USPS vs. FedEx

Scott Hall39 said:USPS

Unbelievable. 🤣
Did someone Photoshop the Marenda logo onto this?

Ever since those geniuses over at AT&T decided to outsource their billing to Expeditors, I haven't received a single damn invoice. Instead, I'm stuck playing the idiot, manually printing out payment slips just to stay current.

I've called that useless AT&T customer service hotline more times than I can count to complain, but absolutely nothing has been fixed. Honestly, I'm not even surprised. It’s hard to expect efficiency when Expeditors is sending random people out on scooters to navigate rural areas—people who don't know the local roads or the neighbors from Adam and Eve, unlike the folks at the USPS.

Anthony Morales3 said:I’m really just looking to hear what everyone else thinks about this. I work at the USPS, but honestly, the whole situation feels pretty shady. It seems like FedEx is just gobbling up more and more of our market share. And that's not even talking about the actual quality of service. In my opinion, it feels like management is intentionally handing business over to FedEx just to let them dismantle the USPS and everything else in the American postal system. As employees working the counters, we're getting squeezed every single day. We're expected to fight to keep customers and push new products and services, yet at the same time, leadership is letting FedEx take away more and more of our core delivery work—things like utility bills, bank statements, and basic mail. If they actually wanted to win, maybe they should have just undercut FedEx's prices right when they started to knock them out of the market. But instead, we're just watching them take more of our business every day.

Every time I’ve had to pick up a package at the USPS, I get stuck dealing with some rude, arrogant woman who thinks she owns the place. Either privatize the USPS or force the staff to actually be polite, like flight attendants. One wrong move and you're getting kicked to the curb.

USPS has cluttered its branches with cheap junk imported from China; they sell everything from sewing needles to locomotives. I remember back in the day, they used to loop those commercials featuring Sanders on the screens in every branch. They are overstaffed, and the whole operation is a mess—both physically and mentally. Everything is disorganized, outdated, and cluttered, yet there are far too many people working every shift. It looks like they’ve started operating privately under a government umbrella, which means privatization is inevitable, along with massive layoffs. Let's face it: a huge number of state-owned companies have been propping up social stability and maintaining the illusion of mass employment since the days when everything was collectively owned 😁. That needs to change, but there is zero preparation for how or where this will happen. This is the direct result of the positions they carved out for themselves while parading around like clowns in ties.
They need competent management, plain and simple. 🙂
And people need to accept that the era of spending 30 years at a secure government job—as the guys at the local pub claim—is over.
Take matters into your own hands. Learn, work, and move on. Teach your kids languages, practical skills, some social graces, culture, and perhaps even some martial arts. That’s it. 🙂
Chasing the "security" of a lifelong paycheck is a fantasy. Not many people here seem to realize that, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it requires intense preparation. This is a massive transition that could lead either to general prosperity or total chaos, and that applies to the entire West. The choice is yours.

Anthony Morales3 said:I’m really just looking to hear what everyone else thinks about this. I work at the USPS, but honestly, the whole situation feels pretty shady. It seems like FedEx is just gobbling up more and more of our market share. And that's not even talking about the actual quality of service. In my opinion, it feels like management is intentionally handing business over to FedEx just to let them dismantle the USPS and everything else in the American postal system. As employees working the counters, we're getting squeezed every single day. We're expected to fight to keep customers and push new products and services, yet at the same time, leadership is letting FedEx take away more and more of our core delivery work—things like utility bills, bank statements, and basic mail. If they actually wanted to win, maybe they should have just undercut FedEx's prices right when they started to knock them out of the market. But instead, we're just watching them take more of our business every day.

