Spyderco Forums

Naperville wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 11, 2026 10:14 am

I never worked for the USPS. I applied but their AI system weeded me out! How complex can the job of a mailman be? How can anyone fail to get employed at the USPS when they have job openings? I don't know but I did it!!!

If there is an award for rejection letters from employers they should give it to me!

Trust me, it's not just you. My dad is a very experienced IT professional with an excellent track record working for many large businesses such as Zales, Sally Beauty, and more. I know he submitted well over 200 applications with no results. He ended up finding what he wanted by following an old boss of his that he had already worked with under two previous companies. So yeah, job searching seems to suck right now. Relationships can be the difference maker when it comes to landing a job lately.

Scandi Grind wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 11, 2026 6:13 pm

Naperville wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 11, 2026 10:14 am

I never worked for the USPS. I applied but their AI system weeded me out! How complex can the job of a mailman be? How can anyone fail to get employed at the USPS when they have job openings? I don't know but I did it!!!

If there is an award for rejection letters from employers they should give it to me!

Trust me, it's not just you. My dad is a very experienced IT professional with an excellent track record working for many large businesses such as Zales, Sally Beauty, and more. I know he submitted well over 200 applications with no results. He ended up finding what he wanted by following an old boss of his that he had already worked with under two previous companies. So yeah, job searching seems to suck right now. Relationships can be the difference maker when it comes to landing a job lately.

I don't want to ruin this thread but:

Postman will be a job that is automated out of existence soon.

To the AI thread in Off Topic, I posted a link to a detailed overview of what will happen in giant leaps every 6 months over the next 5 years to all jobs. Automation. Robotics. Artificial Intelligence. AI is the 800lb gorilla, and now AI writes code to replace previous versions. Programmers developing AI will be unnecessary in 12 months. Senior lawyers, chemists, and programmers are no longer necessary, they guide AI systems now that do all of the work. Entry level jobs within 1 to 2 years are going to disappear.

READ IT HERE
https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening


Companies are hiring very few people right now. Illinois is a large state population-wise, and the market was stagnant for me. I thought it was just me, but I see the trends. There is a freeze on hiring for most white collar positions because companies do not want to pay for unemployment when they massively lay off 10's of thousands. At least that is what I have been reading for the last 6 months. Time will tell.

I am applying at hardware stores, shipping and warehouse jobs. Get a job that AI cannot effect or robots would be too expensive to bring in to replace you.

I keep hearing that people should be concentrating on growing their own crops. Plant a few things and learn how to care for them to feed yourself.

Globally, governments are going to have to figure out what to do when nobody is working. Taxes fund everything but if nobody works, the system collapses.

i prefer to use DHL, but they are more expensive than USPS.

How can these problems be cured?

Naperville wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 11, 2026 8:03 pm

Scandi Grind wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 11, 2026 6:13 pm

Naperville wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 11, 2026 10:14 am

I never worked for the USPS. I applied but their AI system weeded me out! How complex can the job of a mailman be? How can anyone fail to get employed at the USPS when they have job openings? I don't know but I did it!!!

If there is an award for rejection letters from employers they should give it to me!

Trust me, it's not just you. My dad is a very experienced IT professional with an excellent track record working for many large businesses such as Zales, Sally Beauty, and more. I know he submitted well over 200 applications with no results. He ended up finding what he wanted by following an old boss of his that he had already worked with under two previous companies. So yeah, job searching seems to suck right now. Relationships can be the difference maker when it comes to landing a job lately.

I don't want to ruin this thread but:

Postman will be a job that is automated out of existence soon.

To the AI thread in Off Topic, I posted a link to a detailed overview of what will happen in giant leaps every 6 months over the next 5 years to all jobs. Automation. Robotics. Artificial Intelligence. AI is the 800lb gorilla, and now AI writes code to replace previous versions. Programmers developing AI will be unnecessary in 12 months. Senior lawyers, chemists, and programmers are no longer necessary, they guide AI systems now that do all of the work. Entry level jobs within 1 to 2 years are going to disappear.

READ IT HERE
https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening

I think those who are heavily investing in AI right now are gonna get bit honestly. It isn't what they want us to think it is and I think it is going to result in a lot of shotty work and products in the near future. It isn't useless, but it isn't some fix-all like these companies are treating it.

Scandi Grind wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 12, 2026 1:56 pm

Naperville wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 11, 2026 8:03 pm

Scandi Grind wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 11, 2026 6:13 pm

Naperville wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 11, 2026 10:14 am

I never worked for the USPS. I applied but their AI system weeded me out! How complex can the job of a mailman be? How can anyone fail to get employed at the USPS when they have job openings? I don't know but I did it!!!

If there is an award for rejection letters from employers they should give it to me!

Trust me, it's not just you. My dad is a very experienced IT professional with an excellent track record working for many large businesses such as Zales, Sally Beauty, and more. I know he submitted well over 200 applications with no results. He ended up finding what he wanted by following an old boss of his that he had already worked with under two previous companies. So yeah, job searching seems to suck right now. Relationships can be the difference maker when it comes to landing a job lately.

