Might be the way the distribution and sorting centers are set up. There are fewer of them now. That's on the USPS rather than Amazon choosing to send it along that route.

My amazon orders are suddenly being delivered by the post office. I don't know if it's because of where I live, but the orders seem to be running late many times. I'm getting a little peeved with how they ship and have started ordering from Walmart more often. They seem more dependable with their deliveries.

I've not had that experience. I ordered two arm chairs. They show they shipped from California yesterday/Thursday....and should be here in Colorado, on Saturday, by UPS. Note: My two smaller items have not shipped yet & should go through USPS arriving Monday. I remember when I was booking airline flights for people. Going through an airport "hub" made the flight cheaper. Because the airline owned the hub. They didn't have to pay another airline to pass through their territory using their baggage handlers, etc..

If your Amazon order says, "UPS Sure Post", it is something that started a few yers ago. Amazon or UPS or both, ship between warehouses. Amazon or UPS delivers to the post office warehouse. That is the delivery date you see on Amazon. The post office warehouse delivers to your local post office. It will then be a day or two behind the delivery date. (or maybe another day, if the postperson has a bad day and takes it back to the station and they try again the next day.) (Another post office trick is to mark delivered, but take it back to the post office and then bring the next day.)

Sherry, the item started a few miles away here in Texas, and is being delivered to a USPS warehouse in Chicago? And will then get delivered to me in Texas?

It's not that unusual - like the airport hub design that nicole mentioned......They may have no pre-set distribution (for that type/size/weight of order) from A to your home, but if they have a super-fast set up to move it from B to your home - and that makes it faster and cheaper to move it from A to B to your home, rather than going directly. It's frustrating because you know it's a lot more work and fuel, but they've determined it's cheaper that way.

Lucille, yes. It is stupid, but that is their "tracks.

We have an amazon warehouse just north of Calgary. I once left Calgary and headed north to go to Edmonton early one day and the parade of Amazon vans left the warehouse and drove past us heading into the city. It was funny! Not all items come from the warehouse at first. Many come from down east and are flown here, then head to the warehouse where they are distributed and then sent out on the delivery vans. Very few are sent through Canada Post anymore.

Lucille, I had an Amazon order last month that was shipped in more than one package - it was several items. Following the tracking on one of those, and it was something small and not overly important, I watched it reach our local post office then leave again and go to California two states south. It came back and I did receive it. But I was awfully glad it wasn't a gift, or a part for an appliance I needed, something of greater importance. It had been within 15 minutes of me at one point then traveled again.

Our Amazon orders are delivered USPS and have been for several years. We live remotely and have rural delivery. In our experience, we have fast shipping - there is a major warehouse near Boston, I think. I prefer to shop locally, but when I go to 2-3 stores and can't find what I want I just order from Amazon.

I ordered row covers for my garden from Amazon a while ago. They kept pushing the arrival date back so finally I just cancelled my order. Now I have to find some more. A little bit annoyed since it took me searching and reading a lot of reviews just to order that one set.

Related to UPS shipping, you can upgrade for $20/year and avoid SurePost and USPS.

Kath, I've ordered row cover fabric from Gardeners Supply Co and been happy with it. It hasn't been recently but I should look, considering some kind of tomato protection this year. To help me out with cool wind, AND the deer. I seem to remember their free shipping terms not as friendly. You had to spend quite a bit to qualify for 'ships free' and that's often one of my ordering goals Covid era.

I'd even stretched and tied it at a fence corner in my little back yard a couple of years former house as debris catcher. I had a very heavily blooming snowball type viburnum trained to tree form in the corner with several expensive perennials beneath it. The petals and blossoms falling from the viburnum would completely spoil all the foliage under it in early summer rains and I'd tried to catch most mid air ;)

I'm always happy when our post office handles the final delivery, because they are the only service that will open our screen door to leave a package in our enclosed front porch. UPS and FedEx leave them outside the screen door even if it's raining.

