It's been sort of an odd last couple of days. My youngest has been out of state on a trip, so it's just the old man and I at home. I'm off work for Christmas break, and he is taking off from today until Jan 2. We are not empty nesters quite yet, so it's a new experience. Last night we ate our supper at the table, just the two of us (I gotta get used to cooking for only two) and I thought, this is how it was 32 years ago when we got married. Only we're a lot older. And grayer. And hopefully wiser.
On a different tangent, have you mailed any packages recently? I put together a box to go to my sister in Michigan. It had two very lightweight things in it, plus 3 paperback books. It couldn't have weighed more than 2-3 pounds. (I lost my mailing receipt, so I can't tell you exactly what it weighed.) I took it to Love Box as they offer a plethora of shipping methods to choose from, and the man, after packing it up, says:
Shipping Man: "That'll be 17.60".
Me: (Not sure I heard right) "7.60?"
Shipping Man: (louder) "17.60!"
Me: "What? I'm AGHAST! I'm not paying that to send this box!"
Shipping Man: "Well, that's UPS. Fed Ex is the same price."
Me: (Speechless)
Shipping Man: "You know, I haven't heard the word "aghast" in a long time."
Me: "You should hear it every day with these prices."
Shipping Man: "So whaddya want to do?"
Me: "Ya got anything going by horse and buggy?"
Shipping Man: (not amused) "Parcel Post. That'll cost ya $13.23".
Me: "Is that with delivery sometime next year, no guarantees?"
Shipping Man: "Yes. Delivery 10-14 days, BUSINESS days, (if then), no tracking, no insurance available."
Me: "Sigh".
So the package went Parcel Post. Linda, I don't know when you'll get it, or even IF you'll get it. I had no clue that it cost so much to mail boxes these days. Next time, I'll check out DHL. They drive those bright yellow delivery vans you see everywhere-maybe they are more reasonable.
1 comment:
Well, next time just use the Post Office. Package the books separately--they can go a special fourth (?) class rate for media--but I think you have to promise them that it's only books, with no letter tucked in there. And if the other two things were lightweight, they wouldn't have cost that much either, I don't think. You probably could have sent the lightweight things Priority Mail--what is that, up to two pounds or something like that? Anyway, I appreciate you doing all that for me!
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