[MR] Acorn delays

[Dave Montuori]

Scripsit Thomas:
> So, let me see if I understand SOME of the essential points...

[much snippage]

> Those of us who live within 100 miles of the nation's capitol seem to 
> have a choice between getting used to the regular late arrival of the 
> Acorn, or paying an extra $10 a year for first class postage and getting 
> used to the regular late arrival of the Acorn. (Hellooooooo Hobson.)

I've got a problem with blaming it entirely on the DC area postal mess; I 
believe that *some* of the oppobrium must fall on the Charlotte area USPS 
as well.

You see, I do have a first class subscription to the Acorn. Have had it 
for a dozen years. I also subscribe to the Pikestaff and AEstel (East and 
AEthelmearc respectively) and get both of those *bulk* class.

The basic processes and dates of producing the newsletters aren't much 
different, so the biggest difference between them is the city from which 
each is mailed. And yet, the AEstel *regularly* shows up a couple of days 
*before* the Acorn. Yes, bulk mail from place A shows up before 
first-class mail from place B, and place A is not usefully closer to DC 
than place B.

(BTW, the Pikestaff is far worse on average than either Aestel or Acorn as 
far as when it shows up -- usually 1-2 weeks behind the Acorn.)

I have worked for two Atlantian Kingdom Chroniclers in the last ten years, 
and I appreciate the job that the Chronicler and her staff are doing. I 
wish to cast no aspersions on them; it's the USPS that seems to be behind 
most of the delays.

One potentially useful question: Have people noticed delivery delays 
getting worse over time (by which I'm talking several years)?

Evan