South Tamworth Post Office to Close

[SAMIAM]

Oh,I get it.....it was Nixons,Bush's,Reagans,(select one) fault....silly me.

[SIKSUKR]

I'll weigh in here.I can't remember the last time I went to a post office.

[TiltonBB]

The basic difference between the profitable UPS and the bankrupt USPS is worker productivity and waste.

Just watch a UPS driver: Always hustling and doing about twice as much work as a USPS worker every day.

There are many examples of waste in the Post Office:

When I was growing up the mailman (on foot) in our neighborhood for over 20 years spent 3-4 hours a day hanging around at a local gas station. I asked him what time he would get through every day if he kept moving along and he thought he could finish his route by noon. As it was he was getting 3-4 hours of overtime every week.

Two postal workers from Peabody Ma were fired after they were arrested for sitting in a jeep smoking dope in the middle of the day. They had been repeatedly observed before they were arrested. They got their jobs back.

I know of a postal worker who has been out on disability for over ten years because of narcolepsy. Strange, I thought sleeeping on the job was a qualification for them.

Many postal workers earn $50,000 to $80,000 per year. That is a pretty good salary for a job with little or no qualification or education requirements.

While it is sad that some of the offices are closing, the Post Office is a victim of it's own failures and lack of productivity of it's employees.

[Winnisquamguy]

When I moved up here it was hard to believe that the post offices would be closed so much. The Sanbornton office is closed everyday from 12-3 pm and the Winnisquam office closes from 12-1:30 everyday. Hard to make money when you are closed so much in my opinion. Down south they leave the lobby areas open 24-7 and the desk is never closed for lunch.I don't get much through regular mail anymore besides junk mail so it would not be a big deal for me. I have most accounts set up paperless and pay most bills online so no stamps needed.

[Pineedles]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Oh,I get it.....it was Nixons,Bush's,Reagans,(select one) fault....silly me.

I wasn't saying that SAMIAM, in fact Nixon did a good thing making the conversion. And yes, to the others chiming in there is a lot of waste, laziness, and poor management in the USPS. But remember this, the USPS must hire just about anybody that can pass the civil service exam no matter what. This in itself is a challenge for any employer. The Mail Carrier's day has been shortened due to machines presorting the carrier's mail in the order in which they walk or drive their routes. Automation has greatly decreased labor costs. Plus, they outsource a lot of work thru their worksharring discounts program, which private companies sort and barcode company's mail before it is given to the post office.

[ghfromaltonbay]

I could never understand why both Alton & Alton Bay have had separate post offices over all these years. The buildings are about 1 mile apart, and the Alton Bay location is in rental quarters owned by the mini-golf business. The Alton Bay location is in a dangerous spot on the busy corner where Rt. 11 rounds the bend just past the bay bridge, and parking is extremely limited. I often see elderly patrons struggling up the ramp to the entrance and then struggling to get back in their cars parked in the 2 or 3 spots that are on an uphill slope or worse yet, trying to cross at the busy corner with traffic rounding the curve. Add to that, the Alton Bay post office also has a lot of closed time during the day. How does the USPS justify keeping both those locations open? The South Tamworth office isn't as close to the Tamworth PO and is on a busy road (Rt. 25) with plenty of parking, yet they are closing that location and leaving Alton Bay open for now. At least the Alton "business district" location has ample parking.

[RailroadJoe]

I have two nephews who retired from the USPS. Boy are they happy. Remember the 3 cent stamp lasted for about 50+ years. How long does the price stay the same now.

But back to Alton & Alton Bay PO's. When summer comes Alton Bay gets a lot busier.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

I think it is ridiculous that the Moultonborough post office is closed at for lunch. you would think someone there could cover during lunch.

[WINNOCTURN]

Originally Posted by Green's Basin Girl

I think it is ridiculous that the Moultonborough post office is closed at for lunch. you would think someone there could cover during lunch.

Did you know that all of the Postal worker are either Part-Time or Contract Employees? The Postmaster is the only full time employee. The Part time employees are known "Part-time Flexies" and are not guaranteed 40 hours a week. They may only be getting less than 20 hours a week in some circumstances.

