Postal Service to file five-day-delivery proposal

[brooklynite]

Source: MSNBC

The U.S. Postal Service would cut Saturday mail delivery starting in the first half of 2011 under a plan the agency will give its regulator tomorrow.

The Postal Service, which forecasts a $238 billion budget deficit by 2020, says it would save about $3.3 billion in the first year from eliminating deliveries on one day and $5.1 billion a year by 2020.

“Given the fact that we’re facing such a huge deficit, we’d like to move as quickly as possible,” Postmaster General John Potter told reporters today in Washington.

The Postal Service will file its five-day delivery proposal with the Postal Regulatory Commission in Washington tomorrow. It is also seeking permission from the U.S. Congress, which requires delivery to all U.S. addresses six days a week.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36085659/ns/business-businessweekcom/

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So, apparently not until all the 2010 campaign brochures are delivered...

[HereSince1628]

1. What is the Postal Service? Does it have a URL??????????????

[brooklynite]

2. www.usps.gov

[HereSince1628]

3. T.H.A.T. was PERFECT n/t

[Doremus]

4. Here's another agency they're going to kill off.

Between eliminating services and raising fees to heights no one will pay, every year the balance sheet grows redder .... right on schedule.

FedEx and UPS can hardly wait.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

23. That's the plan...

... they have even go so far as to appoint FedEx and UPS executives to the Postal Board of Governors in the past. The GOP started the hemmorhaging by hitting the USPS for their "surplus funds" so they could hand out tax breaks, disregarding that the postal services goes with 3-5 year plans and that "surplus" from new rate increases is to be used over the multi- year accounting period to balance things out. And then when the planned expenses later in the accounting period manifest themselves, congress has already taken the money the postal service had planned to use for those expenses.

[Blasphemer]

26. Deleted. Wrong place... nt

[Politicalboi]

5. They should start

Charging a dollar for stamps. 44 cents buys hand delivered mail. It's more expensive to use a pay phone than send a letter. With e-mail the way it is, I would see no problem paying $1.00 for a stamp. It's well worth it. How many letters does the average Joe send in a year? If it helps the post office keep small offices open, and to continue with Saturday delivery it would be well worth it.

[Salviati]

7. My proposal is something similar to that...

I'd gladly pay a dollar a stamp if it meant getting no more junk mail. I don't have the post office numbers to see if it would be economically viable, but it shure would be welcome.

[FailureToCommunicate]

8. Experts all point to the TONS of circulars delivered at reduced rates as the culprit

[KamaAina]

14. And in my building, 90 percent of them go straight into the trash can

not terribly green, now is it? :shrug:

[pinboy3niner]

22. I'd happily pay more. Stamps are best bargain in America. nt

[lostnfound]

30. And what can we buy for 44 cents at Fedex?

It's amazing how people criticize the post office.

[Festivito]

6. Fewer employed, Less service! ... Great thought, less intelligence, ...

what was that ad campaign.

Seems in poor taste, bad way to fill America's job needs.

[mac56]

9. They've never considered my suggestion,

Sell advertising on postage stamps, and they'll be in the black in six weeks.

[truthisfreedom]

21. That's brilliant!

I love it!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

10. I hope Netflix charges customers less if this is going to happen.

It's really the only thing I get in the mail, anyway.

[Cha]

28. Yeah, it would be hard for some

of us to get a 4 flix (if you get 2 at a time) turnaround in a week. Darn.

[SoapBox]

11. Our business uses mail 6 days a week.

I hate this...

Our business sends out invoices as well as bill payments 6 days a week. I know...I keep our books.

I depend on the USPS for most of my bill payments. I do use "bill pay" with the bank for some things
(phone, electric, and a vendor that always claims to never have gotten the payment!) but only a few
that have electronic agreements. In fact, I tried bill pay with a couple of other vendors but the
check mailed out by the bank gave them fits at their contract processor. (Speaking of that...banks
are really gonna have to adjust their systems for bill pay, so that checks that are mailed, have
additional time to arrive...MAN, this is gonna cause a LOT of headaches for others.)

We also do billing for our clients the old fashioned way. We mail them an invoice and/or statement of account. We
did try faxing...but then they lost them or claimed to not have gotten them...We started emailing in pdf format
but same thing, "we never got it." SO...we went back to the mail. Now, no problems.

I fail to understand how businesses that make it less helpful, less convenient, less clean (physical POs), charge
higher prices...can't understand why the lose business.

Five day per week mail will require me to make MAJOR adjustments in mail planning...ESPECIALLY those bills
that have due specific due dates.

[Politicalboi]

12. Maybe they should make

Some Palin stamps. It costs more to lick'em. LOL! They can have a series with the hand scribble, or the leather look, or just a face close up of the "wink".

[DarthDem]

13. I Don't Believe This Will Get Congressional Approval - -

. . . assuming an up-or-down vote is required.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. Not a problem as far as I'm concerned.

Most of my mail is junk anyway.

[Demit]

20. I'm with you. Doesn't bother me a bit.

[mainer]

16. So begins the death spiral.

People will start using UPS and FedEx for Saturdays. They'll start to rely more and more on those private companies, less and less on the USPS. Which means less usage and less cash for the USPS. Which will have to go down to four days a week. Then three.

[zalinda]

17. If they are going to close up for a day

they should make it on Wednesday. So many people have a problem getting to the PO during the week, that Saturday is the only day they can make. Besides, most PO's are open only 1/2 a day on Saturday, makes more sense to close one day during the week.

zalinda

[awoke_in_2003]

18. you could keep them open

the half day on Saturday- just cut saturday delivery, which will give most of the people at the post office the day off.

[ManiacJoe]

25. They are not closing for the day.

The post office branch will remain open for business. They are just not delivering mail to your house.

[pundaint]

19. This makes sense to me. The higher priced services only count 5 days a week for

their delivery schedules. I find the USPS a reliable and cost-effective delivery service. I've had three damage instances with UPS, including one small claims visit where their representative just flat out lied, but never a problem with the PO. I always request USPS delivery when buying mail order.

UPS testified under oath that they have done studies showing that the protective value of packaging decreases 50% for each shipment, while trying to deny responsibility for leaving a torn and crushed box on a porch in the rain.

[hayu_lol]

24. As has happened with the price increases in postage...

the money saved by going to 5 day delivery will be expended in increased bonuses for the Postal Commissioners. Seems to be a year so far when the CEOs across the country made out like the BANDITS they are.

[Blasphemer]

27. Often I only use USPS BECAUSE of Saturday Delivery

I don't see much advantage in using them for packages without a Saturday option. There are some payments I receive for which I don't have the option of direct deposit so that could create an inconvenience because of the delay but overall, it's the option of Saturday delivery that currently makes them my preferred choice for delivery of things I buy on eBay (for instance).

[OneBlueSky]

29. won't bother me . . .

whether I receive something on a Saturday or the following Monday is of no consequence . . . what DOES bother me is the frequent increases in postage rates that seem neverending -- and I don't believe abolishing Saturday deliveries will stem that tide one bit . . . next stop: 50 cent letters -- which should be good for about a year or two . . .

but, hey . . . I'm someone who actually remembers 3 cent postage stamps for first class letters . . . maybe it's just culture shock . . . :silly: