Uh, do you understand what “rural” means? In my neck of the actual woods, these people may not get to town for days or in some cases weeks. Think medicine delivery here.
Many city addresses could be handled by having the customer simply pick up when it’s convenient, but how is it convenient to make a 40 or 50 mile round trip to town?
And why are we arguing the silly points and avoiding the white elephant? If we REALLY cut the post office loose from the government, they could show a profit. They are forbidden from being profitable. They are supposed to only break even, or lose.
And if deliveries of medicine are a problem, then I'd suggest that maybe the recipients of that medication would be better off living somewhere else, too.
I'm not suggesting this is an ideal solution; I'm just pointing out that reducing the need for delivery personnel seems to be the most obvious way for the USPS to reduce labor costs.