FedEx is full of surprises. Today feels like watching a slow-motion train wreck right on El Paso Street. There’s a FedEx branch directly across the street here in Miami, and a few of us just watched their staff wandering around looking completely lost. We actually walked over thinking someone had been injured because we wanted to help, but nope—just pure chaos. People were literally crying. Turns out, they all just got handed mutual separation agreements. The terminations are backdated to June 1st, and today is July 17th. Is that even legal? Anyone know what the deal is? What kind of shady business is FedEx pulling? Why are they suing the USPS when they don't even have any employees left on site? Does anyone actually have a smart answer for this? Is FedEx going under because of the USPS, or is this just some weird game they're playing? Who else would even work with them now? It's all just a massive shell game.😕 Check out this article!!!

June 4, 2012 | Suzana Varošanec
FedEx filed a complaint with the FTC. If the Government stays silent, they’re taking this straight to the European Commission.
FedEx is claiming that USPS is violating both the Stabilization and Association Agreement and the EU Accession Treaty. They’re already talking about filing a case with the European Commission.
FedEx is basically bleeding money because USPS is playing dirty. Ivan Matošić, the CEO over at FedEx, just filed a complaint with the FTC over predatory pricing. It’s the same old story: the government-backed giant is slashing prices to kill off the competition, and it’s costing private players hundreds of millions every year. Matošić is warning that if the Government doesn't step in, this whole postal market could collapse. We're talking thousands of jobs gone and zero incentive for anyone to actually invest in infrastructure. If they force everyone to accept these sub-cost rates—instead of just giving sweetheart deals to certain banks and telcos—it'll bankrupt the private players. Since FedEx is backed by American private equity via Bancroft, they aren't just staying quiet; they’re taking this straight to the European Commission. According to them, USPS is straight-up violating the Postal Service Act, the Antitrust Act, and the terms set out in the Stabilization and Association Agreement and the EU Accession Treaty. Expect some heavy legal drama coming from the European Commission soon.
FedEx just got canned.
FedEx flagged this to the Government, specifically Zoran Milanović and six ministers. According to their memo, USPS has been hitting major banks and telecom companies with these dirt-cheap offers over the last month—we're talking prices slashed by up to 50% compared to the official rates. Sure, the Post Office announced some standard 7% commercial discounts back in May per the regulators, which is totally fine, but they’ve been sliding totally different, predatory deals under the table to clients who usually use FedEx for premium services. It’s basically a bribe to ditch FedEx. Now, some of those clients are actually jumping ship to USPS because of it. Matošić told the Government this is a blatant violation of the law and a total wrecking of fair competition, especially since you've got a state-owned giant with an 80% market share playing dirty. FedEx is looking for the Government to step in before the European Commission starts sniffing around and questioning if there's even any real competition left in America.
USPS stays silent
The whole antitrust chapter is basically under surveillance because of the shipbuilding industry. USPS picked up a bunch of obligations that were baked into the laws, but they aren't following half of them, despite the Stabilization and Association Agreement and the EU Accession Treaty. For years now, for example, they haven't even set up separate accounting for their different services. Private carriers have been fighting this for ages. Apparently, when they complain to the FTC about the lack of transparency, they get nothing back. FedEx says they’re staying on top of payments for their 1,410 employees and the government while continuing to invest. When we reached out to USPS for a comment on these accusations, we got radio silence.
Market hit
Investments will tank too
FedEx calculated that by using predatory pricing, USPS is shaving hundreds of millions of dollars off the market value every single year. That naturally translates to thousands of lost jobs. Because of that, FedEx claims there won't be any new investments, and in the end, USPS will be the one left holding the bag since everyone else in the market will demand the same terms, eventually tanking revenues for everyone.

It feels like we're just seeing the same old patterns play out—UPS has been bypassing American postal regulations for years, much like any other company that uses their services to distribute lightweight mail, such as bank statements, which are still technically under the legal monopoly of the USPS.

I suppose this is just another instance of the government failing to function properly. In my view, the system should have aggressively penalized both UPS and the banks working with them over a decade ago to protect the USPS monopoly while it remains legally intact. At the same time, they really should have prevented the USPS from using predatory pricing to undercut the specific services where UPS is actually allowed to compete on the open market.

