I think it's so funny how people get so defensive when all you are trying to say is that if they are losing so much money, why aren't they open on a holiday no one else celebrates. I work at a restaurant and it's not always fun working on New Year's Eve, but that is a busy day for us. If you want more money you have to be willing to work on the days people will buy from you or give you business.

I was just having a converssation with a friend about how I was going to start using Fedex for everything. I also have a small business on the side and every time I need something shipped and it gets sent through the usps I have the following problems: they can never track my package right (one time it said my package would arrive on a Sunday, they are even more confused than Steve and they work there!), They can't find my address, they give it to the wrong house, It takes 1 week to get one small package from Illinois to Janesville. Maybe these are petty problems, but for my small business they are BIG problems. If I pay the extra shipping and get Fedex ground, the package arrives within 2 days. So all that to say, Steve, go Fedex

Actually Columbus Day has been a Federal legal holiday since 1937. It was declared so by FDR as October 12.

In 1971, several of the holidays were uniformed by Mr. Nixon, Columbus Day was deemed to be observed on the second Monday of October. This of course got away from the silliness of having a holiday in the middle of the week.

One way it has been a holiday for 40 years, the other way it has been a holiday for 71 years. Either should be ample time for even the most dull to learn to mail their items without a major crisis occuring. Jeezus what would happen to these people if something important occured in their world?

Actually Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1971. Richard Nixon was the president.

We didn't have this before Obama was president, so don't vote for Obama.

I don't know. I'm one of those evil conservative, anti-collectivist, anti-government, pro-capitalist, libertarian types. But there are always areas people agree. :)

jv93: I'm not sure, but sorta think we agree on some stuff, kids etc. You can look up my comments. Now why can't our elected people do the same?

baegucb, Adolescence

Wasp: why the concern on why Steve posts stuff? He is allowed to do so. You, on the other hand, only have 37 posts. I took a quick look at the latest. Most of them were obviously silly, and involve AA, pools, excretement, and gay marriage. Got a problem?

Steve , I think Jerry Springer has an opening ,I think you should check into it ! Dude you need to man up ,you sound like a big Sally. If you would have used Fed Ex or another overnight carrier your girlfriend would have had it by 10:30 a.m ,oh sorry that would have cost too much what was I thinking !

brewnow: USPS is losing money and closing post offices be cause Congress mandated they pay for future retirees immediately, even people not yet hired. In other words if they hire a letter carrier in 2050, their benefits have to be paid for now iirc.

Brewkah_Assault
you get way more days off than most people. Yes most will work the day after a holiday because it isn't a holiday anymore. Most wont get paid to not work though!
I do appriciate you though.(especially-hot-rainy,windy,snow,sleet- people who don't shovel-I would skip their box! haha. I don't mean the day it snowed either. I am just saying please don't go into "day off" argument! You get paid quite well and the bennies are great. Be happy.

hg-"hg
Oct 11, 2011 at 12:19 p.m.
Suggest removal

If the USPS wants to stay up to the times perhaps they should install computers in the lobby where you put your quarter in and you can send 1 email to someone so you know your message gets there in a hurry. Then they could expand it to "email boxes" for those who do not have a computer but still want to get their "mail" in a hurry. Remember, it was my idea first. I should patent the idea."
This my friend is called the library and it is free. Only certain hours here too.
"

You remind me of my friends that complain about the bogus holidays we get off(I'm a mail carrier). I'm grateful for the holidays we have off and hope that you are just as grateful for your days off (or at least a large majority of people) We ALWAYS work Dec 26th and the day consists of working twice as hard for having the 25th off. The mail doesn't stop getting processed you know. We also work a full day and usually a 10 hour day on Christmas Eve. Not those half, easy days so many in the private sector work. Oh Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday isn't it? So what, we work the next day (Again, twice the volume to move is our reward) and did I mention Saturday also, because we work 6 days a week. No 4 day Thanksgiving holiday for us.
Same goes for New Years. Full day on Dec 31st enjoy your one day off and work twice as hard on Jan 2nd. How many other government entities have to work twice as hard because they had an off day. Is SSA processing twice the paperwork? How about TSA, screening twice the travelers? How about you FBI, CIA, NASA you doing twice as much or just picking up where you left off like everyone else. Oh and did I mention when the President gives ALL government workers off on Friday when Christmas falls on a Thursday, can you guess the one worker that doesn't get that?---The Postal Service.

“I was one of about six or seven standing in front of the post office with that "I can't believe they're not open on Columbus Day" look on their face.”

Wow! That’s close to how one of the Living Dead movies started. You’re lucky you ran across some of the old school zombies: slow moving, unintelligent, unable to communicate. If they were the newer, faster, smarter zombies, they would have eaten your brains for sure!

