I’m pretty sure many people would agree with the statement that the United States Postal Service is in utter disarray.
Who hasn’t wondered what is going on at times when a package or letter takes forever and a day to travel 80 miles or less? Or who hasn’t felt somewhat disappointed when you have a simple question and receive a bungling, convoluted answer?
And the reality is, the USPS isn’t just perceived as having serious trouble, it actually is, which is illustrated by the titanic financial “difficulties” it’s facing. For real, the USPS is losing money like water through a sieve. Get this: The organization had a net loss of $9.4 billion in fiscal year 2024.
While it’s an “independent establishment,” the USPS is affiliated with the executive branch of the federal government. With that in mind, it’s like, dang, what other entity could possibly exist losing that kind of dough? I think the answer is clearly very few, if any.
And it’s not going to get better any time soon, as prognosticators expect that already amazing figure to climb into above the $10 billion mark. That’s totally absurd.
But at the same time, it’s kind of understandable considering the source. Allow me to describe a scenario that undeniably depicts the rampant inefficiency that has become standard with the USPS. I’m sure this will seem annoyingly familiar to many of you.
On May 8, I ordered a refrigerator water filter from an online outfit called Discount Filters. I ordered through them because the price of the unit was very good, and I was able to use my PayPal account for the purchase.
I soon got one of those emails that allows you to “track your package.” I didn’t open it at first, because I usually don’t bother with tracking.
But after several days, I clicked on the tracking icon. After seeing what I saw, I clicked on it again each day after that.
My order began a quite remarkable journey at Discount Filters headquarters in Greenwood, Indiana. It then went to Glendale Heights, Illinois, before heading southwest to Grand Prairie, Texas.
Then, it went north to Kansas City before going back south to Springfield. Finally, it reached Houston.
The Grand Tour lasted nine days and racked up thousands of miles. That’s just ridiculous.
I’m sure a USPS official would be able to offer a logical, sensible explanation for why the lengthy excursion took place. But I’m skeptical; very skeptical, you know what I mean?
Working at the Houston Herald also gives me ample opportunity to witness the public’s frustration with the Postal Service. You would be amazed at how often phone calls are received from subscribers indicating they didn’t receive their newspaper in the mail.
And you’d be even more amazed by how many times those people use the word, “again.”
With no recourse, we just apologize and let the people know we truly and sincerely want them to get their Herald, but we’re at the mercy of the Postal Service. Sometimes the customers say, “I know. But I called them and they put the blame on you.”
Anyway, I guess we shouldn’t expect much from an organization capable of squandering close to $10 billion in a single year.
Before closing, I feel led to point something out.
There’s a well-known phrase, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” that is commonly thought to be a slogan associated with the USPS. But the quote actually originated from the ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, who coined it to describe Persian courier services.
How about that? Even the slogan is a sham.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald. Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.