Bless the USPS

Our small business ships exclusively with the United States Postal Service. This makes sense for a number of reasons. Our customers live all over the United States — from Alaska to Puerto Rico, Brooklyn to Brooksville, Fifth Avenue to Old Highway 41.

With incredible consistency the USPS delivers on time, to any and every address, and — in the case of our primary mail carrier — always with a smile.

Ours is as small as an online business gets. We don’t sell via Amazon. We don’t operate out of a warehouse. Packages ship from our home to yours. And we couldn’t do it without the USPS. Their flat rate options accommodate our compact, often hefty, packages. They pick up for free, deliver to your doorstep, and even return packages at no cost if you change your mind by the time it arrives.

For ten years they’ve been doing this for us through snow, rain, heat. . . even a global pandemic. But that changed practically overnight with a directive from the newly installed postmaster general in early July.

We’ve received more emails about delays in the past few weeks than in ten years of doing business. Now, these aren’t life-threatening delays. We’re shipping hardware and buckets, not ballots or medications or other critical supplies. But those are being affected too.

The USPS needs our support right now. Send a message to Congress. Or contact your rep and senators individually. Call the White House even (202-456-1111). Tell them to support the USPS in the next federal relief bill and to demand that the postmaster general rescind the directives that are delaying the mail.

Speaking of ballots. . .

We vote almost exclusively by mail in Oregon. It is secure and verifiable. Turnout is consistently high, across parties. Best of all, you aren’t rushed to make a decision. You get time to consider your options from the comfort of your home. You can read ballot measures in full, discuss with your family, do your own research. You even get a booklet mailed in advance of the ballot with descriptions, arguments for and against, and an analysis of fiscal or other impacts of any measure.

I love voting this way.

Many other states allow at least the option of voting by mail. If they need to beef up their systems or workforce right now to handle the extra volume they’re going to get because of the pandemic, then let’s help them do that! Add it to your list of demands when you call Congress.

If you want your state to move to universal voting by mail, that may be a longer-term effort, but now’s a good time to let your state legislators, secretary of state, and governor know your thoughts. You can find their contact info here. You can also register to vote and check your voter registration status here.

Credit to Gie for her illustration of our Bearded d’Uccle Dottie. 🙂