Oh, wait . . . this could also mean that *you’re* a zombie . . . Just wondering here, but do you still have a pulse? How about a body temperature greater than room temperature??

Obsolete?.....Antiquated?.....How many years since many of us has even purchased a postage stamp?............mmm........How many billion$ in the red last year?

Heres a better one for getting the USPS up to date with the times. Have computers set up in the lobby of the post office where a person can go in even during closed hours and type his message on the computer, put your money in the slot and the message is printed, enveloped and stamped and sent out snail mail on the next delivery. How convienent.

If the USPS wants to stay up to the times perhaps they should install computers in the lobby where you put your quarter in and you can send 1 email to someone so you know your message gets there in a hurry. Then they could expand it to "email boxes" for those who do not have a computer but still want to get their "mail" in a hurry. Remember, it was my idea first. I should patent the idea.

@MGCARGUY-All those racing thoughts and ideas going through that head of yours! Steve is lucky to have you "helping" him problem solve for that next time he has to mail a letter.

I think the whole thing is troll post by Knox. Nevertheless, it is fun.

Wow, kinda rough on Steve, don't you think?

I agree the USPS needs to work on re-creating itself into something to meet the times. Working some of the lesser known holidays would be a start, as would be working some non-standard hours to accomodate more of the working public's needs. I get very little really necessary mail anymore through delivery. Bills are paid online, subscriptions are read on the iPad, so I am left with birthday cards and junk mail that appear in the little box at the curb. I could easily cut that back to a couple days a week of delivery, maybe a Tuesday/Friday or Mon/Wed/Fri? Keep a couple folks working at the Service center more diverse hours and less people out delivering in the field and I bet the workforce would still be reduced and made more efficient.

I suggest looking at innovative ways to trim the fat and catch up with the times.

With all of the bad news nowadays this made my day! All I can picture is Steve standing in front of the post office looking just like his blog picture! Steve, was the letter going to someone in Janesville? Come on, fess up and tell us. And what kind of nomad are you sending this urgent letter to? No email and not by the phone much? How does this person even survive nowadays? This is some good reading.

writergirl: I grew up in Janesville and old habits are difficult to change.

Dude, I thought you did not carry any money. How did you purchase the stamp from your co-worker?...or did you?

Oh oh, here come the adults who could never earn more than minimum wage, ready to defame and defile those who are able to make a living wage.

Why didn't you become a Postal Service employee if you are so jealous of their wages and benefits? No ambition? Not intelligent enough to pass the test? Alcoholic? Drug addict?

brewnow: That person belongs most likely to the Postal UNION who got him the high wages and the bennies. Isn't that what belonging to Union is for?

Please take it easy on the grouchy bearded guy behind the counter at the P.O. He is only making about $23/hr, plus benefits up the wazoo. Wouldn't that make you grouchy too?

mgcarguy-"Perhaps it is the general negative attitude in Janesville, Wisconsin." HAHAHAHA!! Oh that's rich, coming from the guy with TEN comments on one blog and almost all of them are bashing the blogger. Negative attitude? Unintentional irony at its best. Thanks for the laugh!

First, if it was that important you could have forked over some cash to send it UPS. I guess if you are dealing with someone who needs a more prompt response than one they can get through snail mail, they should get quicker forms of communication or you could come up with a temporary solution. Also, another thing to consider is the fact that your letter is not guaranteed to get there next day to begin with... even if it's going only a short distance. Second, to all the people wanting to pay cash for stamps after hours, Wal-Mart sells stamps and some Walgreens locations sell stamps.

The post offices in most countries around the world are experiencing the same decline in high-margin personal and business mail that the USPS is, so rprp just is riding a pet hobbyhorse again.
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Columbus Day is a relatively new holiday, only having been established federally in 1937 (after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus). Few people outside the Italian-American population actually "celebrate" it, i.e. with parades or special functions. Native Americans in particular object to the celebration existing at all, considering the disease, slavery, and conquest of their lands and culture that followed his "discovery" of where they were already living.
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For me, it's pretty much a non-entity, so it took me checking the mailbox twice before I remembered THAT was why I wasn't getting my Netflix today. I think this chart shows, at least, that the mailbox collection times are observed on Columbus Day:
http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/608.htm#1...

I think we should take a look at the "Holiday" also and why is it only a Holiday for "Government" workers? As much as they get paid and the bennefits they get, in my opinion they should be on the job just as much if not more than the rest of us. And I am not just talking about Postal workers, I mean the whole Government. And besides, Columbus Day? and Birthdays for some important people in our history? Okay so Columbus did come to America and start the beginning of the end of the American Indian. Boy aren't we proud of that huh? Let's make a Holiday that only the select few can celebrate. Why not have a Niel Armstrong holiday also for only NASA employees? He went to the moon but so far has not destroyed any exsisting civilizations. I guess that would rank him above Columbus. Get my drift? I am not in favor of these Holidays that have kind of died throughout the years and now are just an inconveinience for most of us. I'll stop now.

