I recently ordered some books from Amazon.com. Having no particular need to get them quickly, I chose the “Super Saver Shipping.” By “Super Saver,” they mean, of course, “free.” The price you pay for “free” shipping is a longer delivery time. The range is 5-9 days, according to Amazon.
On the one hand, you would expect a 5-9 day delivery window to be very unpopular since we live in an age of instant gratification. But on the other hand, it’s free, and we live in an age where everyone wants something for nothing, or at least as cheap as they can possibly get it even if it means the product was fabricated by malnourished child slaves in a third-world ghetto. But on the third hand (metaphorically speaking, of course — try not to conjure up images of a freakish person with three hands — although, if those third-world child slaves had three hands, I bet their employer would increase their production quota by 50% — but I digress), we’re talking about people who order books after all, which implies someone who is in no particular hurry to acquire information in the first place.
So, the order was placed August 22. The order was shipped August 26. This indicates that “Super Saver Shipping” also means “Super Slow Handling.” But that’s okay because, as I said, I’m in no particular hurry. Looking at the tracking information, the first line shows:
“August 26, 2010 03:41:00 AM [Location:] US [Event details:] Shipment has left seller facility and is in transit.”
The next line shows:
“August 30, 2010 03:49:20 PM [Location:] Fedex Smartpost Indianapolis IN US [Event details:] Arrival Scan”
So, from the time it left the seller facility until it arrived in Indianapolis, it took four more days. This may or may not be reasonable, depending on where the “seller facility” is. That location is evidently a closely-guarded secret since it is not listed in the tracking information, except to say that it did originate in the U.S. Since Amazon.com is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, I can only assume some administrative assistant there was given my package and told to drive it to the FedEx Smartpost facility in Indianapolis.
Of course, the question then becomes, what is “FedEx Smartpost”? According to their website: “When you need to ship low-weight packages to residential customers, consider efficient, economical FedEx SmartPost service. By utilizing the United States Postal Service® (USPS) for final delivery, FedEx SmartPost reaches every U.S. address, including P.O. boxes and military APO and FPO destinations. You can even use FedEx SmartPost to ship to Alaska, Hawaii and all U.S. territories.” According to Wikipedia, “The resulting service is one that is less expensive than FedEx Ground, but more expensive than regular mail.”
If I understand this service right, you’re basically paying FedEx to put your package in the U.S. Mail for you. That way you can enjoy both the added expense of Federal Express handling and the inefficiency of the post office. I’m not exactly sure why Amazon would want to spend extra to send a package for free with the slowest possible transit time, but hey, they seem to be successful doing so. Who am I to question it?
The next line shows:
“August 30, 2010 11:51:00 PM [Location:] — [Event details:] Arrival Scan”
Eight hours later, it arrived at a different part of the building. For a company that is able to send packages around the world in a day, their interoffice mail system is astonishingly slow.
“August 30, 2010 11:51:48 PM [Location:] Fedex Smartpost Indianapolis IN US [Event details:] Departure Scan”
Forty-eight seconds later, it was dispatched from Indianapolis.
“August 31, 2010 10:10:00 AM [Location:] Peoria IL US [Event details:] Arrival Scan”
Nine days after the order date, as promised, my package arrives in Peoria. But wait….
“August 31, 2010 10:41:00 AM [Location:] Peoria IL US [Event details:] Shipment forwarded to a different delivery address
August 31, 2010 12:42:00 PM [Location:] Peoria IL US [Event details:] Shipment forwarded to a different delivery address”
Now it gets more complicated. The package was sent to my work address. And my employer is moving. There are actually two facilities with two different addresses where I work, and while one of the facilities had in fact moved already, the other one hasn’t. I had the package sent to the facility where I am still working, but unfortunately, my employer is having mail from both addresses forwarded to the new facility.
Well, not to worry, it’s just on the other side of town. Forwarding should only take an extra day.
“September 9, 2010 08:18:00 AM [Location:] Forest Park IL US [Event details:] Arrival Scan”
No, I haven’t left anything out. This is the very next line on the tracking sheet. In order to forward a letter from one side of town to the other, thanks to the efficiencies of modern postal technology, the package has to go to a centralized sorting facility in Forest Park, a suburb of Chicago.
