USPS to propose 5-day mail schedule, major cuts

[lchang25000]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/USPS-to-propose-5day-mail-cnnm-4552368.html?x=0

[daisymommy]

Oh-No! Whatever will we do?! What about when we've spotted a great bargain online that we just have to have NOW!? ;)

[BabyMine]

I thought they raised the stamp rate so they wouldn't have to do this. This is what I don't understand about some companies. Email has been here for a long time. They need to realize that it isn't going away and is only going to get worse. They need to come up with ideas to either branch off or make it different and exciting. I hope that came out right.

[egoldber]

But the post office is not free to make the decisions that truly private companies can. They are not allowed to expand into some types of services and they are not allowed to close "unprofitable" branches.

[jellibeans]

The postal service needs to be fixed. My cousin works as a temp for them. He doesn't have benefits, is not a permanent employee, but works over 40 hours a week. There are so many government employees that have the job, know that they can't get fired or let go, and don't pull their weight. Our post office only delievers boxes if they feel like it. I can't tell you how many times that I have tracked a box that says that it is in transit for days after the expected delivery date and I go to the post office and it is just sitting there. Frustrates the heck out of me. And, the postmaster general makes a ridiculously high salary as a government employee!

[TwinFoxes]

But the post office is not free to make the decisions that truly private companies can. They are not allowed to expand into some types of services and they are not allowed to close "unprofitable" branches.
:yeahthat: In England you can have a savings account through the post office. It would be great if we could do that here. Think of all those places where the only "bank" is a check cashing center. Many of those neighborhoods have a post office, and I'm sure people would love not paying exorbitant fees.

It's interesting that they're cutting Saturday service. When they first proposed this they said Tuesdays might be eliminated because it had the lowest volume of any day of the week.

[kijip]

This is overdue. I think they can meet their mission without daily delivery (provided it was 4-5 days and not 6). It's not email instead of letters only, it's BILLPAY. Seriously nearly EVERYONE had to mail 3-10 things every month 15 years ago. That is a huge volume drop. I have not mailed a routine bill since summer 2007. My reason is because I mailed it in plenty of time (our first ever mortgage payment) and the servicer said it was late and I had to yell at them to not pay a fee. So I switched it all to autopay. A sheet of stamps lasts me for freaking ever.

[kijip]

:yeahthat: In England you can have a savings account through the post office. It would be great if we could do that here. Think of all those places where the only "bank" is a check cashing center. Many of those neighborhoods have a post office, and I'm sure people would love not paying exorbitant fees.

If the post office could put the check cashing places out of business, I would be ecstatic. One of those places approached me about corporate sponsorship for an organization and after thinking about it, I could just NOT give them marketing space on our organization's materials. It would be a slap in the face to the very poor people we serve. And I would have to take like 47 showers. I just could not do it.

[Laurel]

This is overdue. I think they can meet their mission without daily delivery (provided it was 4-5 days and not 6). It's not email instead of letters only, it's BILLPAY. Seriously nearly EVERYONE had to mail 3-10 things every month 15 years ago. That is a huge volume drop. I have not mailed a routine bill since summer 2007. My reason is because I mailed it in plenty of time (our first ever mortgage payment) and the servicer said it was late and I had to yell at them to not pay a fee. So I switched it all to autopay. A sheet of stamps lasts me for freaking ever.

ITA. Weekday delivery would be just fine with me.

[MontrealMum]

Here in Canada we only have mail delivery Mon.-Fri. I don't know if they ever had Sat. delivery or not, but we certainly haven't as long as I've lived here. Although the prices to mail/ship w/Canada Post are more than they are in the US, I'm actually much happier with the way the system works here than in the US.

For instance, packages are delivered by truck, not by your on-foot letter carrier. The on-foot letter carrier arrives in their delivery area via bus or metro (though if you're not in a major metro area, I'm sure they're in a vehicle). If you're not at home, they leave a postcard and you go to the postal station - not the post office - to pick it up. The postal station is located (in Quebec at least) in a store, here it's usually a drugstore. And it's open from 9-9 M-F, and from 10-4 on Sat. Which means that while I don't have actual letter delivery to my house during those hours, I can conduct any postal business - buy a money order, send a fax, pick up registered mail or mail packages, buy stamps (or coin proof sets) - during those hours. Which are much longer than they are in the US. I find it much more convenient, especially since we so rarely receive lettermail anyways.

No idea what their financial structure or state is, but once I figured it out (that took awhile that first year!), I'm much more pleased with the service here in QC even though I moved out of an area in the US that had twice daily letter delivery.

[schrocat]

Just weekday delivery is fine with me too.

[Ceepa]

DH will be bummed. He loves getting the mail. It's one of the first things he does, even before taking off his coat, go through the mail.

[Momof3Labs]

Postal workers get retiree health benefits? That's not something that many other people get these days, and it is a huge expense. Even DH, who is a firefighter, does not get paid retiree health benefits (he can stay on the city's plan but must pay his own way).

That said, I'm fine with cutting service to 5 days a week.

[sariana]

I wish they would cut out Tuesday or Wednesday instead of Saturday. Two days in a row with no mail service is bad for certain businesses and for people who can't make it to a post office during the week.

[codex57]

But the post office is not free to make the decisions that truly private companies can. They are not allowed to expand into some types of services and they are not allowed to close "unprofitable" branches.

Do you know the details of that? Cuz they sell supplies, do pretty much everything UPS and FedEx do, and they're closing a bunch of locations as we speak.

[niccig]

I never had Saturday delivery until I moved to the USA. It was fine. Are there any other countries that have mail delivery 6 days a week???

As for closing small branches, I understand that they may not be profitable, but I would only agree with closing if there is another branch close-by.

I just found a small branch tucked away in a strip mall by DS's school. There's never any line, which is grat for me as it's a quick errand, but maybe it isn't profitable.

[egoldber]

This is from the article in the OP:


The Post Office, an independent government agency, does not receive taxpayer dollars and is funded entirely by its own revenue. However, the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 constrains the agency's operations. It prohibits USPS from closing small branches based soled on economic factors, and prevents the agency from expanding its services beyond postal delivery.

[DrSally]

If the post office could put the check cashing places out of business, I would be ecstatic. One of those places approached me about corporate sponsorship for an organization and after thinking about it, I could just NOT give them marketing space on our organization's materials. It would be a slap in the face to the very poor people we serve. And I would have to take like 47 showers. I just could not do it.

ITA, that would be awesome if a legitimate business that could make a fair profit and wasn't out to scam people could do check cashing.

[codex57]

This is from the article in the OP:

They're playing really fast and loose with those rules then. :wink2:

[kijip]

They're playing really fast and loose with those rules then. :wink2:

No, they are allowed to sell postal supplies and collectibles that raise the profile of our stamps.