Thread: Postal Service.

I was chatting about the logistics of the postal service with a friend. In Denmark, if I put a letter in the box before 18:00, I am pretty sure it will arrive anywhere else in Denmark the following morning. We were trying to consider the logistics of getting that level of service across the EU.

So here's a question. In the US, (an area of comprobable size, admittedly with less people and so addresses, but anyway), if you post a letter today, does it get to anywhere in the US tomorrow? If not, how long in general term?

How is Denmark a comparable size to the US?

Anyways... If I get a letter in the mail before 11 or so, I can be fairly assured it'll get anywhere in Michigan by tommorow. It'll take about another day to get it all the way to California or something.

There are different services. If you pay more than you can get a currier that will deliver anywhere in the US within 24 hrs.

PA to MI in a week? Jeez... I don't regularly send mail to CA, no - but I do send mail to Arizona and New Mexico, cuz I have relatives there. It takes, on the outside, 3 days to get there.

adrian meant europe was a similar size to usa you plonkers!

What happen though if we have bad maps? Did you notice that all these maps say 'made in china'?

My experience is that you can get a letter anywhere in CONUS in 3 days or less.

The exception to that is Chicago. It took me over a week once to get a letter sent from a couple blocks away (long story).

There was a really cool site on slashdot a bit back that showed all this stuff these guys mailed and how long it took to get there. I'll have to look for that link. They put stamps on bowling balls, stuff like that.

We were trying to consider the logistics of getting that level of service across the EU.

In Germany, normally it's 2 days. Might be more.
I ordered something at amazon sunday which said
24 hours to send it out. It was sent tuesday morning.
I got the notice that I can collect it at the post office,
because I haven't been at home when the mail arrived
today (THU). So the packet took 2 days. But don't rely on
that, German mail is not something to use in a critical
path...

I had to respond to this post once i saw the title. Isnt "Postal" and "Service" an oxymoron?

Seriously though, it takes about a week for a letter to get anywhere here in Canada. Our Postal system is just about as bad as in the States. Would you believe that if i send a letter to my next door neighbour it first goes by plane off the island (Vancouver Island isnt exactly a small island in case anyone was wondering about me living on an island. You'll find it on all world maps.) to the mainland, where it gets sorted and then sent back to the Postal office that sent it over in the first place. Then it goes back up the street and into my neighbours mailbox. Anyone else see something less-then-well-organized about this?

ok for those who don't know the uk is about the size of vancouver island. i live on the south coast. if i mail a letter it gets put on a plane to endinburgh. which is in scotland, i.e. the far side of the uk, at which point the sort it inbetween adjusting their kilts and send it halfway down the country to crawley, where it is resorted and, when they feel like it, sent to the nearest post office to its destination. where it eventually gets delivered.

but think how bad e-mail must be. i bet the average e-mail bounces of dozens of servers. it just does it at several thousand miles an hour so we don't realise.