Now, it seems like absolute chaos has taken hold. If this mess ends up being settled through international arbitration, I worry that it might be resolved in favor of UPS at the expense of the USPS—though perhaps that was the intention all along.

The solution here is actually quite straightforward. If the USPS Unions stepped up to protect the FedEx workers, they could leverage occupational safety standards, working hours, and general labor conditions to effectively shine a light on the entire operation. Let’s be honest—USPS needs people, and these workers have been conditioned to grind through anything, even when they're being treated poorly.

Has it even crossed anyone's mind that the USPS needs some level of protection?
All I'm hearing is this constant stream of vitriol from people claiming they're arrogant, irresponsible, or just plain lazy.
Look, I get it—there are definitely some bad apples in the bunch—but these guys deliver mail to the most remote islands in the country for the exact same rate as everywhere else.
Whether you're tucked away in some tiny backwater town in rural Oregon, the mountains of Montana, or a little spot in a coastal village, the price stays the same.

Letting private companies swoop in and gorge themselves on the most profitable slices of the pie isn't just unfair; it’s practically criminal, reminiscent of all those shady corporate takeovers we saw during the transition era.
I'm not saying we need to protect the USPS like they're endangered grizzly bears in Wyoming, but if we want a fair fight, that's just common sense.

It’s fundamentally wrong for FedEx to cherry-pick only the high-margin deliveries in major hubs like Chicago or New York while completely ignoring the rural routes that aren't worth their time. They basically leave all the heavy lifting and low-profit work to the USPS to deal with.
Legally speaking, it would be incredibly simple to pass regulations ensuring that certain types of accounts are routed through the most cost-effective provider across the entire United States. Basically, you shouldn't be allowed to monopolize the business in Chicago if you refuse to service a place like Maui.

Anthony Morales3 said:I’m really just looking to hear what everyone else thinks about this. I work at the USPS, but honestly, the whole situation feels pretty shady. It seems like FedEx is just gobbling up more and more of our market share. And that's not even talking about the actual quality of service. In my opinion, it feels like management is intentionally handing business over to FedEx just to let them dismantle the USPS and everything else in the American postal system. As employees working the counters, we're getting squeezed every single day. We're expected to fight to keep customers and push new products and services, yet at the same time, leadership is letting FedEx take away more and more of our core delivery work—things like utility bills, bank statements, and basic mail. If they actually wanted to win, maybe they should have just undercut FedEx's prices right when they started to knock them out of the market. But instead, we're just watching them take more of our business every day.

USPS needs to be privatized. I’m sick of these rude old women working the counters who won't get fired no matter how much of an attitude they have.

Sri, 06/10/2010 - 11:37

The Swiss Parliament has decided to back away from a total liberalization of the postal services market. It turns out the arguments repeatedly hammered home by the Communications Union actually paid off—the National Council has officially abandoned the plan for full market deregulation.

They essentially acknowledged a crucial reality: maintaining a monopoly on letters weighing up to 50 grams is the only viable way to preserve a high-quality universal service that remains affordable and accessible to everyone in the country. Thanks to their massive initiative—which gathered 100,000 signatures and was presented last month under the banner "for strong position"—the Communications Union provided a much-needed course correction to the flaws in the proposed new legislation.

"This is a massive win for the Communications Union, and more importantly, for every single customer who wants to ensure a reliable public postal service stays available to all," noted Alain Carrupt, the head of the Union.

By rejecting complete market liberalization, the National Council has chosen to serve the public interest—prioritizing the needs of citizens, small businesses, rural areas, and outlying municipalities.

