In the not so distance past, the US Postal Service was a very customer-unfriendly organization. We had to do things their way, seems someone removed the words “customer” and “convenience” from their dictionary. In the early days of Fax machines the post office tried to get Faxes classified as First Class mail, and since the USPS has a monopoly on First Class Mail, every Fax would have to be sent to them first and then hand delivered by a postal carrier. That idea didn’t work. I remember back in the ‘80s or early ‘90s the Postmaster General decided that Fax machines were competition and all these machines were removed from USPS facilities. Cooperation with UPS or FedEx? No way?

Today the USPS has a convenient presence on the internet; one can buy stamps at grocery stores, drug stores, and even Costco. You can print your own postage via private companies like Stamp.com. UPS and FedEx now deliver packages to the USPS for final deliver by the Postal Service – a benefit to everyone, including the public. You can communicate electronically with the USPS, track packages and even obtain special services via your computer for when you are away camping. Overall I think the USPS does a great job. The only time we have had problems is when we did something wrong, such as send a package to the wrong address. Here’s a couple of services we use a lot that folks might not be aware of. Continue reading How the Post Office Can Help You When You Are Camping →