Bye Bye Saturday Mail Delivery

[thetrailboss]

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/06/news/economy/postal-service-cuts/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

In 2005 they had no debt. Now they are on the verge of not having enough cash on hand to operate for four days :blink: WTF?

 

[marcski]

It's about time. IMHO, in this day and age....3 days a week is plenty for residential mail delivery.

 

[St. Bear]

They should've gotten rid of Sat delivery a long time ago.

Does suck for the postage handlers though. I can't imagine they'll keep the same pay with fewer hours.

 

[deadheadskier]

Not surprising. Think about how much mail volume has decreased in the last 8 years yet they still have the same amount of "stores" open and growing retirement fund obligations. Who honestly would care if they no longer got mail on Saturday. Not me. Heck I'd welcome a reduction to 1 day a week and pay extra for FedEx if I need service on other days

 

[thetrailboss]

Considering that the wide majority of stuff we now get is junk mail, and I mean really bad junk mail, I'd agree that three days is fine.

And I also find it interesting that they complain about how bad business is. Whenever I go to my post office to mail a package I can't fit in the self-serve box, I have to stand in line at least 20 minutes because they only have one or two (very slow) tellers. Maybe if they ran things better....

 

[o3jeff]

I usually don't check my mail on Saturdays unless I am expecting something. Like others have said, 3 days a week is more than enough.

 

[ctenidae]

About time, but still, sad to see it go from a useless nostalgia point of view. Note, they will still be delivering packages on Saturday, as that remains a profitable business. Amazing that they got caught so flat footed by the growth of internet shopping, while FedEx and UPS have bloomed.

Oh, wait. Not surprising at all, considering they're a government agency. Kudos for finally getting up the balls to tell Congress to stay out of their business, though.

 

[AdironRider]

The part that grinds my gears is how they are a private business with govt control. The post office is in somewhat of an "artificial" bad financial situation because the feds are making them fund pensions for people that they havent even hired yet.

Take that out of the equation and Im almost positive the USPS makes money, unlike Amtrak....

 

[wa-loaf]

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/06/news/economy/postal-service-cuts/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

In 2005 they had no debt. Now they are on the verge of not having enough cash on hand to operate for four days :blink: WTF?

Congress is forcing it to prepay retiree health benefits to the tune $5.5 bil a year. That's why they are broke: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/opinion/nocera-free-the-post-office.html?_r=0

 

[Nick]

Some of you will have to wait one extra day for AlpineZone stickers

 

[o3jeff]

Congress is forcing it to prepay retiree health benefits to the tune $5.5 bil a year. That's why they are broke: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/opinion/nocera-free-the-post-office.html?_r=0

It probably needs to relook it's retiree plans if it can't afford them.... It's a good idea to make them prepay them or else us tax payers will be paying.

 

[ctenidae]

It probably needs to relook it's retiree plans if it can't afford them.... It's a good idea to make them prepay them or else us tax payers will be paying.

They're Union. Taxpayers are paying, either way.

 

[wa-loaf]

It probably needs to relook it's retiree plans if it can't afford them.... It's a good idea to make them prepay them or else us tax payers will be paying.

They're being held to a standard no one else is.

 

[thetrailboss]

Congress is forcing it to prepay retiree health benefits to the tune $5.5 bil a year. That's why they are broke: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/19/opinion/nocera-free-the-post-office.html?_r=0

Yeah I've heard and seen that.

 

[dmc]

They're Union. Taxpayers are paying, either way.

Their union has no power...

 

[dmc]

They're being held to a standard no one else is.

yup - no other Govt agency has to do this...

Totally F'd up... and yeah you guys may not need daily mail but many do..
Lot's of stuff moves through the mail... Prescriptions - checks - all kinds of stuff that people need..

 

[ctenidae]

Their union has no power...

AFL/CIO does, though

 

[Scruffy]

About time, but still, sad to see it go from a useless nostalgia point of view. Note, they will still be delivering packages on Saturday, as that remains a profitable business. Amazing that they got caught so flat footed by the growth of internet shopping, while FedEx and UPS have bloomed.

Oh, wait. Not surprising at all, considering they're a government agency. Kudos for finally getting up the balls to tell Congress to stay out of their business, though.

Well, if their package business is profitable, then internet shopping is not their downfall. I'd say it's e-banking, e-bill pay, and just the general shift to paperless that they have no control over. They'll need to shrink to a size that makes them profitable.

 

[dmc]

SO the same law that makes the USPS pay 5 billion into future retirement also keeps them from raising rates to afford it...

crazy... Really feels like someone is out for them...

 

[riverc0il]

About time. What they really need to do is start looking and planning 5, 10, 25 years out for when mail dies off even more. It is only going to get worse for USPS as society moves towards online solutions and marketing moves online as well. They need to start thinking long term about who needs their services now and who will still need them once the digital generations out number those that are not computer literate. In 25 years, there really shouldn't even be a postal service. What little mail that will be left could be sent parcel via UPS Fedex or other such carrier. Honestly, if I had all of my mail that must be sent via post shipped to my home via UPS or FedEx in letter envelopes, it probably wouldn't cost much more than my stupid post office box fee. Damn condo association and not having a mail box...