Do You Think The USPS Lurks On Forums?

Any smart major company has people who monitor what the public thinks about their product or service. I can't help but think that many online forums have Big Corporate Eyes scanning them, then making spreadsheets...

That being said, do you think that the USPS has a department that specifically monitors what the public thinks about them, their service, and their products? Do they have people looking at stamp collecting forums, commercial shipping forums, etc? Do they deploy spies at stamp shows??



(Ok, ok... stop laughing and post your thoughts!)

It would definatly make sense that in some way the try and keep an eye on relevant issues. Maybe gluesticks is a key word they search for?

maybe, but if they do they certainly don't read anything or else they would slow down on all new "stickers" and go back to their roots if only for an issue/ teaching aid or what-have-you? I personally wouldn't mind paying a little extra for a nice classic looking intaglio printed stamp. Ones with actual perforations, but that's just my opinion and you know what they say about those don't you?

The USPS should do a lot of things but they don't. Two weeks before Christmas they went around and picked up drop boxes where they had multiples. They left one in each location. When I asked why they would do that the manager told me he didn't have enough staff to empty them. The single box was stuffed and overflowing. I spoke with my letter carrier about it. He told me the problem USPS had was not enough first class mail. What do you think was being deposited in the drop boxes? No I don't think they have someone watching the stamp sites. They use them in Washington to beg for more money.

No, I don't think they spend much time at that. I think they take collectors for granted and assume we will always take whatever they decide to give. 50 years ago I don't think that was true though, of course 50 years ago it was a government department.

It's true that executives monitor boards and forums, and even government agencies. I assume someone in marketing watches these forums as well; look at all the retweets from Amtrak and the USPS.

I don't think they'd get all that much input though, just a guess. Seems that collectors want one type of thing, and the public likes another. As a member of the public, I thought it was a pleasant surprise when stamps became "stickers" and found them easier to use. Was getting gross to lick stamps, envelopes and so forth. The cheaper envelopes have a certain taste to them.
I tell The Wife everymonth, who doesn't like putting cool stickers on their bills and mailing them out? Takes me a quarter of the time to get a bill ready on paper and just be done with it than the myriad of annoying steps and passwords and confirmations and emails to pay online. Who doesn't like stickers I say.

If they do watch, I wish they'd target their marketing more. I keep getting flag stamps when I get stamped mail. Except for ordering online, do folks know they can have a choice or is it out of their way to get the interesting commemorative stamps? I can't recall, but as a non-hardcore collector and mostly picky member of the public, I only saw that online stamp store by chance a few years ago. One of their commemorative sheets were so fancy, it got me interested.

With fewer and fewer actual post offices (seems to be worldwide) and all these retail outlets that offer postal options as a loss leader it will never get better for a collector. Granted it does provide an additional 1-2 minimum wage positions to man these locations but other than training on how to weigh an item and print a meter they don't have a clue what else is possibly availiable. I have never once been offered an option of what stamp to buy and I doubt the general public even cares but it would take seconds for a knowledgeable worker to upsale even Joe/ Jane public if they offered options. If you want attention you better be looking at mass mailings or bulk business .
Does anyone know the percentage that these drug stores and the like receive for offering postal abilities? I seem to recall it was just 3% of sales but the draw was to bring in customers and ust like milk in a grocery store they are placed in the back corner.

i mentioned this before but I mentioned to my Nephew who is a postal inspector in North Carolina that I glue sticked skips on my envelopes to fellow stamp collectors...he said he had better things to do..video taping the endless number of postal workers out on workers comp who were roofing their houses, lifting weights in their garages..he loves his job !

To answer the initial question "Do You Think the USPS Lurks on Forums?" I would say, "Yes!" We stamp collectors lurk on their websites all the time, so why should we think we don't get the same treatment? Especially on sites such as SCF, even a Google search of a specific item brings up some threads on this site, so I would think it is a useful gauge of the stamp collecting public opinion.

Having said that, I don't think we can suggest that the USPS has "spies" out there or has a Department that does nothing else but monitor these sites. I think they do it occasionally, just as we collectors do it occasionally to other sites.

Whether it results in any constructive changes is questionable. The USPS will do what they want and typically gives little consideration to the opinion of the public-at-large. Even the USPS themselves have their own ability to look at their Facebook page and get praise and criticism for some of their upcoming stamps.

Here's one example: If you read some of the negative comments posted on USPS Facebook about the recently announced "Just Move" stamps, you'll see that the sentiment is very similar to what is being posted here about the poor design and content of such an issue.

I thought up this thread after applying for a job at Keurig coffee. The job is specifically to monitor and participate in social media.

"...do you think that the USPS has a department that specifically monitors what the public thinks about them, their service, and their products? Do they have people looking at stamp collecting forums, commercial shipping forums, etc? Do they deploy spies at stamp shows??"

Not really...this is just normal paranoia. I'm sure the USPS has better things to do...unlike the U.K. Royal Mail who monitor my every move. Probably in the bathroom too. They can alter reality, control minds. You only see what they want you to see... and they hide behind furniture and threaten me with fruit.

Are there many stamps in bathrooms?

Depends on where you soak.

Hi,
Gotta ask, "what's the deal about gluesticks"???

Thanks,
Mobilman44

on the older non self adhesive or the "lick-n-stick" stamps that have been soaked for some reason and lost their gum or stamp "skips" that missed the cancellation device you use a glue-stick and re-use. They too lazy to cancel correctly = you smart enough to re-use. :)

"They too lazy to cancel correctly = you smart enough to re-use" = illegal reuse