I remember, as a child, saving box tops from cereal boxes, saving them for some trinket. When I'd saved enough box tops, I 'd put them in an envelope and send them off to Battle Creek, Michigan, then wait breathlessly for the mailman every day until my package arrived.
I imagined some guy in Battle Creek looking at my envelope, counting the box tops then addressing a small package to a small kid in Louisiana, like that was the only thing in the world that he had to do that day. It might have been the only thing he was tasked with doing. I remember feeling very special that someone in Michigan actually knew my name, and completed my order with care and effeciency.
Fast forward to the computer age, where we regularly buy stuff online. For example, I recently ordered some ammo from Buffalo Bore. In short order, they sent me an email that my package was enroute, and they sent a link so that I could track the process. It started out in Missoula, MT, then went to Salt Lake City, from there it landed in Commerce City, CO. Those folks sent it to Vernon, TX, thence to Dallas, TX, and for some reason they shipped it to Mesquite, TX. That box has been wandering around Texas for two days, but tomorrow they're supposed to deliver it to my house in Pineville, LA.
I'm still waiting expectantly for my package, but these days it's a heck of a lot easier to track it. And yes, I'm still amazed at the efficiency with which the UPS and FedEx move packages. It's amazing to me that they manage to get everything heading in the correct direction.
4 comments:
LOL, yep and if you still HAD any of those little prizes, you could buy a LOT of ammo for what they'd bring!
all those places that you mention, All UPS hubs, I've been to them all. They will local it out of Mesquite.
I remember it took six weeks; that was a long time when we were kids. I ordered a knife last August from US Cav store, they put it on backorder and they finally shipped it in January. I got stupid and ordered a different knife in January; it is still on backorder. I'm getting too old for these long waits.
On the other hand I ordered a tiny Coleman butane lantern through Amazon. It shipped Monday and arrived today, Wednsesday, a day early. And yes I remember ordering by mail as a kid in rural So.Dak., putting envelopes and in the mailbox and marking the calendar until the objece ordered showed up. My favorites were Sears and Roebuck and Montegomery Ward. They were honest, cheap and as fast a the Post Office could make them. I also ordered lots of things from the back of Boy's Life. I still have some of the things.
Gerry N.
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