rocknbil - 2:32 pm on Oct 18, 2008 (gmt 0)

but the area is notorious for very slow moving people.

Ahh country livin' is the life for me . . . :-) It's most likely not because of the slow moving natives, it is probably more likely the way the parcels are routed out of your area.

We're 45 miles north of the border. In our town we have the "central" larger post office right in town. We live closer to another of the smaller towns that has a post office no larger than a coffee shop and two employees. Both PO's route their parcels to the same LARGER town PO about 20 miles south.

We get faster shipment, better service, and don't stand in lines nearly as long from the smaller post office. First name basis. Priority hits the east coast in 3-4 days. We absolutely positively never rely on pickup service.

Overall I agree with you - rural areas move to a different pace, but it's why we live here. It takes some getting used to, but there's no reason not to get the fastest means of shipping possible. You just need to get to know the way it works; maybe there's a different PO or node you can seek out in your area.

We should get together and compare notes sometime!