Try sling a 80 pound sacks of mail out of a mail hamper most of the day. Do you think you could "STUFF" a mail slot as full they can?

"Walk A Mile In My Shoes" before you criticize so easily.

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by WINNOCTURN

Did you know that all of the Postal worker are either Part-Time or Contract Employees? The Postmaster is the only full time employee. The Part time employees are known "Part-time Flexies" and are not guaranteed 40 hours a week. They may only be getting less than 20 hours a week in some circumstances.

Try sling a 80 pound sacks of mail out of a mail hamper most of the day. Do you think you could "STUFF" a mail slot as full they can?

"Walk A Mile In My Shoes" before you criticize so easily.

The specifics of their job are not hugely relevant.

The USPS is a very non-competitive business. Prices keep going up, quality of service and availability is going down.

It would seem that a lunch break is a logical time for people to go to the post office. So, if they want to maximize their revenue options it would make sense to be open during peak demand periods.

[Greene's Basin Girl]

Originally Posted by WINNOCTURN

Did you know that all of the Postal worker are either Part-Time or Contract Employees? The Postmaster is the only full time employee. The Part time employees are known "Part-time Flexies" and are not guaranteed 40 hours a week. They may only be getting less than 20 hours a week in some circumstances.

Try sling a 80 pound sacks of mail out of a mail hamper most of the day. Do you think you could "STUFF" a mail slot as full they can?

"Walk A Mile In My Shoes" before you criticize so easily.

I am well aware that they are part-time or contract. That doesn't answer the question why one of them couldn't cover the window during the lunch hour. They want customers so I don't why they can't accomodate them at lunch. I thought it was about the customer??? Maybe that is one of the reasons why they are loosing money.

[TheProfessor]

Originally Posted by Green's Basin Girl

I am well aware that they are part-time or contract. That doesn't answer the question why one of them couldn't cover the window during the lunch hour. They want customers so I don't why they can't accomodate them at lunch. I thought it was about the customer??? Maybe that is one of the reasons why they are loosing money.

Did you bother to read the inital post?

You obviously didn't read or you don't wish to read about the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.

Why can't your local post office stay open during lunch? All workhours are dictated from headquarters. Each office has a set of hours. The local postmaster cannot create more hours or different hours. The local postmaster cannot change the hours of operation without permission from headquarters.

As far as telling a story about some mailman in Peabody, MA 30 years ago sitting in some garage for a time. You are completely missing the point of the initial posting.

In the real small post offices with just a postmaster, when do you expect the postmaster to take lunch?

Some just can't see the forest through the trees. Some are just against government. Even though the post office does not receive any federal tax monies. Zero.

The US Post Office is the most efficient in the world. With the highest productivity. The price of stamps is also the lowest in the Western World. Just go look at Canada. The Canadian dollar is about on par with the US dollar. How much is a first class stamp in Canada?

You will miss it when it is gone.

[TiltonBB]

As far as the contention that the Post Office does not recieve government funds:

Maybe but:

The Post Office doesn't have to pay state or local taxes, and it gets to borrow billions from the government at reduced rates ($10.2 billion, by the end of this year, according to the GAO.) Last year, the FTC found that the Post Office received implicit subsidies of $34 to $117 million -- and that's not counting the monopoly, its biggest benefit.

Even after being given those economic benefits, in mail categories where competition is allowed, the US Postal Service has just a 16% market share - behind UPS and FedEX, according to the FTC.

[secondcurve]

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

Did you bother to read the inital post?

You obviously didn't read or you don't wish to read about the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.

Why can't your local post office stay open during lunch? All workhours are dictated from headquarters. Each office has a set of hours. The local postmaster cannot create more hours or different hours. The local postmaster cannot change the hours of operation without permission from headquarters.

As far as telling a story about some mailman in Peabody, MA 30 years ago sitting in some garage for a time. You are completely missing the point of the initial posting.

In the real small post offices with just a postmaster, when do you expect the postmaster to take lunch?

Some just can't see the forest through the trees. Some are just against government. Even though the post office does not receive any federal tax monies. Zero.

The US Post Office is the most efficient in the world. With the highest productivity. The price of stamps is also the lowest in the Western World. Just go look at Canada. The Canadian dollar is about on par with the US dollar. How much is a first class stamp in Canada?