I'm just glad the worst of the pandemic disruptions have cleared up and delivery is predictable again.

Logistics are funny, though. Recently a book arrived at a city an hour north of me, then showed up 3 days later in a city an hour south of me. Apparently it made that segment of the trip by train. Once it was in the southern distribution center it arrived next day.

USPS has regional sorting centers. Type of mail depends on which center it is shipped to then out from. The last time I looked several years ago there were only 6 in the whole country. I have not looked since then but I have noticed my mail is no longer sorted at Des Moines, Iowa but may be sorted either at Omaha, Nebraska or Kansas City, Kansas.

Start looking at any local plant nursery that sells supplies for the row covers. Most will have some type. Territorial Seed Company that I have used has several different types of covers depending on what you are using them for and normally the hoops to keep them off plants.

I have had that experience twice - my order arriving in the local distribution center just a few miles away, then traveling to Indiana, then eventually (with one or 2 stops) back to my city.

We have seen that as well. An Amazon item my husband ordered a couple of weeks ago, left from a warehouse within 6 miles of our house, traveled back East and back to CA again and then was delivered. Seems like such a waste.

It does seem like a waste. But our local USPS service is not very good for whatever reason and Amazon has had to refund me a number of times this last year for lost undelivered packages that were supposed to be delivered by USPS. I don't know if this hub method increases accountability or what, but if it means more on time actually delivered USPS packages I suppose it is worthwhile.

The current Postmaster General has decimated our formerly excellent postal service. I hate to see that an order is coming through the USPS. Things arrive locally and are lost -- especially small items. Our first class mail has arrived after dark for a year, IF any mail is delivered on a given day, and IF it's our mail. (Get to know your neighbor program?)

I don't think it's fair to hang the USPS's problems on one person who's been in office for 2 1/2 years. I'm not defending him at all but he was handed a cow pie sandwich to make into a banquet. An unlikely task to be successful with.

Volumes have been falling steadily in recent decades and the Postal Service, unlike true private sector operations, has less flexibility to right-size its operations. Its unionized workforce is one of the problems but far from the only one.

Its workforce needs to be decimated and adjusted to the realities of today's demand for its services.

I don't track things too often, and I don't often order from Amazon, but I can't recall seeing such odd transits for my packages. Most of what I order comes through the USPS too.

And @ Kathsgrdn - Pinetree has floating row cover for .60/ft with a 10 foot minimum - is that what you need?

https://www.superseeds.com/products/agro-fabric-row-cover-per-foot

P.S. I've ordered from them for many years and I'm a satisfied customer.

Elmer, Postal Unions are practically powerless so that isnt the problem. The present Postmaster general has an agenda to reorganize the whole system but doesn't have delivery in mind some how. He operates in a crony system for awarding contracts. While first class mail has dried up package delivery is in growth mode. Some one interested in working through the change in emphasis would be helpful. You will argue with me of course but please dont bother.

" You will argue with me of course but please dont bother. "

You've determined you're right and everyone else is wrong then? Do you have a magic wand too?

Here's a question about the unions - is USPS free to downsize and do a RIF involving existing employees who are union members?

There are far too many local post offices - one every few miles in many places. I saw someone comment that there are more post office locations than Starbucks and McDonalds combined. Somehow, that's got to be wasteful spending for both wages and real estate. Can they be combined into fewer locations?

The postal service at the moment is short staffed at most locations.

Post offices are not there just to hand over your mail and weigh your packages and sell you stamps. They also do the final processing and delivery. Delivery people have to have a place to final sort and a place to work from. Your idea of too many is not informed. It is complicated.

Postal employees cant strike. They have no leverage what so ever.

So you think you know everything about the postal service. Do tell where your insight comes from- no dont.

When there is one person at the counter where there used to be three and the postmaster delivers mail way after dark as some of the postmasters are doing in this area, rather than a regular carrier, there are not enough employees. Some of this area are having their regular mail delivered on Sunday. My post office shares some delivery people with other offices if the days mail is light after the regular runs are made.