Whereas it took an administrative assistant only four days to get from Seattle to Indianapolis with my package, the Post Office managed to take nine days to ship my package 160 miles. I can only assume that it was taken by a mail carrier on foot. Given that average human walking speed is 3 miles per hour, a mail carrier walking six hours a day would have gotten my package from Peoria to Forest Park in nine days. You have to admire these civil servants’ dedication.
“September 10, 2010 03:39:00 AM [Location:] Des Moines IA US [Event details:] Arrival Scan”
The Forest Park sort facility, obviously mistaking the Peoria, IL, address for Peoria, IA, sent my package off to the sorting facility in Des Moines. I thought that was silly at first, but after doing a little research I was surprised to find that there is not one, but two Peorias in Iowa — one in Wayne County and one in Mahaska County.
I’m never getting that package.
I order from Amazon quite a bit, so I tried the $79 Amazon prime charge for the past year (and I try and usually succeed at buying products that ship free with this plan). Even before I purchased that plan, I have always had very good luck getting packages on time. With the prime, they always arrive in two days no matter where the seller facility is. But it isn’t free–but much cheaper than paying shipping on each package.
Wow, I didn’t know you had a sense of humor CJ.
Yes, Emtronics, I was too busy giving information to mention how funny C.J.’s saga is. The tracking info I get has never been so detailed. However, I have often wondered how some things arrive so quickly with Amazon Prime–even in one day.
Just a little note here for you avid readers. The Humana Guidance Center at 7915 Hale Ave., just off of Pioneer Parkway has a free book exchangeon Fridays from 11 until 2. Their phone number is 691-1677. You do not have to be a Humana member to go to this book swap. They also have other activities that are all free. Check it out. I took four boxes of books over there last Friday. For further information check out preed2@humana.com. You can get a monthly calendar of events including the book swap.
UPS has a similar arrangement called UPS-Mail Innovations. I’ve seen many dozens of packages make it to the local post office timely enough, and then sit there. The recipient never gets it. It’s almost as if the post office ignores the package because it got to them thru UPS.
Glad to see you are getting your money’s worth.
I can assure you the USPS does not ignore any package. Simply, packages deemed unworthy or whatever by UPS are dropped at USPS depots for the mail to deliver. UPS pays a fee to have this done and the package will sit until the fee is paid. Once paid the package is released to the mail system which is as fast as UPS’s or DHL or any of them. They all contract, including the USPS, the same planes to move packages. Millions get through on time every day. You just heard about one that didn’t for what basically is because CJ screwed up and had it sent to his work address, which there are 2, and one is moved and the other is in the process. If he had it sent to his home, we wouldn’t be reading this.
BTW, if this had been something to do with District 150, this post would have over 100 comments and you all would have hanged half the school board, blamed the USPS, (some already have) and called it a conspiracy.
If District 150 hadn’t had the the donut party at the PCC two weeks ago, the US Postal Service would have had the money to properly deliver CJ’s package! Dr. Latham scrwed up again.
Youv’e never ordered from WOOT they use this method. Last thing I ordered went to St Louis then over to IN. before it went to the hub in chicago.
Emtronics says, “You just heard about one that didn’t for what basically is because CJ screwed up and had it sent to his work address, which there are 2, and one is moved and the other is in the process.”
Yes, if I had to place the blame somewhere, it would definitely be with me. The actions of the post office are completely reasonable and no different than what any normal person would do.
For instance, once when the mail carrier accidentally delivered my next-door neighbor’s mail to my house, I put it in my desk for several days (but not more than a week because it looked like an important letter), then FedExed it to a post office in Iowa with a note explaining that it was delivered to the wrong address here and could they please send it next door at their earliest convenience. The bank foreclosed on my neighbor’s house shortly afterward, so I never got a chance to ask if they received it.
C.J. and 150 Observer, you do get an “A” for humor–I laughed.
CJ I hope you do realize how many people’s minds you just screwed up.
Wow committing a Federal offense. Humans are human, they do make mistakes. I could go farther here but I think you know about postal mis-deliveries CJ.
