The problem with socialism is that competition forces improvement. USPS has certainly improved dramatically in the face of competition. It took them longer than a private outfit would have survived, but in all honesty, my encounters with them have been far better... until I moved. If I’m not there to sign for a package, I can’t have them leave it with the complex’s office, and it goes to a service center, which has amazingly poor hours. (I’d’ve thought that hours would be standardized across all post offices.)
dangus, please bear with me. In my post I explained the inequities presented to the Postal Service, v. private delivery companies.
The only reason you would have to sign for a package is if the sender requested “signature confirmation” or return receipt. Parcels are left at residents’ doors at the Carriers peril. Carriers are responsible for every piece of mail they recieve. It should be delivered to the mail box, or the customers hand. If it dosn’t fit, or nobody is home, you should recieve a USPS form 3849. (It’s a peach colored slip) It will tell you what time, and day (sometimes the same day) you can pick up your parcel at your local Post Office (I can’t say in my 20 years with the Post Office, that I have ever heard of a “service center”). It will also give you info on how to have it redelivered.