Singles Social Club: It's Always 5 o'clock here!

[charliebrown]

Originally Posted by MICKEY88

umm why didn't you insure it if you are so certain they will lose it

they send it, not me. I asked if i could insure it, and they said no.

[MICKEY88]

Originally Posted by charliebrown

they send it, not me. I asked if i could insure it, and they said no.

crooks

[charliebrown]

agreed, well, at least ill be in disney tomorrow!











http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8c3QTV98yE

[jagfanjosh3252]

So. Do we have any meal planned for the meet? Or are we just gonna graze around WS for the F&W?

[DCTooTall]

Originally Posted by charliebrown

that would be fine.....however, my birth certificate is NOT insured. If they loose it, they said they WILL NOT pay for it, whch i find to be (insert expletives here).

Maybe, if they took the time to train the employees (you know TO ORDER STAMPS WHEN YOU ARE RUNNING LOW, AND TO NOT BE RUDE WHEN I ASK FOR STAMPS, AND YOU ARE OUT), they wouldn't face this difficult financial situation.

Actually, the 2 leading causes for the Post Office's Financial woes currently are the congressional mandates on the service levels it must provide (and the rates it can charge, along with other obligations it must pay for).... and honestly... the Internet, which with Email, IM, etc has resulted in a drastic decline in regular first class letters moving thru the system. The end result is that while income from stamps has steadily declined, it has not had the freedom to cut services or locations to cut their costs to a level that would be sustainable under their current income levels.

Originally Posted by PolyndianPrincessJes

So, I've been on my semi-solo for three days...and haven't been solo. I think tomorrow will be a solo day, though. Hoping to pop into the spa or book a mani/pedi at least, then maybe head to Epcot. Really enjoying this trip despite missing the fam.

Travelling Solo is awesome.

Originally Posted by jagfanjosh3252

So. Do we have any meal planned for the meet? Or are we just gonna graze around WS for the F&W?

Um.... For the primary meet on the 13th... I don't think so. With all the food options during F&W it's more difficult to plan on a full on meal.

I think Tara mentioned something about a possible ADR planned for Sunday if people want to get together. (check the first post where I posted the semi-updated plans)

Also, There is the planned Drinks Friday night which BigE was talking about doing..... as well as the 'party' which LaLa was going to host if people show enough interest. (still think Lala and BigE should get together to combine their get-togethers.)

[charliebrown]

Originally Posted by DCTooTall

Actually, the 2 leading causes for the Post Office's Financial woes currently are the congressional mandates on the service levels it must provide (and the rates it can charge, along with other obligations it must pay for).... and honestly... the Internet, which with Email, IM, etc has resulted in a drastic decline in regular first class letters moving thru the system. The end result is that while income from stamps has steadily declined, it has not had the freedom to cut services or locations to cut their costs to a level that would be sustainable under their current income levels.
\

yeah, i know customer service isn't the number one issue on money making, but wouldn't more people ship packages with Usps if it was a easy as Fedex or UPS?

[DCTooTall]

Originally Posted by charliebrown

yeah, i know customer service isn't the number one issue on money making, but wouldn't more people ship packages with Usps if it was a easy as Fedex or UPS?

The problem isn't the package shipping. It's the regular old letter in the mail, or bill payment... or magazine subscription.... or even advertisement.

The USPS relied on the volume of cheap letters and envelopes sent thru the system to fund it's operations. As the Internet and other emerging technologies (including Text Messaging) have resulted in more people switching to the faster and cheaper methods of communication, and online billpay, The volume of items sent thru the USPS has dramtically decreased.

With a normal "private" business, They could reorganize their cost structures and service offerings to compete and survive in this new reality. However, Since the USPS is officially part of the Government and needs congressional approval to make any major changes.... It is stuck still having to operate a system designed for the pre-internet age in the post-internet era.

A perfect example of this is the congressional mandate that the USPS has to maintain a presence in each ZIP Code, along with the ability to make deliveries on a daily basis to virtually every address in the US. In major metropolitan and suburban areas, This isn't a HUGE deal due to those areas still generating a decent amount of volume due to their scale. You still could end up with 5 or 6 physical post offices within a 20min radius which wouldn't be justified due to the costs/income ratios in a private business for each location. In the more Rural areas of the country however (Which is a majority of the country), You could end up needing to staff a physical location for maybe 100 people total. UPS/FedEX wouldn't even bother placing a physical storefront in these areas because the cost wouldn't be justified.... let alone have a truck running out there daily.