I don't want to ruin this thread but:

Postman will be a job that is automated out of existence soon.

To the AI thread in Off Topic, I posted a link to a detailed overview of what will happen in giant leaps every 6 months over the next 5 years to all jobs. Automation. Robotics. Artificial Intelligence. AI is the 800lb gorilla, and now AI writes code to replace previous versions. Programmers developing AI will be unnecessary in 12 months. Senior lawyers, chemists, and programmers are no longer necessary, they guide AI systems now that do all of the work. Entry level jobs within 1 to 2 years are going to disappear.

READ IT HERE
https://shumer.dev/something-big-is-happening

I think those who are heavily investing in AI right now are gonna get bit honestly. It isn't what they want us to think it is and I think it is going to result in a lot of shotty work and products in the near future. It isn't useless, but it isn't some fix-all like these companies are treating it.

All sectors are going to get bit. There is a high probability that the market will collapse and have to be bailed out. The same thing is happening to AI that happened during the DotCom bust. There is little to no income to support these companies and there are too many players.

Companies are starting to worry about their mandate to do business.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/11/stock-m ... dates.html


Nonetheless, strong DotCom businesses survived and the Internet is here. AI will survive with consolidation.

For international shipping, the best service has been USPS for me.

Fedex can refuse to deliver in France because they don't understand laws, and if they deliver, they ask for MORE import taxes 5 to 7 months later. They did it again last week for a VG XEOS Mule I received months ago. And the other mule I ordered ended up being sent back and Spyderco had to ship it again with USPS, no double import tax on that one.

Ramonade wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 15, 2026 2:57 am

For international shipping, the best service has been USPS for me.

Fedex can refuse to deliver in France because they don't understand laws, and if they deliver, they ask for MORE import taxes 5 to 7 months later. They did it again last week for a VG XEOS Mule I received months ago. And the other mule I ordered ended up being sent back and Spyderco had to ship it again with USPS, no double import tax on that one.

Ramonade my friend, how reliable is the French postal system to safely deliver letters and packages within Europe and France?

The United States Postal Service reported a net loss of $9.5 Billion dollars in 2024. https://about.usps.com/newsroom/nationa ... esults.htm

Some may recall my rant about the USPS a little over a year ago about a package of mine that was returned by a letter carrier. They ignored hold instructions I placed in their "Informed Delivery" online system prior to its arrival and the letter carrier lied about delivering it to my mailbox. They returned the package that day to the local post office and placed it in a "return cage." What ever happened to the "Attempted Delivery" post-it notes?

The letter carrier's coworkers were already looking for the package because I reported it as not delivered; the worker reassured their coworkers they delivered it to my mailbox. Somehow It was discovered that the package sat in the return cage for four days before it was returned to the retailer. When the letter carrier was presented with the facts they changed their story and said a neighbor of mine had returned it to them stating, "I didn't live there." (Didn't live where?) When I filed complaints with the USPS I reminded them of the 737, 500 election post cards they delivered to my mailbox months prior; they knew where I lived then. The local post office worker I spoke to said they were furious that the letter carrier would do that and told me they were reprimanded and received remedial training.

I called the retailer to inform them that the package was on its way back. I told them I would pay to have it shipped via FedEx to a friends house where I would be visiting over the holidays. The retailer, Razor Emporium, shipped it as requested, for free, they wouldn't let me pay for the shipping. And of course it arrived without a hitch.

The USPS Informed Delivery system, which I've renamed Uniformed Delivery, is still messed up. I'll get things in the mail that never appear in their system. (Car license plates; kind of important, need to put those on the car right away.)

I am happy to say that the divorce between me and the USPS is final and I don't do any business with them or retailers who use the USPS for shipping when I have a choice.

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 15, 2026 7:57 am

Ramonade wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 15, 2026 2:57 am

For international shipping, the best service has been USPS for me.

Fedex can refuse to deliver in France because they don't understand laws, and if they deliver, they ask for MORE import taxes 5 to 7 months later. They did it again last week for a VG XEOS Mule I received months ago. And the other mule I ordered ended up being sent back and Spyderco had to ship it again with USPS, no double import tax on that one.

Ramonade my friend, how reliable is the French postal system to safely deliver letters and packages within Europe and France?

I actually can't recall the last time I had any kind of issue shipping or receiving stuff within France or the EU. I know some have issues with lost packages but nothing like that for me, and I use their services a lot !

The only bad thing is that every post office in villages have pretty much shut down over the past 20 years. Some mayors pay 1 1 or 2 employees to have a small office open, but it's usually 2 days a week and not in every village (by village I mean anything under 3000 population).
To counter that, there's a relatively new service which allows to ship packages and letters directly from your mailbox. I often create the label at home, prepare everything and put it in the mailbox when I go to work. 2 days later it has safely been delivered

USPS has one thing over FedX, and UPS, that is if you have an insurance claim you have a chance of getting payment. Both Fedx & UPS do not sell true insurance, and if you interested ask the careers what they actually sell. It's not true value insurance, it to be polite, BS.