US Mail Delivery Cutbacks?




The Washington Post reports, "In testimony before a Senate subcommittee ... , Postmaster General John 'Jack' Potter said the post office may be forced to cut back to five-day delivery for the first time in the agency's history, citing rising costs and an ongoing decline in mail made worse by the global recession. The potential move, which would have to be approved by Congress and postal officials, could mean the elimination of mail on either Saturdays or Tuesdays, the system's slowest days, postal officials said."



Washington Post reporter Dan Eggen writes, "For much of its early history, the post office delivered mail seven days a week, including twice-a-day stops in some cities. The switch to six-day service came in 1912, when the agency eliminated Sunday delivery due to objections from Christian groups."



We think that the USPS would do better by cutting their expenses rather than cutting their services. Have you ever thought about how much money the USPS spends every day by giving out free priority mail and express mail envelopes, boxes, tape and labels? Or by giving out the elaborate packages that they provide for use when a person moves to a different address? There are other examples of what we would call "inefficiencies" or even "waste" at post offices.
Maybe the USPS should cut back on those rather than reducing its services.