Shipping Time Record?

[Mike Gilbert]

Wednesday of this week I shipped a trio of young LF Ameraucanas to a customer in an Oklahoma community with a population of about 7500.   My local post office ships packages only one time each day, and they want the boxes about 1:45 pm.    There was a new clerk, so he didn't get my express mail label finished until about 2 pm.   I had an email from the customer at 11:34 a.m. Thursday morning that the birds had been delivered and were already in the back yard.   I don't remember ever having a shipment delivered in less than 24 hours before.    They recently eliminated the mail sorting function in La Crosse and moved it to Minneapolis, so I'm thinking . . . better service from now on???   But on the other hand I shipped some bantams to Salt Lake City, Utah, at the same time and have not heard from the customer yet - more than 24 hours after the first delivery occurred.     The second customer's delivery address is right next door to his post office.   Go figure.

[John]

I take birds to the PO around 4pm and often those going to CA or FL will be delivered the next morning, since they fly out of Detroit.  Orders going to OH, IL, IN or the UP will normally take an extra day, since they are usually trucked all the way.
I do think by going out of the twin cities you will have better service.  They and Detroit have had Delta (NorthWest) to work with and historically have good service.  Maybe none of the airlines that accept lives out of the twin cities have direct flights to Salt Lake City.
I do recall that at one time the Reno area was about the only place I couldn't ship chicks to, because it would take an extra day due to all the trucking time involved and they had to be expected to be delivered within 72 hours of hatching.   

[Mike Gilbert]

Turns out the Salt Lake City customer also got his order delivered Thursday a.m., so less than 24 hours for that one too.   He had to work that day, and then got busy at home that night and forgot to let me know.
It's really encouraging - not often service gets better instead of worse with the USPS.  Good news.