I have seen a carrier deliver regular mail to my box on Sunday and at 8 in the evening this winter so it is not just hearsay.

Personally, I'll take amazon delivery. I've had little problem with their deliveries; however; I don't live in the countryside. If a company delivers via fedex, I think twice, three times and generally will NOT order from them! That delivery company is truly messed up!

Maddie we agree about Fedex. We are rural. Fedex routinely will say they attempted delivery at four in the morning or some such thing but it is a lie. We have driveway alerts and cameras. Tracking with them is a fantasy game. Stuff eventually gets here but...DH orders a lot of small parts. Amazon is best for us and postal delivery doesnt seem to make a difference.

" The postal service at the moment is short staffed at most locations. "

If they closed 30% of their post office locations and reassigned staff to those remaining open, they'd be overstaffed and could reduce employment.

I think this has been discussed here before. My experience is that too often USPS counter staff are the slowest moving/thinking/talking customer-facing employees one ever encounters. Waits seem to be much longer than at other retail locations. Do they put sedatives in the PO coffee pots? Do others have different experiences?

There are surely ways to do more with less. Do they have the flexibility to make big changes? It doesn't seem like it.

"Here's a question about the unions - is USPS free to downsize and do a RIF involving existing employees who are union members?" Yes, kind of.
The unions can't stop a RIF, and only regulate the process based on seniority and bumping rights with the excess employees designated for removal. After the contractual agreements are met the RIF process will be regulated by the "Code of federal regulations Title 5, chapter 1, subchapter B, part 351 - Reduction in Force." It's very complicated but to summarize the USPS is at liberty to sent the excess employees packing or offer other positions within the Branch, district or nationwide. If they refuse the position they will lose their jobs. The offered position could be 100's of miles away within the district or nationwide so some will choose removal over relocating. The Federal regulations also applies to Non-union management employees, and they may be offered jobs in other areas of management, or as a Janitor, Mail handler. Clerk. or Carriers, or just sent on their way. It happened in the in the late 1990's and 2000's when the USPS closed over 200, or half of it's processing plants after a hiring freeze and will happen this time around.

I saw someone comment that there are more post office locations than Starbucks and McDonalds combined. -- Possibly true in some locations, it would be interesting to see it on a map. Where I used to live was fairly rural, we didn't have a Starbucks in our county. We had one McD's. We had one 'big' post office, one 'small' post office, and 2 tiny post office outlets associated with other businesses. But now we live in a much larger town with more Starbucks than I can count (5? 7? more?), 3 McD's, and 2 post offices. Thankfully, great service from the postal employees in each location.

When I was working I was very familiar with federal RIF rules, and believe me, union membership had no bearing on who was retained, who was let go. Kevin9408, sounds like you've been there too.

I'm glad to learn that the USPS is able to downsize and RIF employees. I'd like to see that happen with the excessive number of post office locations.

According to quick searches I just did, numbers rounded:

# of McDonalds locations in the US - 13,500

# of Starbucks locations in the US - 16,000

Total of the two = 28,500

# of USPS "retail locations" - 31,500

I have a rural post office 7 miles away and another (where my carrier is dispatched from) about 10 miles away, Never been in the one 10 miles away and only go into the other one a couple times a year if mailing a package or buying stamps. I only recall waiting in line a couple times there. Usually I'm the only customer in the place and I'm in and out in less than 5 minutes. It's almost always been the same clerk at the counter and she is always very pleasant and quick.

Elmer, there are not too many rural post offices IMO. They are spread out pretty far apart out here in the sticks like most everything else. Maybe they need to close some more urban or suburban offices but it sounds like they are usually pretty busy.

Interesting that there are that many post offices and yet, in my area, there are no post office mail boxes available to rent. I know USPS recently increased the rental rates, but there's still a waiting list to get a box.

