Current Events > Trump: USPS is 'dumber and poorer' for not charging Amazon more

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/29/trump-postal-service-amazon-shipping-charges-319625?cmpid=sf

President Donald Trump on Friday called on the United States Postal Service to charge Amazon and others much more for shipping, adding that the government agency is becoming dumber and poorer by not doing so.

Why is the United States Post Office, which is losing many billions of dollars a year, while charging Amazon and others so little to deliver their packages, making Amazon richer and the Post Office dumber and poorer? Should be charging MUCH MORE! the president wrote on Twitter.

Amazon announced Wednesday that the company had a record-setting holiday season, though it is unclear whether that is what prompted the presidents critique.

Jeff Bezos, who is the CEO of Amazon and also owns The Washington Post, has been a target of Trump in the past.

The president who has had an often-rocky relationship with the media has also previously accused The Washington Post of fabricating facts and has called the paper a lobbyist for Amazon.
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this just in

all republican senators and congressmen are now "losing" the packages they ordered from amazon. no one can tell where they went.
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why does he hate businesses making money?????
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Amazon will just go elsewhere for it's shipping.
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billcom6 posted...

why does he hate businesses making money?????

Because he's not making money off of them.

I work for USPS and it's pretty crazy how much money they lose. Over a whole dollar on EVERY Amazon package. Over 5 billion dollars lost last year.
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thepope_3290 posted...

I work for USPS and it's pretty crazy how much money they lose. Over a whole dollar on EVERY Amazon package. Over 5 billion dollars lost last year.

That's actually really sad
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Not a whole dollar
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thepope_3290 posted...

I work for USPS and it's pretty crazy how much money they lose. Over a whole dollar on EVERY Amazon package. Over 5 billion dollars lost last year.

Wait, really? I was under the impression that parcels pretty much subsidize the letter service, and the real reason USPS is in deep shit was a mandate to fund retirements of employees who aren't even alive yet.

Liberals are mad because UPS might earn money instead of Amazon. Gotta love Bezos' dominance over liberals.

I don't understand the concept of "they'll take their business elsewhere if you raise the price" if you are literally losing on every deal. Isn't it better to not have their business at all in that case?
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thepope_3290 posted...

Over a whole dollar on EVERY Amazon package.

Jesus, that's fucking terrible
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Turbam posted...

thepope_3290 posted...

Over a whole dollar on EVERY Amazon package.

Jesus, that's fucking terrible

Oooo! found a source:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/for-every-amazon-package-it-delivers-the-postal-service-loses-146/article/2632857

thepope_3290 posted...

I work for USPS and it's pretty crazy how much money they lose. Over a whole dollar on EVERY Amazon package. Over 5 billion dollars lost last year.

My friend works for usps as well and she says the same thing. She doesn't even get Sundays off because she has to deliver Amazon packages
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RoseIsHorriblle posted...

Liberals are mad because UPS might earn money instead of Amazon. Gotta love Bezos' dominance over liberals.

Huh?
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all my amazon packages are delivered in UPS trucks.

I know the USPS will occasionally deliver them but that's extremely rare.

How much is USPS actually delivering?
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ChromaticAngel posted...

all my amazon packages are delivered in UPS trucks.

I know the USPS will occasionally deliver them but that's extremely rare.

How much is USPS actually delivering?

Every Sunday
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ChromaticAngel posted...

all my amazon packages are delivered in UPS trucks.

I know the USPS will occasionally deliver them but that's extremely rare.

How much is USPS actually delivering?