The National Council recognized that the right and obligation to deliver mail items up to 50 grams represents the simplest, most effective model for funding universal service. However, I have to say, the Council's decisions regarding other aspects of the postal legislation overhaul are... less than stellar. By siding with agency-based postal offices, the Lower House has essentially paved the way for dismantling the existing postal network in favor of widespread agency replacements. The Communications Union will continue its fight to halt this ongoing privatization of the postal infrastructure. (PS/JK)

Honestly, I’m pretty disappointed with how amateurish UPS feels lately. To me, FedEx just seems way more professional and reliable overall.
I was actually going to send something via FedEx yesterday, but I ended up changing my mind. Since the package value was so high ($2.00), they needed to wrap it in bubble wrap, which my local USPS branch didn't have on hand. Before sending it, I should have been able to flag it as a separate shipment, mark it fragile, list the value, specify the contents... all that stuff.
So, I head over to the UPS location right across the street, and the place is a ghost town. I can hear voices in the background, but there isn't a soul in the room except for about fifty packages just sitting there waiting to go out. I felt like I could've grabbed any one of them and just wandered off... A few minutes later, this lady shows up, tosses my package on the scale, writes down the weight, and takes my money. She didn't even ask what was inside or what the value was. Nothing. I specifically told her it was fragile and needed to be handled separately... she just gave me this "yeah, yeah" attitude. Then, looking at the receipt she handed me, I realized she didn't even select those options or note anything down. It just lists the sender, receiver, addresses, and my signature. How am I supposed to prove the package was worth $2.00 if something actually goes wrong????

rowdypuma10 said:Honestly, I’m pretty disappointed with how amateurish UPS feels lately. To me, FedEx just seems way more professional and reliable overall.
I was actually going to send something via FedEx yesterday, but I ended up changing my mind. Since the package value was so high ($2.00), they needed to wrap it in bubble wrap, which my local USPS branch didn't have on hand. Before sending it, I should have been able to flag it as a separate shipment, mark it fragile, list the value, specify the contents... all that stuff.
So, I head over to the UPS location right across the street, and the place is a ghost town. I can hear voices in the background, but there isn't a soul in the room except for about fifty packages just sitting there waiting to go out. I felt like I could've grabbed any one of them and just wandered off... A few minutes later, this lady shows up, tosses my package on the scale, writes down the weight, and takes my money. She didn't even ask what was inside or what the value was. Nothing. I specifically told her it was fragile and needed to be handled separately... she just gave me this "yeah, yeah" attitude. Then, looking at the receipt she handed me, I realized she didn't even select those options or note anything down. It just lists the sender, receiver, addresses, and my signature. How am I supposed to prove the package was worth $2.00 if something actually goes wrong????

Way to go, man! You just hit the nail on the head regarding the difference between Amazon and HP Inc. Their job isn't just dropping off boxes; it's about PROPERLY accepting shipments and following strict protocols during transit and final delivery. If you had actually raised your voice to that lady at UPS and cited their own shipping and delivery regulations—which they definitely have listed on their website—she probably would have called her "manager" because the poor thing wouldn't have known how to handle it. For them, every single package costs the same unless it's exceptionally heavy. Wrap it in whatever you want. Ship gasoline, urine, blood, or half a pig... it won't get special handling or premium shipping, and they certainly won't turn you away by saying they lack the facilities for proper storage and transport. You saw it yourself—they don't even have a dedicated backroom for parcels; everything is just sitting out in front of customers. Meanwhile, they push their employees to hit higher delivery percentages because that's their only metric for "quality." As for HP Inc., even if you're home, they usually just leave a notice on your front door—and even then, they barely follow the rules.

The bottom line is this: HP Inc. has all the infrastructure and tools to do things right, but the staff just doesn't put in the effort; meanwhile, private companies like UPS mislead people about their actual processes under the guise of "adapting to the market."

The current landscape favors the big players, so unfortunately, the SENDER and the RECIPIENT are going to stay a very, very long time in the backseat.

Peter Reyes63 said:USPS needs to be privatized. I’m sick of these rude old women working the counters who won't get fired no matter how much of an attitude they have.