You will miss it when it is gone.

Mr. Professor:

You are living in a different world. The post office has lost 25% of its revenue in the last several years and it is expected to lose another 20% in the next 5-years. Has the post office adjusted its cost structure the way a private business would to survive? Trust me, the answer is no. If the tax payers wanted to save money (and lots of money) we would out source the whole system to UPS or Fed-x and it would be fixed pronto but we can't do that because of the unions.

Let me give you a little quiz that you failed once above but perhaps if I put it in simpler terms you might get the correct answer this time since after all you are a professor. Here goes: If you were running a private, FOR PROFIT business and all your customers came at lunch time but you were the only employee in the shop what would do?

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by TheProfessor

Why can't your local post office stay open during lunch? All workhours are dictated from headquarters. Each office has a set of hours. The local postmaster cannot create more hours or different hours. The local postmaster cannot change the hours of operation without permission from headquarters.

So what you're saying is that, unsurprisingly, their problems with mismanagement and bad business practices go all the way to the top brass? Not exactly a shocking revelation for a government-run "business".

Their solution to lack of business and inability to be competitive seems to be to "cut costs" without logic rather than adapt to the mainstream market.

[P-3 Guy]

The problem is that Congress wants the USPS to run like a for-profit private business, but at the same time Congress is making all sorts of rules that apply only to the USPS and micro-managing its affairs, something that a private business doesn't have to deal with. If the USPS wants to eliminate Saturday mail delivery, it has to get permission form Congress. If it wants to change the way it funds its pension and medical plans to be more competitive, it must get permission from Congress. The USPS is stuck, because with all the Congressional (political) involvement, it can't do what's necessary to remain profitable.

I would be perfectly happy with getting my mail every other day. Make deliveries to half of my town on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and the other half on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Get rid of half of the delivery personnel. Save on vehicle maintenance and fuel. But it will never happen, because Congress won't allow it.

[RailroadJoe]

With the number of postal workers in the USA. Why should Congress give up those votes on next election.

[wifi]

Originally Posted by Green's Basin Girl

...the Moultonborough post office is closed at for lunch....

This is the same problem I face, its only open when I'm at work. I used to forward all my mail to a private PO in Manchester that had an open lobby 24 hrs/day. If Moultonboro were to have automatic locks (like the old Center Harbor Laundromat) that opened at 5AM and re-locked at 7PM (for example), I could catch it on the way to/from work. How does this relate to South Tamworth? Well, if the PO adopted a little, it might be more valuable to its customers and there might be more people motivated to help it out.

[upthesaukee]

Originally Posted by ghfromaltonbay

I could never understand why both Alton & Alton Bay have had separate post offices over all these years. The buildings are about 1 mile apart, and the Alton Bay location is in rental quarters owned by the mini-golf business. The Alton Bay location is in a dangerous spot on the busy corner where Rt. 11 rounds the bend just past the bay bridge, and parking is extremely limited. I often see elderly patrons struggling up the ramp to the entrance and then struggling to get back in their cars parked in the 2 or 3 spots that are on an uphill slope or worse yet, trying to cross at the busy corner with traffic rounding the curve. Add to that, the Alton Bay post office also has a lot of closed time during the day. How does the USPS justify keeping both those locations open? The South Tamworth office isn't as close to the Tamworth PO and is on a busy road (Rt. 25) with plenty of parking, yet they are closing that location and leaving Alton Bay open for now. At least the Alton "business district" location has ample parking.

Yes, the bay PO window is closed M-F from 12-1. You can get your mail from 630 AM to 6 PM because the lobby is open. A few years ago, there was talk of closing the bay. One of the reasons it did not get closed is that there are many island residents who come to the bay by boat to get their mail. The leased space is not a reason to close it. It's lease is cheaper by far than the uptown office, which is also leased space. The main PO does not close at lunch, but you often have to ring a bell and then wait...and wait...and wait for someone to come out to help. Frustrating part: you can hear them shooting the breeze while you wait. From a customer service standpoint, I will take the Bay any day. Also, I would rather deal with the traffic at the bay than try to get out of School St, especially in the summer. JMHO.