The Postal Service is expected to announce on Wednesday morning that it will stop delivering letters and other mail on Saturdays, but continue to handle packages, a move the financially struggling agency said would save about $2 billion annually as it looks for ways to cut cost.
The agency has long sought Congressional approval to end mail delivery on Saturdays. But Congress, which continues to work on legislation to reform the agency, has resisted. It is unclear how the agency will be able to end the six-day delivery of mail without Congressional approval.
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My mother in law remembers when they had Sunday delivery and around Christmas they had two deliveries a day to keep up with all the mail. These ideas are long gone.
Here’s the Letter I send the Postmaster General:
Dear Mr. Postmaster General:
It is likely that this letter is the wrong venue for such a suggestion, however; I must
suggest the U.S. Postal Service consider cancelling delivery service on Wednesdays
instead of Saturday as planned.
Saturday service at no additional charge may be the most important market advantage
that the US Postal Service has over any other carrier. Ending Saturday service would
serve to create a sizable disadvantage for the USPS compared to services offered by other
national carriers such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, and others.
As an alternative, cancelling delivery service on one of five weekdays, notably
Wednesday (instead of the only weekend day) would seem to provide operational cost
reductions similar to ending Saturday delivery while greatly limiting the reduction in
value to USPS customers. Mail already in transit would simply arrive Thursday instead of
Wednesday, a minor inconvenience to most businesses and one that may go unnoticed by
many residential customers. Offering Wednesday delivery at a premium similar to that of
Saturday delivery or overnight could also be an option for additional revenue generation.
Thank you for your honest consideration of my suggestion.
My mother in law remembers when they had Sunday delivery and around Christmas they had two deliveries a day to keep up with all the mail. These ideas are long gone.
Here’s the Letter I send the Postmaster General:
Dear Mr. Postmaster General:
It is likely that this letter is the wrong venue for such a suggestion, however; I must
suggest the U.S. Postal Service consider cancelling delivery service on Wednesdays
instead of Saturday as planned.
Saturday service at no additional charge may be the most important market advantage
that the US Postal Service has over any other carrier. Ending Saturday service would
serve to create a sizable disadvantage for the USPS compared to services offered by other
national carriers such as FedEx, UPS, DHL, and others.
As an alternative, cancelling delivery service on one of five weekdays, notably
Wednesday (instead of the only weekend day) would seem to provide operational cost
reductions similar to ending Saturday delivery while greatly limiting the reduction in
value to USPS customers. Mail already in transit would simply arrive Thursday instead of
Wednesday, a minor inconvenience to most businesses and one that may go unnoticed by
many residential customers. Offering Wednesday delivery at a premium similar to that of
Saturday delivery or overnight could also be an option for additional revenue generation.
Thank you for your honest consideration of my suggestion.