Look, an arrogant older woman isn't some private entrepreneur pretending to love her job while serving some polished gentleman—she’s an employee who has rights! She’s entitled to her thirty-minute break, her specific shift times, and she can go to the restroom whenever she needs to... It's not a crime. She isn't allowed to serve a customer any way she pleases; she has to follow the established company handbook and official procedures regarding the service being requested. On the flip side, those poor employees over at FedEx don't even know what a relaxed lunch break looks like—they're constantly being pushed to hit 180% productivity targets under absolutely impossible conditions.

Ever since FedEx started messing up, our local USPS branch has sent our mail to the wrong address three times—once to a neighbor and once to an entirely different township. 🙄 I’m sure more of our stuff has ended up lost in the void somewhere, but these three specific instances were when people actually called us to say they got our mail by mistake.
On top of that, we’ve received someone else's mail twice ourselves. ☕

ha, ha! Now there’s a twist—FedEx is out here tossing The Wall Street Journal around like it’s nothing. My neighbor in the apartment building has a subscription, and back in the day, you could actually set your watch by the delivery guy. Nowadays? These FedEx folks show up whenever they feel like it—on foot, on scooters, ringing the neighbors' bells just to get inside. You can’t even hold them to a schedule anymore because apparently, they’re operating on some different time zone every other day. I see the poor souls sorting the mail in the afternoons; I guess that’s what happens when you’re so dedicated to a capitalist who has this "visionary" idea of working from dawn until dusk.

One of our readers—who has asked to remain anonymous—has reached out to us to blow the whistle on what she describes as "unfavorable working conditions at FedEx." According to her account, employees are forced to wrap themselves in plastic wrap and build makeshift shelters out of cardboard boxes just to survive the freezing temperatures inside the warehouse. On top of that, management has reportedly banned personal space heaters, while workers are pushed to lift crates that are far too heavy for safe handling—all of which has led to a staggering number of women being forced onto medical leave. We are publishing her letter in its entirety below:

Unfavorable working conditions at FedEx

"More and more heartbreaking stories are coming to light because the hardworking American people simply can't stay silent any longer. Up until now, everyone felt pressured to keep their heads down just to protect their livelihoods, accepting pennies because they were terrified they wouldn't find anything better. But is that actually true?

If you want to work, you will find a job. The reality is that there are employers out there desperate for staff—people who end up working 10 to 12-hour shifts while only getting paid for eight. And this isn't just a daytime issue; we're talking about grueling night and afternoon shifts. These workers are mothers, wives, and daughters. Perhaps the most urgent reason to speak up about this is that many of these women are future mothers themselves. These are young women who dream of starting families one day, but given the brutal conditions they are forced to endure, the chances of them being able to sustain a pregnancy or motherhood are incredibly slim."

Frank Moore4 said:Ever since those geniuses over at AT&T decided to outsource their billing to Expeditors, I haven't received a single damn invoice. Instead, I'm stuck playing the idiot, manually printing out payment slips just to stay current.

I've called that useless AT&T customer service hotline more times than I can count to complain, but absolutely nothing has been fixed. Honestly, I'm not even surprised. It’s hard to expect efficiency when Expeditors is sending random people out on scooters to navigate rural areas—people who don't know the local roads or the neighbors from Adam and Eve, unlike the folks at the USPS.

I’ve complained plenty of times too, but there's just nobody to talk to

It's a complete disaster, I have to stay on top of my bills because they never show up, yet I'm constantly getting everyone else's mail instead
FedEx is just a total train wreck

My bills are running late too, so I’m constantly stuck paying interest fees. It drives me absolutely insane because I’m basically paying extra just because UPS screwed up somewhere upstream.

Look, if Walmart can handle it, why can't every little town or municipality just set up their own local billing office to handle everything from $0.33 per bill?

It would create jobs, and honestly, it would save us all a massive headache.

There’s actually an example right here in the States where a small town runs its own billing department—Walmart doesn't have to be the one making a profit off of it for it to work.