Thursday, July 1, 2010

Big idea #4: Centralized delivery for all

In my “Big Ideas” post earlier this month, there were several unique, out-of-the-box suggestions for helping the Postal Service right itself.

This week, we are exploring explore five of those ideas and you can weigh in on each.

Here’s the fourth.

One commenter suggested, “Cluster boxes for the entire country. Once we are past the cost of putting boxes everywhere, we would save so much time if we delivered mail into these types of boxes instead of door slots, curbside, and walking routes.”

Another agreed: “Get an administrative law passed, allowing the Postal Service to demand customers position their mail boxes on the street, instead of on houses. Except for aux routes and an occasional, hinterland rural route, a single carrier should be pushing a thousand deliveries/day.”

What do you think? Are any of these ideas smart? Are there some good benefits? Is there too much downside? Not enough upside? I want to know how you feel. Just be thoughtful and polite in your response.

Comment here.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

At one time I was a Letter Carrier and had all Park & Loops. I always thought that if they had a single cluster box per block it would save TREMENDOUS time, money and wear and tear on the Letter Carrier. It is a great idea, but . . . I do not see it happening. The customers would pitch a fit if that idea was to be implemented. In addition, it would cost ALOT of Postal jobs. So, in conclusion, I think it is a great idea from a "numbers" point of view, but it would take it's toll on Postal jobs. Do we really want to lose more jobs???

gerardf1957 said...

It would also create jobs too. The boxes must be maintained and locks must be replaced etc. More employees could be moved into these positions.
Another good thing is that mail is secured in these boxes unlike curbside. This would curb stolen mail and parcel lockers are better than "leaving it on the porch."

herb1013 said...

Neither is a good idea. What about the blind,cripled or mothers with children. What about the elderly that can just about walk. How many carriers will you also put out of work with cluster boxes. Jobs repairing them are you kidding.

Anonymous said...

there is always an exception, foir the blingd and crippled as you put it.. mothers with children??? give me a break, like a walk down the block would put undue stress on the mother or the kids? i dont think so.
ads for losing jobs, if things dont change more will be lost.
i love the idea

herb1013 said...

Sure take her 6 month old kid for a walk to a cluster box in the rain or how about 10 inches of snow. How about sending all those people to a cluster box when there is a 1/2 of ice on the ground. I walked 30 years in all of that and that weather is not for the average people to walk a block or 2I deivered to a one legged person a blind person a person with a short leg requiring a cane and they cant walk to cluster boxes. Im 76 now and can just about walk to our rural mailbox and there are millions just like me.

Anonymous said...

The maintenance upkeep for these things are atrocious! They rust and fall over, and people seem to enjoy backing over them. We usually have to go get one about once a week, and twice that in the winter.

Anonymous said...

Cost of cluster boxes $1000.
Now on my route at apt. complex..
...owner put in NBU (There's already 2 CBU's there but added apt. complexes built.. postal maintenance (Willie/Sheldon)said NBU not allowed..must be a CBU.
How's that for customer service? Modesto,Ca. RR 17
D. Carey

Merk said...

Due to the concerns of elderly and handicapped and weather related safety issues I don't think cluster boxes or NDBCU's are practical for every neighborhood. The work well in apartment complexes, mobile home courts, cul de sacs, etc. and I agree they offer better security. I think curb-side boxes are a better choice. Many cities require curbside boxes in new neighborhoods and while there may be a few individuals who have difficulty walking to boxes even at the curb, hardship exceptions are available. Of course curb-side delivery will only offer savings if USPS uses electric or alternative fuel vehicles, otherwise the increas in fuel costs would make it too expensive.

Anonymous said...

I think people would find a way to get their mail from a cluster box. All of these people seem to get their groceries & to appts. etc. Very few people are really home bound & if so we have hardship delivery service. Just think of how much safer this would be for our carries, fewer dog bites & slipping accidents. People always seem to adjust to change.

Anonymous said...

We have 3 NDCBUs here and they are great! We have very very little maintenance on them. The locks need to be changed every so often if there is a problem, I have changed 3 in 5 years. Possible icing in the winter on the lock, WD40 works great for that. More deliveries to a wider area and less mail is just a tough pill to swallow for our company!!

Anonymous said...

The postal service needs to look at ALL avenues of saving money. If cluster boxes is the answer to some areas, then so be it. As long as we are making sure that we are doing the customers a service! We are in the business of customer service, let's not forget that. I agree, not all areas will be feasible for cluster boxes, but there are MANY areas that could benefit from them!

scott said...

