparently its prediction of future humans will prove to be true.

I don't know about kitty litter specifically, but it is actually cheaper to order our dog food online through Amazon or Chewy, with it being shipped halfway across the country and then delivered to my doorstep by my mailman, than it is for me to buy it at Walmart or a pet store and drive it home myself.

It's not about laziness. It's just the financially smarter move.

But hey, if you choose to spend the extra money on buying your dog food in person just so that some anonymous interweb acquaintances won't think you're lazy, that's your prerogative.

Rogue, in my tenure as a USPS carrier, we are under no obligation to deliver anything to your front porch. Your mailbox is your “point of delivery”. That being said, if you have a mailbox on the street, then yes, the carrier should put it somewhere ground level. I have had more customers than I can remember tell me they order heavy items online, because they don’t want to deal with it. I’m a mailman, not your personal servant. Even if your mailbox is up steps, heavy items will be left at ground level. Why? Because if we get hurt, the first questions the “clipboards and ties” will ask is why did you carry it up the steps if you weren’t able to hold onto the handrail? If you’ve never worked in the post office, if you get bit by a dog, one of the first questions (and pictures taken) is: Was the employee wearing postal approved shoes?

Probably the dumbest thing I have seen ordered online was a glass lined water heater. 5 feet tall, and large “THIS END UP” stickers everywhere. It wouldn’t fit in the mail trucks at the time. Carrier left a notice, customer complained, “How can I get this delivered?” Maybe the seller should have mentioned that it won’t fit in your mailbox?

I’ve gotten mail trucks stuck in gravel, snow, mud, etc... As a carrier you have to use your best judgment on what you can safely and efficiently deliver. Some of that burden lies on the customer. Like my old customer who complained I never picked up his outgoing mail, because his 130lb German Shepherd was tied to his mailbox.

quote:

Originally posted by Kskelton:

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
For the life of me, I don't understand why these companies don't just slap a label directly to the weight. They destroy the box they're in every fucking time.

I can’t for the life of me remember what I was trying to ship, but I have tried to have this discussion with post office before that it would be easier for everyone involved to just let me slap a shipping label on whatever it was I was shipping and they refused to let me do so. So I had to put it in a box, which seemed more difficult to move around than the original item would have been for me and the people delivering the item.

I'm assuming you're taking a swipe at me because of my comment. I can tell you that I have delivered things that weren't boxed. The one that sticks out in my mind was the lightbar set that was loosely ziptied together. That was a fun delivery. Shit falling all over the place cuz it wouldn't stay tied together. But, because I'm not an asshole like people here seem to think all delivery people are, I made sure it was standing upright against the garage as neatly as I could make it.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
I can tell you that I have delivered things that weren't boxed. The one that sticks out in my mind was the lightbar set that was loosely ziptied together. That was a fun delivery. Shit falling all over the place cuz it wouldn't stay tied together. But, because I'm not an asshole like people here seem to think all delivery people are, I made sure it was standing upright against the garage as neatly as I could make it.

We've been getting a lot of car bumpers lately, not heavy, but unboxed and sometimes don't fit in the older LLVs or vans.

quote:

Originally posted by SevenPlusOne:

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
I can tell you that I have delivered things that weren't boxed. The one that sticks out in my mind was the lightbar set that was loosely ziptied together. That was a fun delivery. Shit falling all over the place cuz it wouldn't stay tied together. But, because I'm not an asshole like people here seem to think all delivery people are, I made sure it was standing upright against the garage as neatly as I could make it.

We've been getting a lot of car bumpers lately, not heavy, but unboxed and sometimes don't fit in the older LLVs or vans.

Lol, Seven, I have seen those as well. Even complete sets of tires. Lately, I’ve seen quite a few 55 gallon trash cans. I guess we can leave those at the curb?

quote:

Originally posted by RC:
A few years back I received a note from the post office that they had a package for me and they needed to talk to me in person about it.

It turns out it was my very large Montana Gold bullet order. (A group of us order together for a better discount)

They thought it was loaded ammo.