Same. I think probably 95% of my Amazon products come UPS which leads me to believe they're already cheaper because Amazon isn't stupid.
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Remove the words Amazon and that exact message has been spoken of for the better part of a decade. The package rates are kept artificially low by government subsidies. For example the government has written a 5+ billion dollar check for the last 5 years just to keep the USPS solvent. The post office last year lost over 200 million dollars in the 2 weeks before Christmas. To make it even worse the big players like FedEx and UPS use the USPS for "last mile" deliveries that are priced so low the USPS loses even MORE money than they would if the package originated in the hub and spoke system (which charges higher rates)

Now add back in the word Amazon and it gets even worse because of things like Sunday deliveries (which took a massive compromise between the USPS and its union) and the fact that packages are delivered by vehicle instead of by the normal mail carriers (vehicle costs, insurance, fuel, space in truck, higher wages due to CDL licensed drivers, etc)

There are a ton of articles going back to 2005 that have basically said the USPS needs a massive overhaul along with a massive price increase to be anything remotely resembling a self sustaining government agency.
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ChromaticAngel posted...

all my amazon packages are delivered in UPS trucks.

I know the USPS will occasionally deliver them but that's extremely rare.

How much is USPS actually delivering?

95% of my packages come from USPS, and I order a lot.....for bigger things its either FedEx/UPS but I don't get big items that often.

Hell, USPS was delivering in U-Hauls this holiday season around my area, evidently people were ordering a shit-ton.
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Ranting Nord posted...

ChromaticAngel posted...

all my amazon packages are delivered in UPS trucks.

I know the USPS will occasionally deliver them but that's extremely rare.

How much is USPS actually delivering?

Same. I think probably 95% of my Amazon products come UPS which leads me to believe they're already cheaper because Amazon isn't stupid.

shit if you order Amazon Fresh or Prime Now it gets delivered by what I suspect is a fucking uber driver.
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Were_Wyrm posted...

Amazon will just go elsewhere for it's shipping.

Where will Amazon go? UPS/FedEx? Their shipping prices would go through the roof. Build their own delivery service from the ground up? They have started doing just that yet it is years away from being fully viable. Use courier services for everything? Again their costs would go through the roof AND they would have large service area holes.

The USPS basically cut its own nose off in an attempt to corner the package delivery market. They priced their services knowing full well that they would be getting another multi billion dollar subsidy at the end of the year. No one else can touch USPS pricing specifically because no one else has a nation writing it never ending checks every time the bank account goes red
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I got stuck behind an actual Amazon Fresh truck in Seattle a couple years ago
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Huh I guess it's regional.
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He's right, but this has been a criticism of the USPS for well over a decade now. They run a losing business model at taxpayers expense.
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voldothegr8 posted...

He's right, but this has been a criticism of the USPS for well over a decade now. They run a losing business model at taxpayers expense.

Yes but it's because the government won't allow them to be competitive.

Trying to increase postage stamp prices causes a riot.
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Questionmarktarius posted...

thepope_3290 posted...

I work for USPS and it's pretty crazy how much money they lose. Over a whole dollar on EVERY Amazon package. Over 5 billion dollars lost last year.

Wait, really? I was under the impression that parcels pretty much subsidize the letter service, and the real reason USPS is in deep shit was a mandate to fund retirements of employees who aren't even alive yet.

The USPS parcel service still loses money, just a lot less money than letter delivery. The union contract and pension liabilities while massive arent the real problem. The real problem is the USPS loses money every time anything touches their hands, letter, package, etc. About the only thing the USPS makes any kind of money on are Money Orders
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Bezos gets a government subsidy on every package Amazon ships. That's how they do it for so cheap. It's putting everyone else out of business too.
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Does this really matter? Everyone uses Amazon these days, I don't think anyone would take the USPS being profitable if it means Amazon will cost more
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If the USPS would raise the price on certain things, say 30 cents more for priority shipping, it would help a lot. But the government just wants USPS to break even and not make profit.
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Isnt this his tax plan? If you charge less you make up for it in large volume?

isn't this basically obamacare all over again?

usps isn't in it to make money and not everyone can afford amazon and ups
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ChromaticAngel posted...

all my amazon packages are delivered in UPS trucks.

I know the USPS will occasionally deliver them but that's extremely rare.

