It's a mistake to try & compare USPS to UPS or FedEx - the post office is a government service, it isn't supposed to make a profit.  I'd like to see how competative UPS or FedEx would be if they had to visit every residence and business 6 days a week and keep an office open in every podunk town and ask congress for permission to raise their rates.

That said, just because USPSs purpose isn't to make a profit doesn't mean they shouldn't try and it doesn't mean they aren't in competition with companies who do have that as their sole mission.  Around here, my local letter carriers have mostly been really nice (a week after moving in I was about a block away, walking to the grocery store when the mailman stopped me & said "you're on up the block, right?  Welcome to the neighborhood".  Yet if you go to the actual office to pick up a package or something it seems to be a competition to see how slow they can move & seem very put out to actually have to you know, do their job.

Actually I am pretty certain that employee pensions and benefits are paid by USPS with no contributions from taxpayers.  They are the same benefits and retirement plan as the fed; however, USPS employees don't get funded by the fed.  There are some advantages that USPS receives as being a "quasi-ferderal" agency, such as tax breaks, retirement and benefits managed by a federal plan.  The contributions though are made by USPS.  That's a big reason why they are in such a mess right now.

Sometimes when I have to go to a palce to do something.  I call ahead and ask if they have special hours.  It takes less time then starting a thread.

Joe

^^^ This.

Currently the government is not helping USPS pay any of it's liabilities.  USPS is in financial trouble because they are funding future retirements for USPS employees (as well as other reasons that have been said here).  If they were a private corporation they would be looking at bankruptcy as they will never generate the revenue required to pay all those pensions, IMO.  So they could face it like a real company and restructure the retirements...think that will happen?  Or, at some point USPS will need our deficit burdened government to bail them out.  However, to date I am not aware of the fed assisting USPS with retirement and benefits other than managing the program (OPM).  Not a pretty picture...but I am quite certain that in the not too distant future the fed will bail them out.  Same as they did GM and the banks.

Yeah. Everyone gets to mail a letter for 44 cents. That should stop. Poor people shouldn't get to have mail service.

Yes.  The USPS are just Passport "Acceptance Facilities".  Out of my 10 closest facilities, 9 are post offices and one is the city clerk's office.  All are within 11 miles.  Just outside of that is my county clerk.

http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/

The post office works on the exact same schedule as the clerk offices - all acceptance facilities work on the same schedules.  If you want real fast service, you've got to go to the state department: there are only 24 "regional acceptance agencies", and 3 are in California...

You've got to apply in person if it's your first time, or you are a minor.

Have to say, post office service is great here in OKC.  They recently closed the one closest to me, due to budget cuts.  There was usually a line there but the service was friendly and efficient.  Now I just use the downtown office.  There is rarely a line of more than a few minutes when I go, and the staff are more than just friendly - they are usually joking around with each other and having a good time.  And most of the people from my local post office got transferred down there anyway.

Lately I mostly use the Post Office to ship packages to friends serving in Afghanistan.  Sometimes packages for my family.  Heck, even the guy taking my last-minute State tax return was chipper, at 9:30pm!  (I had trouble using the e-file for my state return for some reason.)

Also... my mailman was VERY VERY nice about a recent incident I will not discuss on an internet forum.  'Nuff said.

Needed to throw in the minority view. 

Sort of... The USPS is allowed to borrow up top $15 billion from the gov't to keep operations afloat.  So far they have borrowed $10 billion and expect to borrow another $3 billion this year.  So is it a loan or a bailout... that depends on what happens when it's time to pay it back.

Also it was Congress who forced the USPS to fully fund it's retirement plan.  Private businesses are legally allowed to underfund their plans.  The USPS was forced to do something that most private corps would not do given the choice.

just saw this article this morning.  Pretty relevant to this discussion.

Postmaster says days are numbered for Saturday mail delivery

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2011-07-19-postmaster--mail-delivery_n.htm

I have a vested interest in this....being a retired letter carrier and all:  

http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/11_23/b4231060885070.htm

A valid point.

The people in my local post office are friendly and pretty quick. I don't mind going in there at all, not that I have to go there often.

My mailman was pretty nice, too. I have a new mailperson but haven't had much interaction with her.

By the way, the post office doesn't make the rules on what color background your photo should be. They could have said nothing and let you mail them in, knowing they would be rejected. The nerve of them, offering you unsolicited feedback.