Any government run (enter industry name here) is going to be dysfunctional. They are pro's at getting into their own way . . . I remember my first government job. After 3 weeks I was told I wasn't going to do well there. I had a bit of a suprised reaction, afterall I just got there. He went on to explain to I had done more in 3 weeks than the last guy did in 3 years. I was told over and over again to slow down, or else I was going to make enemies, as other managers wouldn't want to keep up with the pace I was setting. They operate at the speed of government, and not at the speed of business. The wheels of "change" move S . . . L . . . O . . .W.
I was not a postal employee. But my buddy was. And when comparing notes, he said the Post Office took dysfunction to Jedi level; and I believe him.
Places like Amazon, UPS, and Fedex have a program with the USPS called "the last mile." Essentually 80% of the trip is provided by the company to major hubs. Once at the nearest hub, they subcontract the last part of the trip to USPS because its cheaper to use them than complete the last leg of the delivery, especially if the USPS is going to be heading there anyway to deliver junk mailers, which is how they make a profit after the advent of email.
With the advent of Amazon, USPS was too slow to change with the times. They tried to reinvent themselves as a "Package Company" but their infustructure was geared more toward standard mail than it was packages. And they never invested in the package model like UPS and FedEx did. So before they knew it, they were too far away from being competitive with the other companies; so the decision was made. "Go wrong-stay wrong." A philosophy they've been following ever since.