How much is USPS actually delivering?

Roughly 650,000 packages a day. Almost every Amazon packages shipped with "free shipping" and super saver shipping are sent USPS. UPS and FedEx are really only used for large packages and Amazon Prime members
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Spooking posted...

aka Trump wants YOU to pay more. Because you know they will pass the price hikes onto you.

**** trump, it already costs alot just to ship one package.
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BuzzyTheCat posted...

ChromaticAngel posted...

all my amazon packages are delivered in UPS trucks.

I know the USPS will occasionally deliver them but that's extremely rare.

How much is USPS actually delivering?

Roughly 650,000 packages a day. Almost every Amazon packages shipped with "free shipping" and super saver shipping are sent USPS. UPS and FedEx are really only used for large packages and Amazon Prime members

Oh that's why. Huh.
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shockthemonkey posted...

Spooking posted...

aka Trump wants YOU to pay more. Because you know they will pass the price hikes onto you.

This. USPS keeps prices artificially low so that anyone in the country can afford to use them. Its a service for the citizens of the country.

Then maybe USPS should just disallow commercial packages except for international airmail.
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ChromaticAngel posted...

shockthemonkey posted...

Spooking posted...

aka Trump wants YOU to pay more. Because you know they will pass the price hikes onto you.

This. USPS keeps prices artificially low so that anyone in the country can afford to use them. Its a service for the citizens of the country.

Then maybe USPS should just disallow commercial packages except for international airmail.

You seem to miss the point of "anyone".

Who fucking cares, the United States and Amazon have a shit ton of money

People used to pay people to argue for them, now people online will do it for free
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Questionmarktarius posted...

ChromaticAngel posted...

shockthemonkey posted...

Spooking posted...

aka Trump wants YOU to pay more. Because you know they will pass the price hikes onto you.

This. USPS keeps prices artificially low so that anyone in the country can afford to use them. Its a service for the citizens of the country.

Then maybe USPS should just disallow commercial packages except for international airmail.

You seem to miss the point of "anyone".

Corporations should not be considered "anyone" they are things.
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ChromaticAngel posted...

Questionmarktarius posted...

ChromaticAngel posted...

shockthemonkey posted...

Spooking posted...

aka Trump wants YOU to pay more. Because you know they will pass the price hikes onto you.

This. USPS keeps prices artificially low so that anyone in the country can afford to use them. Its a service for the citizens of the country.

Then maybe USPS should just disallow commercial packages except for international airmail.

You seem to miss the point of "anyone".

Corporations should not be considered "anyone" they are things.

And that's why Amazon is spinning up its own (terrible) parcel service.

kingdrake2 posted...

Spooking posted...

aka Trump wants YOU to pay more. Because you know they will pass the price hikes onto you.

**** trump, it already costs alot just to ship one package.

Man, why do people spout this nonsense still? You really believe Trump is this evil man that wants to ruin people's lives.

He wants AMAZON to pay more. What he needs to do is end the government subsidies that they get.
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KazumaKiryu posted...

kingdrake2 posted...

Spooking posted...

aka Trump wants YOU to pay more. Because you know they will pass the price hikes onto you.

**** trump, it already costs alot just to ship one package.

Man, why do people spout this nonsense still? You really believe Trump is this evil man that wants to ruin people's lives.

He wants AMAZON to pay more. What he needs to do is end the government subsidies that they get.

What Spooking is saying is that if Amazon pays more, people will pay more because Amazon will just raise the shipping fees so that it makes the same amount of money it used to.
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KazumaKiryu posted...

What he needs to do is end the government subsidies that they get.

Amazon isn't exactly going to let that slide. Companies have the uncanny ability to pass on costs to consumers. Not to mention the overlap of subsidies that other companies get as well as amazon, so you'd be looking at goods becoming more expensive at other sites as well.
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Remember guys, corporations are all greedy and evil and don't pay their fair share unless it's a company that Trump criticizes.