I would go a step farther - CBUs are feasable for MOST areas with very few exceptions. The savings to the Postal Service far outweigh all the unrealistic arguments mentioned above. Since employees are our biggest expense, this is the best way of reducing our costs - long term. I've done route inspections for years and CBUs are the best and most efficient way to go-most people know that (c'mon here, get real). I love the security of MY mail in a CBU and you would too if you've ever had your mail box meet-up with a baseball bat or a cherry-bomb. Curbside delivery is too time and gas-consuming and not everyone keeps their mailbox in good shape (safe) like you do. I personally think they are an eyesore in the neighborhood. Boxes on houses should have gone out with rotary phones. Give me a freaking break! That is the most ridiculous and wasteful arrangement I've seen in my 33 years of service. A proper (slick, glitzy, clever) advertising campaign would help smooth the transition, but no matter what we do, we will get negative press and public "outrage." I thought the idea here is to help the USPS survive and thrive, not placate whiney customers (and old die-hard employees) who don't like change.

Anonymous said...

I agree that CBUs are a more efficient means of delivery. I deliver all park & loops with one CBU. It's not my favorite, but it's better use of time. CBUs won't work for every neighborhood, but it's still a good idea. I've heard customer complain about them... but when reminded that their mail is locked and safe, they come around. I've even had customers tell me that they didn't like the idea at first, but they now like it knowing that if they forget to pick up their mail it will stay safe until the next day.

Joan said...

People will complain but they will also adjust. those with special delivery needs have postal recognized methods of obtaining door delivery-that should stand. Most people in inclement weather will wait to pick up their mail. It would over time save the USPS money but we are looking for money that can be obtained a little faster than that. This may take years and is a good proposal. Now clear through the Board of Gov and Congress. Don't know who will be the biggest fight.

Anonymous said...

It really doesn't matter what we do, someone is going to complain. If NDBCUs will keep us in business than so be it. I have a box on my house and I love it, but I also know that there are more efficient ways to deliver the mail. With a CBU you have to have a place to put them and many customers don't want them on their property. Let's really save money and turn all offices in to PO Box units and instead of having the carrier go out and deliver mail have them box mail then go home.

Anonymous said...

As a manager, it is frustrating that inefficient deliveries are "grandfathered" and cannot be changed unless the customer agrees or they are unsafe. Customers who receive delivery through a mail slot in their door that is up 2 flights of stairs are never going to agree to go a cluster box at the other end of the block.

Every other business makes changes to be more efficient. Why can't we? I have been begging for this change for nearly 20 years.

Anonymous said...

When I lived in Italy...they had mail delivery "hubs"....much like small rural post offices today, but without retail counters and mail sorting areas. It was a very simple building, it was about 10 feet by 10 feet...and had a lobby and POB type service and housed about 450-500 mail boxes. The building had lights but no heat or AC, so very cheap to build and operate. There were no postal employees on staff. It looked like a bus stop. The carrier entered through a side door and sorted the mail into these boxes, much like we do in our box sectiosn today. The customers entered a lobby door and could retrieve their mail in realtive safety from the weather. This hub serviced about area of about 1 square mile. There was no house-to-house delivery where I lived and the carrier simply delivered to about 5-6 of this hubs and that was his route. Very cost efficient.

Anonymous said...

My route is all gang boxes and one apartment building. On Monday I could get over 5000 DPS and get about an hour OT. The rest of the week isnt as bad. I still get some OT on my own route but not too much but I get a few hours OT working on other routes. I have over 900 deliveries on the route and I can do it in eight hours about half of the week. I think it would save hundreds of millions of dollars, maybe billions per year. Even though I get OT it would still save tons of money to do this nation wide.

If a customer is handicap and can prove it we can deliver their mail to their door. If a customer is lazy and faking to be handicap they should be fined and forced to get a PO Box. I would say about half my route checks their mail about two or three times a week and all the boxes are close to their house.

I read that half of the USPS work force will be able to retire in the next decade so lets get ride of them. Hopefully most of them will retire and not just stay around. Offer early outs for to get rid of even more workers. Every time one of them retire or a route comes open for what ever reason lets put up gang boxes on that route. Little by little the entire country will have gang boxes and most of the carriers will be able to keep their jobs.

Of course we will still have too many people in management that we will have to get rid of.