Postal service down to 3 days
Canada Post is reducing deliveries to 3 days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (in some areas, as noted below, but not in Montreal yet). Page says it’s not just a response to the current labour difficulties, but a permanent change to adapt to a decline in mail volume.
Stefan 07:32 on 2011/06/11 Permalink
what’s not clear to me – is this affecting montreal as well?
from their website: “Letter Carriers will deliver mail on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. (NOTE: Letter Carrier Depots that have been converted to the new Postal Transformation delivery model in Winnipeg and in the Toronto and Montreal areas will continue to deliver mail five days a week due to the new route structure.)”
Kate 08:00 on 2011/06/11 Permalink
I guess you’re right, but it seemed to me like an interesting social change and it wouldn’t surprise me at all for the same change to come to the big cities as postal volume declines.
Marc 08:23 on 2011/06/11 Permalink
3 day per week delivery is fine by me. At least once per week the box is bone dry. On average 2 or 3 days per week is there legitimate mail (eg. not take-out menus). When was Saturday mail delivery scrapped…late 60′s/early 70′s?
ant6n 08:38 on 2011/06/11 Permalink
Seems that these days, Canada post is working very hard to make themselves obsolete.
Kate 09:01 on 2011/06/11 Permalink
Technology is making at least part of the traditional postal service obsolete, let’s say.
But I would far rather have things delivered by Canada Post, and here’s an example why. Fido insists on sending new handsets via Purolator. Like many people, I am out most of the daytime, and they leave a note.
If something is not deliverable by Canada Post, I can walk over to the local post office and pick it up, which takes about 15 minutes.
But if something comes to me via Purolator, it goes back to a central sorting office somewhere in Lachine which is virtually unreachable by public transit. Last time I got a new phone I had to round up a friend with a car and we had to go looking for it, which took close to two hours all told plus the general irritation from the hassle.
Canada Post even owns Purolator, and if they want to provide more of an integrated service, Purolator ought to leave undeliverable packages at local post offices at the very least. The physical delivery ought to be as flexible as online delivery, instead of which it’s back in the dark ages (“no, we can’t even try to deliver a second time, fuck you” is not sufficient). (For that matter, Fido ought to send you their phones by mail, or even tell you to pick them up at a Fido storefront. But that’s another story.)
I’ve also had to trek out to Anjou at some point in the last few years (I think that was a FedEx delivery) and that was also another epic journey by public transit involving the end of a metro line, a bus ride and a hike through a blasted industrial zone, and back.
With modern tracking and dispatch services, all these entities should be giving better service. But as long as it’s the way it is, the post office is still by no means obsolete.
JaneyB 10:39 on 2011/06/11 Permalink
Oh, the courier craziness! Having to chase down the package at the depots….They need to make drop-off arrangements at the nearest depanneurs. Almost no one is at home during the day. Hard to believe they are so unaware of this….
Chris 11:46 on 2011/06/11 Permalink
Kate, they’re not interested in providing better service, they’re interested in generating more profit.
Stefan 15:43 on 2011/06/11 Permalink
yeah, courier deliveries are a PITA. seems best to specify your office address (if it’s not a big shop), but does that work for cafes and parks? :-) (they could permit giving them your cellphone to ring on the second try, but i guess it’s not about efficiency for the receiver, it’s about selling to the senders)
delivering only 3 days/week makes sense economically. but it delays already slow snail mail from 2-4 working days to 3-5 working days effectively. in austria and germany the post service manages to guarantee 95% of letter delivery overnight, that’s for regular service and costs ~50c. i read that germany has an intriguing organization where postal airplanes from all states meet overnight in a central airport and people run around to exchange sacks of letters!
Kate 16:39 on 2011/06/11 Permalink
they’re not interested in providing better service, they’re interested in generating more profit.
Granted, but a courier service that became known for its flexibility and accuracy would get a better reputation and thus more customers, no?
Chris 16:57 on 2011/06/11 Permalink
Kate, that’s the theory, isn’t it? Yet it does not happen; why? Having lots of pickup sites would mean more rent to pay, etc. I guess they figure their way is more profitable. :(
Stefan 18:13 on 2011/06/11 Permalink
sender pays for (and receives good) service. so why’d they care about the receiver, as long as they obtain it. especially if these are different target groups (companies vs. particulars).
Ian 08:09 on 2011/06/12 Permalink
Worth noting, while Purolator and UPS have almost non-existent customer service, Fedex is actually quite good for flexible delivery & redelivery. I actually prefer Fedex over Canada Post – it’s faster, and the Canada Post delivery person doesn’t even try to ring my doorbell as I live in an apartment building, so I never get my packages on the first delivery day but have to go pick them up. It costs more but if you actually need a reliable delivery service for business reasons or simple convenience, Fedex is far superior.
Marc 20:47 on 2011/06/12 Permalink
If I had to pick one of the courier companies, it would be FedEx, hands down. I *HATE* UPS.
ant6n 22:18 on 2011/06/12 Permalink
Well, I for one would like have my packages delivered at home while I am home. Canada post does not deliver parcels to my door – ever.