On Feb 29, 5:14*pm, John Levine wrote:
[...]
The relationships among shippers in the US are quite tangled. *Both
UPS and Fedex have hybrid services where they deliver the package to
the local post office who then delivers it with the next day's mail
(or in my case, right away into my PO box.)

We've a similar thing in the UK - "downstream access", with the mail
handed over by the alternative mail company to the Royal Mail at a
local delivery office for the 'final mile' - some more info he
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downstream_access

The above wonkypedia entry reads a bit on the optimistic side when it
comes to the talk under the 'future developments' heading about the
new world of "bypass mail" (that's post delivered directly to the
front door by an alternative company, without the involvement of the
Royal Mail whatsoever) - the only company who really seem interested
in pursuing that idea at the moment here is TNT Post UK (part of the
Dutch PostNL group).
http://www.postandparcel.info/45246/