Fighting the curse of the postal service

It’s the curse of the postal service.
That’s what I am fighting once again with the U.S. Post Office, the agency that I rely on to deliver this newspaper each week to our readers.
We have been experiencing unusually long delays in recent weeks with some of our readers getting their newspaper. For example, the Oct. 28 edition did not reach the homes of the readers outside of the four county area of Steele, Dodge, Mower and Freeborn counties until Thursday, Nov. 5, more than one week after the paper was published. How agonizing and absurd, to say the least! Many of these same readers generally get the paper within two to three days after it is printed.
I’ll admit my blood pressure goes through the roof when readers can’t get our product when they are supposed to. As I continue to deal with a host of complaints, I know the same goes for our readers who are equally upset about not getting their paper. And I can’t say I blame them.
I’d like to share what happens with our newspapers so that everyone understands our process. Unless it’s a major holiday, the newspaper arrives back from our printing plant in Madelia early Wednesday afternoon. Depending on where you live, the papers are immediately dropped off at post offices in Blooming Prairie, Ellendale or Owatonna. If you don’t live in either of those communities, the papers are funneled into the Blooming Prairie post office.
But here’s where it gets complicated and sets us up for disaster with readers.
The Blooming Prairie office sends the papers on the mail truck to Rochester Wednesday afternoon. Once they arrive in Rochester, the papers are routed to the Twin Cities and then sent out to whichever post office. So, for example, if you live in Austin, the paper goes from Blooming Prairie to Rochester to the Twin Cities and back down to Austin.
From what I have been able to determine with little help from the postal service, the black hole in the process seems to be at the Twin Cities distribution center where the papers sit in the corner and accumulate dust for days before being shipped out. Why this is happening is anybody’s guess. And, don’t expect anybody to give an answer, at least in a timely manner.
Of course, nobody wants to take any accountability and provide me with answers as to what is going on. I’ve requested several times through the Blooming Prairie postmaster to speak to her supervisor regarding this matter of which has been to no avail. Not even a return phone call. In fact, the BP postmaster commented something to the effect when I asked to speak to her boss, “I don’t know why you would want to call her because she doesn’t even return my calls.”
It’s beyond my comprehension how an organization can operate in a manner like that. I understand there are going to be a few hiccups now and then with things, but to experience this on a regular basis is getting quite old. And then to top it off without getting any satisfaction, or let alone just a simple return response, from the powers-at-be is mind-boggling.
The bottom line is that once we drop off the papers at the post office, they are out of our hands. I wish I could control it beyond, but there is nothing I can do at that point. Our readers are at the mercy of the postal carriers and when they decide to release our papers from being hostage.
Perhaps the postal fairy will dazzle her magic with our papers moving forward, but I’m not guaranteeing that with anyone, especially after my dealings with the postal service. I feel your pain when you don’t get the paper at the normal time. I just want you to realize it most likely has nothing to do with anything we’ve done.
Some days I wonder if it would be best to explore going back to the era of the Pony Express. Seriously, I don’t know what it will take to shake things up at the post office because obviously in my case, nobody really seems to care.
It’s time to go in hot pursuit of shaking the curse of the postal service. If anybody knows how, feel free to let me know right away.