Story via CNN, U.S. Postal Service Posts $3.8 Billion Loss
It's been speculated for a while that the U.S. Postal Service would eliminate a day of mail service in order to save money, and this news story does nothing but bolster the idea.
How affected or frustrated would you be with the elimination of Saturday mail service? Or, would you prefer that the postal service raise the cost of stamps, by perhaps $.10 each?
7 comments:
I would consider paying 10 cents more a stamp to continue mail on a saturday . I would be lost if mail did not come on saturday .
Well, I'd REALLY rather the postal service get its act together and somehow figure out how to be more efficient, and perhaps it would help if they and the government decided one way or another to make it either fully subsidized or fully privatized. Right now it's a very ridiculous hybrid. But, beyond that - I'd rather pay 10 cents more a stamp for a personal letter (I think that hit would be unthinkable for business mail), and perhaps create a special "personal mail" class for which I'd be happy to pay more.
Losing mail on Saturday would be awful, but I've heard speculation also that it would more likely be cut on a Tuesday or a Thursday, so that there wouldn't be two no-mail days in a row.
Just a quick follow up, it appears that the article has been edited since I first posted about it and now says:
"The U.S. Postal Service reported a $3.8 billion loss in the 2009 fiscal year, and plans to propose to Congress in 2010 that it drop Saturday delivery."
AGH!!
While I respect the opinions of both phonelady and the Missive Maven, if it came to a vote, I think I would be more in favor of cutting service. Aside from the discounts already given to non-profits, I'm personally not very comfortable with creating "classes" of mail, especially one where mail spammers pay less per letter than I do.
But, as the Maven has pointed out, there are inefficiencies in the system. When coupled with sharp decreases in mail volume, I fear that we'll likely see both cuts in service and hikes in stamp prices.
Sad face.
James
I'm Canadian, and somehow I have managed to survive for over 3 decades with having mail delivered Mon-Fri only. No Saturday delivery, no Sunday delivery, no stat holiday delivery. Canada Post also makes a profit every year, so..... Saturday service sounds like a luxury!
Wow, Carrie - I hadn't realized Canada didn't have Saturday delivery!
I'd rather see the cut in a day of service than a hike in fees. I know domestic postage in the US is very cheap compared to other countries, but I think there are just too many inefficiencies and waste, as well as some of the worst customer service I've ever encountered. It makes no sense to reward that with higher postage. I have an idea for helping the USPS make money, and I have a letter drafted but not sent. It is on the "to do" list for this weekend. We shall see if I ever hear back.
You may not realize this, but a cut in Saturday delivery also means the loss of jobs for just about every rural carrier associate across the U.S. I would much rather welcome a price hike on stamps than let these hard workers lose their jobs.
Post a Comment