Postal delivery problems

Every year I seem to order more Christmas gifts online. Seldom do I order with a week or less to spare and actually expect to get the items in time. I am having a terrible time this year and it is because of the post office.I am not bashing postal workers. I know the service is in financial trouble and I'm guessing they haven't hired temporary workers to help with the holiday crush. Something needs to change though, but what is the answer?

 

Tracking my other orders from Lands' End, Signals and another source (don't want to mention in case the gift receiver reads this as the name would be a give away) all show that the items have been delivered to the post office, but not to me. I would say that I am pissed but that doesn't sound nice so I will just say I am really displeased. I had to reschedule a date with a friend because I don't have her gift yet. I am going to have to try to come up with something else in case it doesn't arrive today or Monday. 

According to tracking info online, the post office has had my Signals order since 12/11; the Lands' End order has been there since 12/13; and the mystery store order was placed on 12/3 with delivery in 5-7 days.

I ordered from L.L.Bean online on Thursday 12/8; got notice that it shipped on 12/9 and received it on Tuesday 12/13 from UPS.
I ordered shoes, not a Christmas gift, from Zappos on Thursday 12/15 at 3:13 PM and got them the next day before 2:00 PM through UPS. Wow,right?

Another problem for me is stamps. Do you receive an order form at home for stamps? I have ordered that way in the past and usually get the stamps within 2 days, paying by check. If you order online, there is a $1 fee involved. When I mailed a package earlier this month it required two trips to the post office because their computer was down the first time. I tried buying holiday stamps but they were out of them. I'm not complaining about this. Computers are lovely when they're working and evil when they aren't. The stamps were expected within a day or two and I certainly could have bought a different design but I wanted those particular stamps. Not sure if I could specify them on the order form, I ordered them online.

After a week without stamps, I tried checking my order online. I couldn't. It doesn't recognize either my email or my password, the same address and password I've been using for ten years with them! I went back to the post office and bought stamps. The online order arrived the next day. Good thing they are Forever stamps as I will likely be using these at least through next November.

How do we improve this situation? People are cutting out sending cards because postage rates are too prohibitive. Decreased mailings hurts the post office so the rates go up again, and still they're in debt. I would personally deliver cards and gifts but you really don't want to hear me get started on gas prices, do you?