Yes - the workers behind the counters here are always friendly and efficient, as are the mail carriers, IMPE. We have many post offices and substations to choose from where I live, since it's basically a sprawling megalopolis made up of almost a dozen cities.

" Elmer, there are not too many rural post offices IMO. "

People who choose to live in rural areas need to accept that business and governmental locations are not located as conveniently as for those in more populated areas.

How close is the nearest police station? Target or Walmart or Starbucks stores? Large supermarket? Fully staffed fire station manned with full time municipal employees?

The post office has experienced a precipitous fall in retail business in the last few decades, for reasons we all understand. Businesses locate where their business can support such locations, not for the convenience of customers. The USPS needs to do the same.

If you have closed malls or retail locations in your general area, you know the drill.

# of USPS "retail locations" - 31,500 ???

I'm questioning this? Does this include places that just sell stamps? For example, Costco and several stores sell stamps, but offer no other postal services. Do those count as retail locations? That would certainly skew those numbers.

This is what I found on a USPS webpage, scroll down the page to see it:

" There are 31,247 Postal Service-managed retail offices "

Size and scope | Postal Facts - U.S. Postal Service (usps.com)

I found: "There are 31,247 Postal Service-managed retail offices. This number does not include contract offices." And: Location Types are: Post Offices staffed with postal employees with window service hours; Collection Boxes; Contract Postal Units; gopost lockers; National Retailers; Self Service Kiosks; and Village Post Offices.

Also: "The Postal Service owns 8,460 properties around the country." and "The Postal Service leased 22,986 properties in 2021."

What's hard to find is okay, how many Just Plain Post Offices are there?

How about googling how many counties are there, figuring every county has at least one Post Office: "As of 2020, there are currently 3,143 counties and county equivalents in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. If the 100 county equivalents in the U.S. territories are counted, then the total is 3,243 counties and county equivalents in the United States."

So if every county has 10 "locations" defined as above, 10 x 3143 is close enough to 31,247 to be plausible.

I'd google more but have an appointment this evening, and what good is it doing anyhow? People who hate, gonna hate; luckily that's not most of us.

Why are ruearl people supposed to be inconvenineced by not having access to post offices? I vote for people living near Elmer to not have convenient access to postal services. Why not. Just because there might be more people? So what? If I am expected to drive a half hour or more to get to a post office why dont you have to do the same Elmer?

People in rural settings lack convenient access to many things, the government and other postal customers shouldn't have to subsidize an exception for post office locations. Here's a fair standard - keep open post offices whose revenue business supports the costs of keeping it open, close the ones that don't. Apply private sector standards.

I rarely have need for over the counter postal services but when I do, I find it much more satisfactory to go to a UPS store. I'll guess you don't have one conveniently located to where you live. Nor many other things that others in more populated areas have access to. See the private sector pattern from that? Your choice and its consequences are yours to deal with, not the problem of others to pay to mitigate.

A postal service is in our constitution and its purpose was to be communication and connection. There is no hint that it was supposed to make money like a retail business. Why is that your standard? Do you expect congress to make money like a retail business? How about the presidency or the military. Are we renting out the troops? Why do you get convenient communication and I do not. The country was practically all rural when postal service and post roads were invented-actually for someone like me.

Why not write the Social Security Administration, the IRS and your state taxing agency, your state's DMV, the VA (for hospitals), and any other governmental agencies that provide in-person services to let them know of your entitlement to locations convenient to your rural living location and those of others. You can mail the letters at your local post office. Or, if you're truly in a rural location, you should know that many in-person services otherwise available can be provided by your rural mail carrier. They're essentially mobile post offices who provide a variety of services - selling stamps, accepting parcels and payment therefore, etc. Just put up the flag on your mailbox. That's the concession to rural locations.

Or, if you're such an 18th century and US constitution fan, let's revert to the number of post offices we had in 1800. No problem for the majority of the US population who have convenient access to UPS stores. You didn't answer my question about this so I presume this is another service you have no access to. You can write them too.