>>> The United States Post Office is an interesting entity. I would call it a monopoly and that is what it is. The Post Office sees fit to advertise on the media and support such activities as the Olympics and this costs money. Guess how they pay for such things? Why they just raise the postal rates to allow spending for whatever reason. <<
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>Everyone likes to trash the USPS and I have done it myself on occasion. But their delivery record is actually pretty good, especially when you consider the sheer volume of mail, and we have the lowest postal rates in the world. It costs two or three times as much to mail a letter in Europe as it does here.
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>Mike

Hello Mike;

Happy New Year to you.

I have to agree on the service that the USPS gives.

Here is one example that occurred about 15 years ago. I was working at Ampex Corporation, Redwood City, California (about 25 miles South of San Francisco). Someone in one of the then existing 22 buildings sent me an inner company letter, in a business sized envelope. I was about one city block from the person that mailed the letter. Our Mail Room sorted out all the mail and a separate system was used for any mail that went to USPS. The two systems were not related in any way.

Somehow the envelope got down to the Main Post Office in Los Angeles, and was sent back to me, with my correct address provided by the USPS! You see the original letter only had my mail stop on it along with my name and “Ampex Corporation” on the envelope! It did not say which branch of Ampex it was as we had offices all over the world. Ampex was well known for our El Segundo branch and also the USPS bought our Marina Del Rey building some years before.

How did the USPS find me? There was a note from the Post Master, “Next time please use your correct mailing address”! I still laugh at that event even though there was postage due as there was no stamp on the company envelope! I think that is outstanding service!

Tom