Why is the USPS delivery system so convoluted?

I would guess that it’s one of those things that made sense at the time, once.

I doubt there was someone sitting around thinking that the should fuck with your package.

It is all done with software. You would have to account for things like bad weather and planes being rerouted when writing the software.

I’m sure that didn’t happen in your case. It was probably something stupid like a messed up train so they routed it to to the airport to get flown and then something went wrong. My point was that with software bugs slip through the cracks.

The USPS is one of the best things this country has ever done. It is insane that I can send a letter to anywhere in the country for under 50 cents.

I would guess the parcel goes through hub systems, and also get’s routed on planes that will be full. Just a guess. Once on the ground it goes through hibs and main post office until it reaches, your local post office where your postman picks up. This particular route does seem a little odd, generally it doesn’t look so illogical.

The US post office is amazing really. Extremely reliable and overall it seems very efficient to me. Letters move within days to their destination.

Have you received the item yet? The tracking of the package above does not make sense ( maybe a bad ZIPCODE ).

I’ve worked for UPS and Fedex, and I can tell you they run off basically the same system (UPS has a lot more people working it’s lines than machines so they actually see more crap like this).

When you have such massive operations you’re bound to have screw ups here and there, you unfortunately seem to be at the receiving end of this screw up.

Part of it may also have to do with the seller. If you use Amazon’s bundling option then they ship everything to themselves first. This would be a pretty big screw up on their part too though.

Looks like Bell Gardens is a routing center (e.g. @JLeslie‘s “hub system”). This is a common way of handling packages, pioneered by FedEx.

In the grand scheme of things sending stuff through hubs is more efficient. But this is clearly an example where it isn’t. FedEx used to send everything through Memphis, and stills sends almost everything through their multiple hubs. As far as I know they make an exception for cross-town.

The Capital Heights, MD is the location for distribution in southern Maryland for USPS (ready for delivery). Greensboro, NC is a location for distribution also a bulk mail center for USPS.

@tedd Wasn’t a bundle option. @Tropical_Willie Have not received it yet. That information is fresh as of yesterdays date, also I double checked all my shipping information before I posted this question.

@_Whitetigress Yah it sounds like their system just F’d up and you were the unlucky one it happened too.

Being in a rural area, if I want to mail a parcel or letter to the next hamlet rather than hand-carry ir or use my pigeon, I put it in the slot at the post office. it then goes to Buffalo (600 miles away) and meanders around for a while.

edit; it

Congress forbids the USPS from having their own fleet of planes so any mail sent by air relies on the private sector (commercial flights, contractors, etc.). Unlike UPS and FedEx, the United States Postal Service does not have any hubs where packages are sent. Any parcel that started out in California never should have left the state. So whether the zipcode was wrong or it was misbarcoded, somebody screwed up, plain and simple.

@AstroChuck My guess is, since my town is National City, CA. Someone could have mistaken it for NC (north carolina, where it currently is) I’m just crossing my fingers and hoping the seller packaged this puppy up real nice. Who knows how many hands are gonna chuck this box to and fro.

I have mailed things to Canada regular mail, express, overnight and “really hurry up.” They arrive when they arrive, often at the same time that a dog team and sled could have made the trip.

@AstroChuck The USPS does have what they call “network distribution center, formerly known as a bulk mail center (BMC), a central mail facility that processes bulk rate parcels as the hub in a hub and spoke network.” per Wiki.

@dabbler I think @AstroChuck was referring to USPS not having airport Hubs. You are probably referring to sorting centers.

3 days later it’s in the same location :(

@_Whitetigress Uh oh. I’m thinking there is somethng wrong with the address or coding. Maybe call where it is tomorrow?

@JLeslie Yes I’m in contact with the seller and will be having them take care of it.

@dabbler- There are many BMC’s (distribution centers) throughout the country . They process bulk rate packages (not priority or any first-class, only bulk rate) and are centrally located to various regions. For example Sacramento (where I live) has its own for the region as do other metropolitan centers. There is no central hub in the US where packages or any other types of mail pass through.