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Re: Mail Delivery (aka the flight of the bumble bee)



We have exactly the same problem with delivery of our magazine, Equipment
Echoes. It goes out third class bulk rate as well. The explanation we get
from the post office is that this is the lowest delivery priority, and it's
pretty much up to local post offices to deliver the magazines when they get
around to it, after delivering everything else that is higher priority.
Delivery times can run up to three weeks, and our overseas and Candian
members consistently get the magazine before people here at home.

Best wishes,

Thomas Berry, Archivist
Historical Construction Equipment Association
16623 Liberty Hi Road
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402
Phone 419-352-5616
Fax 419-352-6086
tberry@wcnet.org
http://www.hcea.net





----- Original Message -----
From: "Teresa Brinati" <tbrinati@ARCHIVISTS.ORG>
To: <ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2001 4:43 PM
Subject: Mail Delivery (aka the flight of the bumble bee)


> > It has been brought to my attention that SAA members in Southern
> > California, specifically Irvine and Los Angeles, are not receiving SAA
> > mailings in a timely fashion (or in some instances, not at all). I have
> > registered a complaint again with the Chicago office of the United
States
> > Postal Service and continue to be both frustrated and vexed by the
service
> > it provides (or doesn't provide for that matter).
> >
> > For the record, here is the path taken by SAA newsletters, ballots, and
> > other mass mailings sent via BULK MAIL to the membership. (NB: This
> > EXCLUDES the journal, which is mailed third class.) The materials are
> > delivered to the mailing house along with a download of the SAA mail
list
> > (about 3,600 individual and institutional members). The mail list is
input
> > into a mail manager system, which sorts down addresses by zip code. Plus
> > 4s are added if missing from a zip code. A minimum of 50 pieces going to
> > one zip code is required for automation rates. Such rates translate to a
> > savings through pre-sort.  The mail house ink jets addresses on to the
> > mail pieces and also adds bar codes so that the mail can navigate
through
> > the USPS automated system.  The mail house places the sorted mail on
> > trays, then tags, sleeves and binds the trays. The trays are then
delivers
> > on skids to the main post office in downtown Chicago.
> >
> > The post office removes the trays from the skids and sends them through
a
> > scanner that reads the tags. The tags indicate which Bulk Mail Center
> > around the country the mail will go to. The trays are then put with
other
> > trays going to the same Bulk Mail Center, loaded on a trailer, and
driven
> > to that regional location.
> >
> > At the regional Bulk Mail Centers, the trays are unloaded and the mail
> > pieces are broken down by local post offices. Individual pieces of mail
> > are run through a scanner and sorted out by routes for that particular
> > post office, then given to a carrier and delivered.
> >
> > So how long SHOULD this whole process take?  The Chicago post office
> > reports that once the bulk mail enters the mail stream it takes
> > approximately 2 DAYS TO 2 WEEKS for delivery. HOWEVER, there are NO
> > mailing standards for bulk mail. That means it can take much longer and
> > often does. The reason is that bulk mail depends on the volume of 1st
> > class mail, which takes priority. Basically, if there is lots of 1st
class
> > mail to deliver, the bulk mail languishes at every step of the way (at
the
> > main post office, at the Bulk Mail Centers, at the local post offices).
> >
> > There is no easy solution to the ongoing problem with the USPS. We have
> > done random checks of the SAA mail list to make sure the names of those
> > who have had problems receiving their mail are on the list. With each
bulk
> > mailing, SAA receives a report filed by the mail house with the post
> > office certifying the number of pieces being mailed and matches that
> > against the number of labels delivered to the mail house.
> >
> > While members have the option of paying an additional fee to receive the
> > newsletter via 1st class mail, it remains a cost prohibitive alternative
> > as a mode of delivering all SAA mass mailings.
> >
> > Online delivery of select SAA products and services may be a viable
> > solution.
> >
> > Teresa Brinati
> > Director of Publishing
> > Society of American Archivists
> > 527 S. Wells Street, 5th Floor
> > Chicago, IL 60607-3992 USA
> > 312/922-0140  Fax 312/347-1452
> > tbrinati@archivists.org
> > www.archivists.org
> >
>
> A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
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>
> Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>