There was a notice from the post office slipped through our mail slot on Tuesday, saying that they'd make a "FINAL ATTEMPT" to deliver a package to me and that I could pick it up at the local post office between the hours of 8am and 5pm. If I didn't pick it up by Friday, they'd be shipping it back to the sender.
I was confused for a few reasons. I wasn't expecting a package at home. The sender's name, illegibly scrawled by the mailman, was unfamiliar. "Final Notice" implies that prior notices had been left, but we hadn't received any. The post office has never had a problem tossing our packages into the alley (and in the "item left _____" section of the undeliverable notice, they cryptically wrote "SIDE", which had us completely stumped until we saw our soggy, bruised Amazon.com box lying halfway up the alley, half in our neighbor's patio), or, more recently, dumping a box into the shrub next to our steps. (That time, it said "Item left PLANT", which was much more clear). But since I was too curious to let my mysterious package be returned to its sender, I got up extra early yesterday and went to the post office before work to pick it up.
After the woman at the desk spent 10 minutes explaining to the dude in front of my why he couldn't ship a UPS box from the Post Office ("Wait -- they're not the same? What do you mean? Isn't this where mail goes?"), she fetched my mysterious package. I tore it open on the way to work and was delighted to find a Christmas Card and a box of chocolates from Marriage-101. But again, I was confused, because the lovely card talked about Sweet Pea the Dog, and didn't Sweet Pea run away over Christmas? Then I looked at the postmark: December 22nd.
It took 26 days for this package to make it from Missouri to Maryland. That's an average of 32 miles a day.
Also, the package would have easily fit through our mail slot.
Also, when I got home (having picked up the package that morning!), I got another "FINAL NOTICE", this one claiming the package would be returned to sender on Monday (not Friday).
Um. Okay. Whatever. The choclates were delicious and were much enjoyed by my coworkers and I for breakfast. Thanks again, Liz!
Back on January 7th, when Marriage-101's package was probably slowly making its way through Louisiana, I ordered some Feliway refills from Amazon. These things are expensive, but they work wonders for our cats. I started using them last year when they were brawling during every waking moment, and within hours of plugging them in the fighting had stopped. I'd phased them out gradually since the catfights are mostly a thing of the past, but I thought it would be a good idea to get a few to plug in while we're away, especially since there has been a phantom rug-peer for the past couple of weeks. Knowing that this box would never fit through the mail slot, I shipped it to my office address. Tracking confirmed that it was shipped on January 10th and delivered on January 12th at 11:33am. Today is January 17th, and I have yet to see it.
Does anyone else have this many problems with the mail? I'm off to track down my package, since the whole point of buying those refills was to keep the cats from pissing all over the house while we're in Spain and holy crap WE ARE LEAVING IN THREE DAYS.
Dude. Did I mistakenly give your package to the Pony Express?
I don't have mail problems that bad, but I have noticed a lack of mail received on Fridays. I think whoever works the Friday shift must play hookey all day.
Posted by: Marriage-101 | Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 01:46 PM
My biggest pet peeve is receiving something "postage due." Um, excuse me? I am not the one who sent this package with insufficient postage, so why am I the one who has to pay for someone else's mistake? And if I'm not allowed to leave the payment in the mailbox without getting bitched out by my mail carrier, how am I supposed to ever get this package? Do you really expect me to drive to the post office and wait in line for 30 minutes just to hand over 10 cents THAT I SHOULD NOT OWE IN THE FIRST PLACE???
Really irritates the hell out of me.
Posted by: Audrey | Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 02:55 PM
I ordered something from Target and received an order confirmation saying that it had shipped with DHL. So I track the package and it supposedly arrived on Saturday. No package ever came to our front door (where they're usually left), I waited until Tuesday and then sent an email to Target saying that my package had vanished and they were kind enough to send me a replacement order for free. Last night I went to check my mail and there were two keys in our slot for the larger lockers at the bottom for packages. One was a wedding present, the other was the missing Target package! What the heck? I thought the mailbox was just for post office use--is DHL affiliated with the USPS? And where was it hiding between Saturday and Wednesday when it showed up in the mailbox? I am so confused by these things.
But oh man, cracking the heck up over the fact that you had a package dumped in your shrubs and then a kindly note stating "left in PLANT"!! Ha!
Posted by: Angela | Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 03:53 PM
i ship EVERYTHING to my office. I can't trust my own mail delivery one stinking bit.
I am still undecided on the feliway. My cats are still fighting but no more couch peeing episodes at least. (grrrr)
Posted by: janet | Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 04:19 PM
I sort of hate the mail. But I'm like Janet, ship everything to the office. For some reason, the postal service in Midtown is much more reliable than in the residential neighborhoods!
Posted by: Laurel | Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 05:14 PM
Wow, why don't they have something like that for dogs??
I work in an 8-floor building and it takes an average of 3 work hours (in an 8-hour day) for a package to make it up one floor.
Posted by: Erika | Friday, January 18, 2008 at 08:23 AM
I'm afraid most of my Christmas postcards didn't get delivered. Nobody has really mentioned that they got one. And also, one was returned to me YESTERDAY. (One I sent my grandpa. I'm not sure why it wasn't delivered.)
Chocolates...yummy!
Posted by: Isabel | Friday, January 18, 2008 at 11:15 AM
I live in VA and my parents live in AZ, if either of us sends the other one something Priority it takes 9-14 days to get there. If we send it regular mail is takes 3-4 days.
I think your "Plant" takes the cake though.
And to Angela, sometime DHL handles the package only until it reaches your local USPS and then the USPS delivers it...I guess they split the shipping fee then.
Posted by: PstLyfDiva | Friday, January 18, 2008 at 02:10 PM
We have lots of probs with our mail service too.
Hope the chocolates were yummy. And Mariage 101 is a super cool chicky. (Got to meet her last month.) Hope you get to meet her at some point too, if you haven't already!)
Posted by: motherofbun | Friday, January 18, 2008 at 02:43 PM
Also...I will miss you while you're away. Please keep us updated.
Oh, and HAVE FUN!
Posted by: Isabel | Friday, January 18, 2008 at 05:11 PM
I mailed out my Christmas cards and my Grandma never got hers. She lives with my mom. My mom got hers to the SAME house. And they live like 10 miles from me. Chicago was rated the WORST in the nation for USPS.
My girl cat went through a peeing stage too. She would do it right in front of me too. And she ruined a perfectly good, cute cat bed in the process. I thought she had some sort of infection, but no. Vet said she was just a bitch. The Feliway totally helped!
Posted by: Kristabella | Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 02:58 AM