According to ABC news, the US Postal service is going to discontinue Saturday delivery for mail, although continue it for packages and P.O. boxes. The official announcement is scheduled for later today and I’ll post a copy of the press release when it is available.
The move accentuates one of the agency’s strong points — package delivery has increased by 14 percent since 2010, officials say, while the delivery of letters and other mail has declined with the increasing use of email and other Internet use.
One question that’s up in the air is how the USPS can cut Saturday mail delivery without Congressional approval. Still, I suspect that we’re seeing the end of Saturday delivery in the US. Make sure you enjoy it while it lasts.
The possibility of Saturday post office closings and mail delivery has been in the works for a few years. And quite recently on my last visit to the PO I was informed it was no longer a “idea” but coming to a city near us all.
It’s sad to think there is no other way to alleviate budget strain.
This was the first news story I heard this morning….and I thought of my lettermo and LWA friends right away. I think it’s sad. Not so much for the post office, but for society in general…I just wish more people wrote and appreciated letters.
I have no issue with this, in fact I think it shows that they are starting to catch up with the times. When the budget, anybody’s budget, is strained you have to look at changes. This is what they did. We can adjust, we always do. And, hey, aren’t we helping them out by sending mail every day?!
It is kind of odd though when you think about it. While all other business are looking for any excuse to be open any day of the year, including Major Holidays, the Post Office is going the other way. I mean, it used to be frowned upon to be open on Sundays. And all holidays were expected closed days all the way down Main St. It just wasn’t done. Business respected “family” time. Hmmm just something to ponder.
Growing up in Canada, we never had mail delivery on Saturdays, although I heard that at one time there was. When I moved to the States, getting mail on Saturday was so exciting. After all these years, I think it still is. It would be sad if USPS had to stop, but I understand them having to make adjustments due to budget constraints. Just like Carole H said in a previous post, we all have to tighten our belts and adapt to economic strain and no one is immune to it, not even USPS.
More than 85% of the financial problems at the USPS are a direct result of the 2006 Pre-funding mandate imposed by Congress. If that unique (no other agency is required to make such a payment) and onerous restriction was changed, the USPS would be in dramatically better shape.
As for the Saturday delivery, until the early 20th century mail was delivered seven days a week. Then Sunday delivery was eliminated in 1912. I do not understand how the Postmaster General can eliminate Saturday delivery without Congressional approval.
Please note, the USPS receives NO tax-payer funding for its day to day operations. We do reimburse the USPS for certain mailing expenses such as mail for the legally blind and overseas election ballots.
Exactly so.
I suspect that they are using a loophole to get around the congressional approval by not completely eliminating mail delivery, but just restricting it to certain items and locations. There are towns which are so small that the mail only comes twice a week, but nationally the service continues. I’m betting they are using something like that to make it happen.
Whoops. I just saw this after posting to the forums. It makes me sad, but I guess if it helps the USPS in the long run, I can support it. I will miss my Saturday mail though!
Email and now Facebook has cut into snail mail so drastically. It is very sad. I belong to several groups whose motives are to send things through the mail, but sadly one of those groups has gotten very into computer communications and they don’t do as much “real” mail as before and have veered from their original intent. But I suppose mail 5 days a week is better than none at all!!!
I, myself, have a PO Box for over 23 years and it has been rather convenient for me! I am just glad that I can still go to that post office as it will remain open with full service on Saturdays and of course it includes picking up my mail at my PO Box.
This change won’t be happening until August 5. 2013 so we still have some time left to receive letters on Saturdays.
http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2013/pr13_019.htm
The clerk at my local P.O. told me that they would still have regular Saturday hours: this decision only affects mail delivery.
Q – Devil’s advocate. The postal workers are unionized now, the carriers’ contract states 6 day delivery. How are they getting around that? Just a thought. Also, why not do what the California districts have been doing, offer a golden handshake to retirement aged employees and get some of the older employees to retire, thereby lowering the salary base?