I found out they called Montana Gold and asked if they were shipping loaded ammo and whoever answered the phone said sure we ship all over the country.

So I became the center of a postal investigation.

I ended up going down and cut open the boxes to show them it was not loaded ammo, then they explained the boxes exceeded their weight restrictions.

After much discussion I told the postmaster that they needed to discuss with the shipper the weight issue,and they could send the bullets back or I could put them in my truck and the matter is settled.

They let me use a cart, I loaded up and was gone.

I shipped a box of bullets (just the bullet, not a cartridge) and the local office called me,

they said I needed to come pick it up, since it was prohibited,

it took 4 times explaining what a bullet was vs a loaded cartridge, and what was allowed and not allowed thru the USPS (me,, explaining this to the clerk)


finally, when I told her I could be there, but I expected the postmaster to be there when I picked it up , and for that postmaster to explain to me why I could not ship a product they shipped many many times from many many locations,,,,


needless to say, she could not guarantee that he would be there, so I told them to look into it and call me back,


checked the tracking number that evening and it was on its way to the destination,,,

quote:

Originally posted by Ripley:
What are you expected to do, pick it up at USPS?
Why did they accept the package in the first place?

During a vacation trip several years ago, my wife and I purchased a small curio cabinet in China and paid extra for USPS delivery to our home in the states. The item met the size/weight requirements for USPS. Several weeks later, we got notice that they couldn't deliver it because it was too big/heavy but that it was at the local office. Wife went to post office and showed them the docs that proved we paid for delivery to our home and that it met requirements. The lady behind the counter asked if it would fit in my wife's car (it wouldn't and my wife told her so). The postal worker then asked if my wife could come back after lunch to pick it up. To her everlasting credit, my wife looked at her and, without a smile, said "my car won't be any bigger after lunch than it is now." The USPS delivered it that afternoon.

Three thousand bullets plus the weight of the packaging is >50 lbs. I'm no weakling, but I wouldn't want to carry that very far without a dolly.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:
Can't even go to the store for kitty litter?

Anybody here seen the movie Wall-E? Apparently its prediction of future humans will prove to be true.

Waste time, effort, and money driving around for something as trivial as pet supplies you know you need and are available cheaper online? Nope, work smarter not harder.

And its not like Amazon started the American populations physical decline into morbid obesity - the people of Walmart have been around for decades. And as far as I know, Amazon doesn't take EBT (yet), so they continue to have to venture out into the world.

Sorry for the late update.
I was wrong, I had ordered 4K 115 gr bullets.
I got them the Thursday after the new year. They were on the cement apron by my garage door as asked. I weighed the package on my bath scale and it was 65.7 lbs. Yea, it was heavy.
I still can't figure out why they just didn't deliver it when they dropped off the notice that they had a heavy package.
I agree, they contracted to deliver it when the picked it up at RMR.

Talked with my Mail girl today as she dropped off another package (light one)
She said her and the other mail gal were both pregnant( not by me) and were not supposed to lift heavy packages. She told the other girl just to leave a slip in my mailbox, that I was a nice guy and would just got to the post office and pick it up. Only thing is she didn't tell me to come and pick it up.
Oh well.

quote:

Originally posted by Joe 5632:
I ordered some 6” and 8” steel target plates that had free shipping. Came USPS flat rate. The only thing holding the box together was the shipping tape, but I got it on time.

I ordered a low profile floor jack online. When UPS dropped it off on the porch there was a trail of crushed styrofoam bits from the street to the porch. The jack was surrounded by straps of tape holding strips of cardboard with some tufts of foam pacling here and there. I felt bad for the driver, but the jack was fine.

USPS tried to deliver a Small Flat Rate Box with four lead bars. Almost made it. It was 32 pounds, and made it as far as the post office but not to my door.

A SIGforum member had smelted down a sailboat keel and sold the lead on this forum. Wish I bought more; it is very handy.

I order 10k of 147 at a time. I always offer to pick them up at our post office. Easier for both of us.