Everyone seems to be commenting on the post office angle so allow me to take the Columbus Day angle. I live in WI and work in IL. We had this discussion at work yesterday because the State of IL was pretty much shut down yesterday - no court - no school - no govt offices etc.. In WI it doesn't really seem like we celebrate Columbus Day so I can understand your mistake. In fact even after having this discussion at work I went home & checked my mail box.

I like the guy with dark hair and beard. Some ladies called him a terrible name the other dayt. He controls the crowd well! I think he is funny." any stamps today,........any way I can get more money out of you?" lol

rprp: The postal union has been around for a long time. It might be wise to search for other causes of a decline in service. I have not noticed the decline myself. I think I get all of my mail and I have found the customer service to be excellent. Perhaps it is the general negative attitude in Janesville, Wisconsin.

steal I mean from the steel machine.

It is on the calendar ! )
Wait until they are closed on Sat too. Or one day on and one day off. You could also plan better and go earlier ! )
Steve you need some time management.
I still have some stamps-they laast a LONG time.
I still have envelopes-they too last a LONG time. I also know that mail still gets sent out not often but it does.
Today you can still get it there on time just need to spend double or more to over night it.
"Do you think my letter made it out of the drop box last night or did it have a sleep over?"
It says on the box. But if aholiday it may not go until today. The times are on the boxes for pick up.

If he doesn't have email and you were considering "emailing" it must not have been to important.

Also with the credit card machine people wont try to break into it on Columbus day to steel the cash. Credit card would be automated and no need to "collect" the cash"

Poor service and delivery is what is causing the postal service to fail and I do believe the union is a big part of the problem.

Janesvillecomments: More and more people are using debit or credit cards these days. You could go to the counter when the post office is open and buy a bunch of stamps. Lots of folks do this.

me to my 9 year old son yesterday: Did you want me to drop that letter that you wrote to Grandma at the post office today??

my 9 year old son: Duh dad, its Columbus day, post office is not open today.

The Post Office should have a stamp vending machine in the lobby that takes cash, as in paper dollars and coins. It's ridiculous to have to use a credit card to purchase postage stamps when the counter is closed.

"I was one of about six or seven standing in front of the post office with that "I can't believe they're not open on Columbus Day" look on their face."

Were they breathing through their mouths and milling around? Did they stand there until it opened the next day?

"I was one of about six or seven standing in front of the post office with that "I can't believe they're not open on Columbus Day" look on their face."

There are several dozen posters on Gazettextra who have their "I can't believe this guy is 40 years old and doesn't know the post office is closed on Columbus Day, and whines about it on this blog " faces on.

Buy yourself a pony and a letter bag.

You might be a good replacement for Andy Rooney on 60 minutes. He finds fault with more than you do.

The Janesville Post Office is open 24/7. You can enter the lobby and get your PO Box mail, buy a stamp, mail a letter, etc. You can even weigh a package, buy postage for it, and put it in the bin. The only thing that is "closed" is the staffed service counter and there is no mail delivery.
Did you know that the post office service counter is also closed on Sunday? OH NOS!!1!!
BTW, I assume you were at work last Saturday, last Sunday, and Sept 5, and will be on Nov 24 and Dec 25 because what if someone wants to come in, call, fax, email, or whatever and do business with your work? You should be there to take care of them right?

I would like to be the first to ask: Have you ever heard of Federal Express overnight service. They usually have a box outside of the post office. Handy.

Because you had no way of knowing that they were closed on Columbus Day. So once again, Knox the Narcissus is inconvenienced.

I did think of something else. Would it not be worthwhile to whine to your boss about the post office being closed and your company being open. I just don't think that is fair. Your boss would probably be very understanding. If not, you could do a nice future blog about losing another job.

Could you have asked your boss for some time off to take a road trip and hand deliver your important message. I will now stop trying to solve your problems.

Lack of planning on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on the post offices's part.

Could you have e-mailed a neighbor of your friend who does have access to a computer and asked that person to run next door with your message?
You must solve your own problems. Looks like this is a gray area that you have not reached yet.

Why are you writing notes and bothering your fellow workers for things like stamps while you are at work. The work place is for work. Did you know that you can buy stamps on-line? Your life is a mess.

It is very important to have only local friends. That way you can just walk over and chat with them. You must learn these important lessons.

Many people know the post office is closed on federal holidays. They plan ahead.

i think it had a sleepover....would you want to work when you do not have too?