Siam Thai

We live in a world dominated by technology, where worldwide communication is just a click of the mouse away. Emailing, text messaging and portable telephones are all at our disposal. Good old snail mail has become an antiquated practice, forgotten by the general population. Thought it might not seem like anything serious on first thought, the decrease in the volume of mail is seriously affecting the United States Postal Offices and leaving it in a precarious state. The United States Postal Service is currently sinking in a billion dollar deficit. As of March 2009, 3,200 post offices nationwide are at risk of being consolidated or shut down.

The cost of postage has been steadily increasing for the past couple of years in an attempt to pull the Postal Service from the deficit. Emailing and electronic bills have reduced the amount of mail sent through the US Postal Service. Due to the state of the economy, businesses nationwide have opted to go paperless, and cease mail advertisement. It was a significant loss and a striking blow to the Postal Service’s revenue bringing them one step closer to closing the doors of yet another post office.

The U.S. Postal Service was once one of the most successful federal institutions, and even today they lay claim to the largest civilian auto fleet in the world. For years the Postal Service has been suffering from issues within their Union, losing millions to grievances made by mail carriers. There are larger implications than just shutting the doors of a building. Jobs will be lost, and it could possibly be the post office in your town that will be shut down.

A lot has been said about the United States Post Office over the years. Some favorable and some not so favorable. However, one thing is for sure, the American mail system has come a long way since it’s beginnings and has done it right one step at a time.

Although history shows that a tavern in Boston, owned by Richard Fairbanks, was the first location to handle overseas mail, it wasn’t until July 26, 1775 that the United States Post Office was officially born.

It was at the meeting of the second Continental Congress in Philadelphia did our forefathers meet to start a new government. During this meeting, it was also decided that we needed a better way of delivering mail to the thirteen colonies. Thus, Benjamin Franklin was appointed as the first U.S. Postmaster General, under Continental Congress.

It was Franklin that created America’s postal system; one that’s still in service to this day. Franklin was also the one that developed:
- More roads and routes
- Night time mail delivery
- Regular mail schedule deliveries

Since one of the goals that the post office had was for faster delivery, it was the post office that urged for:
- Building of better roads for stagecoaches
- Steamboat usage
- The building of the railway system

Looking for a way to get mail delivery faster to the west coast, particularly California, William H. Russell began a business in 1860 which came to be known as the Pony Express. The idea was to build new or repair old relay stations approximately 10 to 15 miles from one another.

A sitcom character challenged herself to make her soon to be brother in law open his eyes to the wonders of the United States Postal Service. She wanted him to fill awe and respect for the USPS. Her argument was the USPS can virtually do anything anywhere.

After attempting to send a fish bowl with a live fish in it with just a few stamps and an address she nearly gave up. The delivery person wouldn’t accept the live fish. It is not hard to imagine why shipping anything that is alive may take more than a couple of stamps and an address. There are rules and regulations.

However, she wasn’t far off by saying you can ship almost anything with the right amount of postage, a legitimate address, and some creativity.

This Christmas I was able to mail a gag gift to my brother through the post office. I sent him a cupcake inside a piece of paper that said Merry Christmas. I used one stamp and put his address on it and he received it just before Christmas. He didn’t eat it because it wasn’t in its original shape but it was nevertheless delivered. It may have had a little mold or something but other than that it was in tip top mis-shape.

There are many other stories about odd things that have been shipped. Some people have mailed bowling balls by writing the address on the ball and taping the postage to it. That may roll around in the delivery truck a little more than normal.

USPS priority mail flat rate boxes can ship anything that fits for one flat rate. It is not recommended to test the Post Office to see what will and will not be mailed. But for your business you can be sure that your package will make it to the final destination.

Working for the post office definitely has its perks. The United States organization offers their employees excellent benefits and perks. And the pay rate increases steadily with each year that a workers stays there as well. Make sure you meet all the requirements before you start applying for post office jobs.

All employees at the postal service must be eighteen years of age at least and must provide citizenship proof. They should be able to handle eight hour workdays filled with heavy lifting. Someone applying to carry mail should have a valid driver’s license also.

To view job openings that are available in your area, visit the official website of the USPS. To determine if a job is right for you, view each one’s description. Based on your education level and age, you may qualify for many different positions from mail carrier to desk clerk.

Don’t get too worried if you don’t have much luck with finding jobs you’re qualified for or interested in. Check the job positing site fairly often as new positions are likely to show up eventually. Consider widening your search range by ten or five miles if there aren’t post jobs in your area. You could visit the local office in person, also, and inquire about any positions that are available. Like a lot of companies, the office in your city may be slow about posting online jobs.

After you apply and are lucky enough to get a call about an interview, be sure that you are fully prepared for it. The person doing the interview will likely want to see some copies of your school transcripts, licenses, and resumes. You should provide any references and work history too.