Restricted Delivery - Adult Signature Required

[wa3zrm]

The USPS offers this service:
Adult Signature Restricted Delivery

With this service, your package is delivered only after the addressee or their authorized agent verifies their identity, shows that they’re 21 years of age or older, and signs for it.

Learn more about Adult Signature Restricted Delivery ›

Is there any reason vendors are not using it? It is cheaper than UPS.

[Snusdog]

The reason is that PACT prohibited the use of USPS for any international tobacco trade (and according to the PACT definition section..............international means crossing state lines as well)

It would be nice.........especially given the financial shape of the USPS................if this restricted delivery could cause Congress to reconsider their prohibition of USPS shipments

[rickcharles606]

Well, I suspect that one of the reasons we cannot use USPS is that it is funded by tax dollars, whereas UPS is a private enterprise. Also, how much does the "restricted delivery" with USPS cost, lol? Remember, the gov't was selling hammers for $400 at one point, lol

[Darwin]

Idiotic as PACT is the few million bucks a year the USPS could gain from the tobacco trade is unlikely to make any significant dent in their mega-billion dollar operating shortfalls. As far as UPS goes it's doubtful anyone else could do the whole adult signing business much cheaper. More reliably maybe but not much cheaper.

[lxskllr]

I think USPS is independent from government money, but not government regulation which is why they're fuxored. They make enough money to operate, but the government has mandated excessive retirement payments which puts them in the red.

[Darwin]

It's seems almost certain that the feds will cave to massive political pressure to salvage them. Bailout time. The number of pols with the cojones to let them sink or swim wouldn't fit into a small closet. It'll probably be similar to the GM bailout where the unions had to suck it up if they wanted to keep the enterprise afloat. Billions for the USPS, more mandates yet, pissed off union, more deficit expansion, etc. etc. Ho-hum. Rack up another few billion. What me worry?

[6pieceperal]

I was ready to place my order, then i read 'adult sig required'. I'm an adult, but would be at work and not be home to sign for it. so where would my snus go then?

[Thunder_Snus]

I was ready to place my order, then i read 'adult sig required'. I'm an adult, but would be at work and not be home to sign for it. so where would my snus go then?

I'm in the same boat as you. I have the financial means to order snus....but I'm not home at 3:30 when my ups guy usually comes. Usually I just have to put in an order on a monday night and pray for it to be sent on in time and be here in IL on a saturday before the third time they deliver.

[Crow]

Well, I suspect that one of the reasons we cannot use USPS is that it is funded by tax dollars, whereas UPS is a private enterprise. Also, how much does the "restricted delivery" with USPS cost, lol? Remember, the gov't was selling hammers for $400 at one point, lol

The US Postal Service does not cost the taxpayer a single cent. Revenue is raised from service fees (e.g. postage stamps)

The USPS wouldn't be in this mess if the Republican-led Congress didn't pass a bill in 2006 that requires the USPS to pre-fund 75 years of health care benefits for its employees by 2016.

Now, the Congress is considering a reform bill (proposed by Lieberman et al.) that contains a provision that allows for the shipment of alcohol. Unfortunately, there's a lot of other shit in the bill that would only drag the USPS further in the red (CBO estimates -$6.3 billion over 10 years).

Here is Bernie Sander's take on the situation:

[GoVegan]

The large tobacco companies sponsored PACT along with some mini market association. Their goal was to kill any competition ftom the Native Americans. USPS is everywhere and allowing tobacco users to pick up their packages from the post office would be to convenient and easy to do. The goal of PACT is to make ordering tobacco a bitch. They succeeded.

[Roo]

I get my snus sent to my office and the front desk girl signs for it.

edit: as such, I have yet to physically sign for snus since PACT.

[GoVegan]

I would be afraid to get a package at work that requires an adult to sign for it.

[rickcharles606]

The US Postal Service does not cost the taxpayer a single cent. Revenue is raised from service fees (e.g. postage stamps)

The USPS wouldn't be in this mess if the Republican-led Congress didn't pass a bill in 2006 that requires the USPS to pre-fund 75 years of health care benefits for its employees by 2016.

Now, the Congress is considering a reform bill (proposed by Lieberman et al.) that contains a provision that allows for the shipment of alcohol. Unfortunately, there's a lot of other shit in the bill that would only drag the USPS further in the red (CBO estimates -$6.3 billion over 10 years).

Here is Bernie Sander's take on the situation:

It's funny to me that you were quick to start pointing political leaders as the problem, when it's actually a mismanagement and bloated union contracts issue. The real issue with the postal service is that it cannot/HAS not been able to create enough revenue to run in the black...period. The pre funding of retirement benefits was a nail in the coffin, sure...but hardly the sole "cause" of the USPS problems. Couple this with the increasing internet and cellphone usage...it's a recipe for disaster. Not to mention that the USPS tries to operate with labor being 80% of it's operating costs. It's long been known that postal jobs are cush, and once you get one...you're in and can't get fired if you tried, lol. Just goes to show you how a grossly mismanaged gov't agency cannot compete on the free market without going in the red.

That being said, thanks for pointing out that the USPS doesn't take tax money...I didn't know this, lol.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/bu...pagewanted=all

[Crow]

It's funny to me that you were quick to start pointing political leaders as the problem, when it's actually a mismanagement and bloated union contracts issue. The real issue with the postal service is that it cannot/HAS not been able to create enough revenue to run in the black...period. The pre funding of retirement benefits was a nail in the coffin, sure...but hardly the sole "cause" of the USPS problems.

I never said that pre-funding of benefits was the sole reason for USPS' problems. I said that they wouldn't be in this mess if the Republican controlled congress didn't pass such a ridiculous mandate. USPS bled $3.3 billion in the last quarter ($3.1 billion from the pre-funding requirement). No institution (private or public) would impose such a policy. It's unheard of.

Would they still be operating in the red if Congress didn't stick it to them in 2006? Yes, most likely (for other reasons, such as consumers choosing e-mail over physical mail). But, the debt would have been controllable; instead of this out-of-control shit storm we're facing now.

Sen. Bernie Sanders has proposed to get rid of the mandate, and recover funds from the overpaid pension accounts. I think this is a good start. What is the alternative? Shut down the USPS, and let the private sector handle the mail? That would certainly spell disaster for rural communities across the country.