And Since the USPS needs congressional approval to raise rates, When prices for things like fuel skyrocketed, the USPS could not easily raise their rates to account for the raised costs of doing business. (UPS instituted a new 'Fuel Surcharge' in their rates to account for the varied costs of gassing their fleet)

[Brocktoon]

For the folks who are going to be down during the F&W Fest, the general bookings opened this morning for the tastings and events. Besides the big Swolphin Classic on the night of the 12th, I booked a Niege wine seminar on the 14th. Also got a Lasseter Family Wine and Yachtsman's Steakhouse cooking demo on the 16th

[DIS_MERI]

Originally Posted by charliebrown

I went to the post office today.....and they were out of stamps..... and were rude about it..... Excuse me for asking for an item, which is something that you should have. Then, they gave me a wrong form for my passport, and they said that the form " hasn't been used in 5 years" THEN WHY DID YOU GIVE ONE TO ME? Then they said they could not have possibly given it to me. Yes, USPS, I keep 5 year old passport forms on me, just to mess with you.

They also took my ORIGINAL birth certificate, and they mail it to philly. um, what happens if it gets lost, or stolen? Oh, i forgot that not a single piece of mail has every been misplaced.

The first time I applied for a passport, they did indeed lose my birth certificate (and it was lost within the post office I applied at, it never even hit their tracking system). I was *not* a happy camper....

[jagfanjosh3252]

What "party" are you talking about DC? Lol. I'm lost on that one. I still don't know when I'm coming. Either get there on 13th. Or leave on 13th. With 5 days either way. When is everybody else getting there?

[DCTooTall]

Originally Posted by jagfanjosh3252

What "party" are you talking about DC? Lol. I'm lost on that one. I still don't know when I'm coming. Either get there on 13th. Or leave on 13th. With 5 days either way. When is everybody else getting there?

Well she was talking about hosting one of her passion parties.

I'll be down there from about the 6th-16th.

[jagfanjosh3252]

Umm. Lol. I'm still lost. DM me if not fit to talk about on boards.

[DCTooTall]

Originally Posted by jagfanjosh3252

Umm. Lol. I'm still lost. DM me if not fit to talk about on boards.

It'd probably be best if Lala explains. I'd do a horrible job at it.

[MICKEY88]

Originally Posted by DCTooTall

It'd probably be best if Lala explains. I'd do a horrible job at it.

but it would be entertaining

[charliebrown]

Originally Posted by DCTooTall

The problem isn't the package shipping. It's the regular old letter in the mail, or bill payment... or magazine subscription.... or even advertisement.

The USPS relied on the volume of cheap letters and envelopes sent thru the system to fund it's operations. As the Internet and other emerging technologies (including Text Messaging) have resulted in more people switching to the faster and cheaper methods of communication, and online billpay, The volume of items sent thru the USPS has dramtically decreased.

With a normal "private" business, They could reorganize their cost structures and service offerings to compete and survive in this new reality. However, Since the USPS is officially part of the Government and needs congressional approval to make any major changes.... It is stuck still having to operate a system designed for the pre-internet age in the post-internet era.

A perfect example of this is the congressional mandate that the USPS has to maintain a presence in each ZIP Code, along with the ability to make deliveries on a daily basis to virtually every address in the US. In major metropolitan and suburban areas, This isn't a HUGE deal due to those areas still generating a decent amount of volume due to their scale. You still could end up with 5 or 6 physical post offices within a 20min radius which wouldn't be justified due to the costs/income ratios in a private business for each location. In the more Rural areas of the country however (Which is a majority of the country), You could end up needing to staff a physical location for maybe 100 people total. UPS/FedEX wouldn't even bother placing a physical storefront in these areas because the cost wouldn't be justified.... let alone have a truck running out there daily.

And Since the USPS needs congressional approval to raise rates, When prices for things like fuel skyrocketed, the USPS could not easily raise their rates to account for the raised costs of doing business. (UPS instituted a new 'Fuel Surcharge' in their rates to account for the varied costs of gassing their fleet)

do you work for USPS?