Financial woes may force post office to cut day of delivery weekly

Financial woes may force post office to cut day of delivery weekly

www.freep.com

WASHINGTON — Massive deficits could force the post office to cut out one day of mail delivery per week, the postmaster general told Congress today.



Postmaster General John E. Potter asked lawmakers to lift the requirement that the agency deliver mail six days a week.

Faced with dwindling mail volume and rising costs, the post office was $2.8 billion in the red last year and, “if current trends continue, we could experience a net loss of $6 billion or more this fiscal year,” Potter said in testimony for a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee.

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I'm all for this. I think cutting out one day of mail a week would be ok, and save money. I also think junk mail bogs down the mail system and should be banned. What a waste of paper! With gas prices what they are, and how bad the economy is, I think people won't mind waiting a day extra to get their bills and junk mail delivered.

www.freep.com
(visit the link for the full news article)



I did a search to see if this was posted already and didn't find one.

[edit on 28-1-2009 by Clark W. Griswold]

Instead of outright banning junk mail and instead of yet more increases in general postage stamp prices, I think the time has come for the USPS to change the way they handle bulk mailings. Instead of providing discounts on postage rates for bulk mail, they need to bring the rates up to the same as they are for the rest of us. How quickly would we see both an increased profit margin for the USPS (Magazines & such would just tack a small additional charge to subscription prices) plus less overall junk mail (since I doubt the marginally profitable companies which send junk mail would continue to do so when it starts costing them 2 or 3 times as much... bye-bye Publisher's Clearinghouse crap!)

Yeah, I don't have an issue with no Saurnday mail. The majority is junk these days anyway.

Works for me. Nice to see someone in government trying to save money instead of wanting to spend it wantonly, guess he actually used to work for a livnig.

It's not "junk mail". It's "Bulk business mail" and it's actually the bread and butter of the Post Office.

I wouldn't complain if they cut a day. They actually have been talking about doing that for years.

Can you give that one extra day to Canada please? they only deliver 5 days a week here and it sucks! I want mail everyday, it's a pain and puts life on hold, I can get email 24/7, get with the times already.

Originally posted by jerico65
It's not "junk mail". It's "Bulk business mail" and it's actually the bread and butter of the Post Office.

I wouldn't complain if they cut a day. They actually have been talking about doing that for years.

IMHO I think it is time for the Post Office to find a bread and butter alternative. Junk mail is not really an efficient way to do business. Most junk mail does not even make it into the house. It is dumped in the trash can on the way in and we won't talk about where that paper came from and how much pollution it contributed to our environment on its way to and from our homes. There really is a better way.

I do agree however that once a month is enough for me to receive my bills. That is how they get paid anyway.

Originally posted by burdman30ott6
Instead of outright banning junk mail and instead of yet more increases in general postage stamp prices, I think the time has come for the USPS to change the way they handle bulk mailings. Instead of providing discounts on postage rates for bulk mail, they need to bring the rates up to the same as they are for the rest of us. How quickly would we see both an increased profit margin for the USPS (Magazines & such would just tack a small additional charge to subscription prices) plus less overall junk mail (since I doubt the marginally profitable companies which send junk mail would continue to do so when it starts costing them 2 or 3 times as much... bye-bye Publisher's Clearinghouse crap!)

I really don't mind the "junk" mail. I just wish they would stop bringing those damn bills!

On Topic:

I think this is a good idea. Like another member already said, it is nice to see someone in gov. trying to cut spending rather than increase it. However, I won't be surprised if I see the USPS jump on the bail out band wagon.

The junk mail in my box doesn't make it in the house either. I throw it in the trash on my way up to the house. The post office might make money off it, but how many trees were used to make the junk or bulk mail, whatever you want to call it. We are already bombarded with commercials on tv, and popups on the pc, to be honest, I'd rather deal with those that wasting all that paper. And about the pollution made by making the paper---I used to live near a paper mill and man, the smell was awful and could be smelled for miles around.

Another thing I'd like to see stopped is the delivery of phone books so darn often. I must get 8 a year. I even put a note on my mailbox, " No phone books!), but I still get them! One a year or even two a year is enough.

[edit on 28-1-2009 by Clark W. Griswold]

First off, many of us get our money by mail, so cutting delivery days would be horrible.

Second off, bulk mail is their primary income, or at least a larger portion of it. You would think they would be catering to bulk mailings.

The USPS enjoys all the business eBay sends their way but I for one wouldn't mind a day off from taking stuff to my local post office. I know the clerks need to work and people like to do their personal mailing on Saturdays but if they are going to cut a day it has to be only Saturday.

i will be really upset if they suspend saturday service and i don't recieve my netflix movies sasturday morning


that would be horrible

as you know your screwed on days as it is with netflix not open sat/sun
and how they ship

that was my first thought when i heard this

I remember seeing on the news, this man wanted all the junk mail that he could get. He heated his house in the winter with it. Well, that is one good use for junk mail.

In Australia we get mail 5 days a week also.
And 90% of the mail i receive is Junk Mail.
I get all of my bank statements, payslips and most of my bills via email now.
Maybe that's why profits are dropping so much and they only need 6 days a week, soon posting mail may be a thing of the past and will all be electronic soon, wouldn't that save the economy Billions???