My parcel is now in Hazelwood, Missouri:
C.J.–I guess everyone knows that you are now writing about Emtronics’ employer. 🙂
Point of order here. CJ’s dad was a postal carrier for years. The point is, CJ had his package sent to an address that was in the middle of a change. Some mailers who ship items want to know if the package is going to the original address or is being forwarded. Thus “Address Correction Requested” endorsement appears on the package and in some cases, depending on the class, the package has to be returned to the sender and re-shipped with the new address. I guess this is for marketing and for fraud. Harp all you want CJ. You picked the cheapest rate, that started out as UPS (brown truck) and then had it shipped to an address that technically isn’t valid as your work place is moving. Fault is yours.
Which explains why the package is in Missouri…
Emtronics: I take full responsibility for the slow and circuitous route this package has taken. I recognize that change of address requests are rare and confusing for the Post Office. It’s likely they haven’t seen one since the 1980s as our society is not very mobile, with most people working on farms and rarely moving more than a few miles from their ancestral home. No doubt the novelty of the situation has resulted in my package being used as a training tool, thus explaining why it’s been mailed around to several midwest sorting facilities:
CJ I think you need a long vacation.
CJ wrote, “So, the order was placed August 22. The order was shipped August 26. This indicates that “Super Saver Shipping” also means “Super Slow Handling.””
You are precisely right. And this is new for Amazon. Before I never had such delays with “free shipping”. I placed an order with Amazon on Sept.2. The items were “in stock” at Amazon, according to the web page. Why did it take Amazon until Sept.10 for the items to ship if said items were in stock? I thought this was just a fluke for the order but after reading your blog I plan to call Amazon and ask why, what, how.
Yeah, The postal service has never seen a change of address and as for packages, screw them. The PO doesn’t need packages unless they need something to hold the door open, like a package full of books. Thank the Lord that people rarely move anymore and especially clots who use their business or place of work for their personal mailings.
My postal carrier calls herself an “International Communications Distributer”. (Or something similar) I guess the goal is to try and make every package “international” in its journey.
I’m predicting the next stop to be either Lincoln, Il or Champaign/Urbana.
Faris–maybe the weekend and Labor Day slowed your package up? One time I ordered a toy castle (a Christmas present) from a place in New York called Ridge Road Station. Instead I received a very expensive and heavy toy train set. I figured the other guy would be very unhappy with my castle. I called the place–the owner answered. He was very apologetic–I sent the train back. The owner sent duplicate packages to each of us right away–the orders had been switched. As I recall, he gave us some appropriate compensation. The problem with Amazon is that there is no number to call.
Ya know what? I’ll bet the package is mis-addressed with the wrong zip code or something.
Charlie: It’s Correspondence Coordinator for the US Government. (Letter Carrier)
Keep the updates coming. This was the best laugh I’ve had in awhile. Sorry it was at your expense, CJ. 😀
Hey Emtronics, address correction requested hasn’t been used for years . It’s now called “Return Service Requested”
If my package does finally arrive, I hope it’s covered with labels of all the places it’s been like in those old pictures of luggage:
“teachingrocks”: It’s still in Hazelwood as of 9/13/2010.
PoO: You’re right! “Service” in the middle is the proper notation.
CJ: My mother owned a LV steamer trunk that was covered in labels. So sorry that your ‘trunk’ will be a cardboard box! 😉
Emtronics, your defense of the USPS reminds me of Upton Sinclair’s quote:
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it.”
Charlie: or….”Never bite the hand that feeds you.”
ahhh… the master – slave mentality.
I don’t work for my supervisor. I work for my employer, as does my supervisor. (Specifically, in my case, I work for my students, or in your case, you work for your postal customers)
If the supervisor doesn’t understand that reality, he/she isn’t going to very useful in resolving issues.
Package was delivered today.
Total distance/time it takes to drive from old address to new address:
7.4 miles / 11 minutes
Total distance/time taken by U. S. Postal Service to forward package from old address to new address:
998.1 miles / 14 days
Efficient.
My package was delivered today–took two days. However, the lid of the casserole was broken. I reported it so that I could return it, etc. I was notified they would send me a new one and that I could dispose of the other pot–and the new one is supposed to be here on September 16.
Oh, good! I was worried your package was a gift for the “winter holiday” and might not make it on time!!