Postal Service trimming hours

CNN ^ | 9-2-03

[mikenola]

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow is supposed to stop mail deliveries, but costs are starting to force trimming of some operations within the U.S. Postal Service.

The Postal Service has started reducing the hours at some of its lesser-used post offices as it faces dwindling first-class mail deliveries, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

[mikenola]

How bad does the USPS' business model have to get before we privatize this behemoth?

The Blog That Care Forgot

[toothless_elk]

Yea.... real "smart" move. Here in upstate NY they keep bankers hours- 9-1, 2-5. Of course, those of us who work for a living have to take time off from work to buy a book of stamps or mail a package- yea right ! A year or so from now the knukleheads will be scratching their heads trying to figure out where their few remaining customers went!

That's why fedex & UPS have early morning & evening window hours- they have a clue as to who pays the bills.

[CholeraJoe]

Many post offices have self service operations that allow you to purchase stamps or mail packages 24/7. You can also buy stamps online at USPS.com.

[Flyer]

the USPS' business model

I wonder if it can ever be feasible to have the infrastructure in place to be able to deliver to every address on any given day, at a marketable price, and still turn a profit.

[Cobra64]

The first thing I'd do is STOP delivering those dopey food coupons and newspaper-flyer ads that no one ever uses. I trash 80 percent of my mail before I even get in the house!

[Flyer]

those dopey food coupons and newspaper-flyer ads that no one ever uses

But that's what pays the bills. If they counted on only first class mail the rates would skyrocket.

[Koblenz]

If the Postal Service was privatized in a system where a company would have to deliver to every single address, it probably could be done. But bear in mind that property tax might kill any privatized post office. Right now, post offices pay no property taxes. But if, say, FedEx did an acquisition, they'd have to pay local property tax on all post offices. This would be hugh and series, according to FR (How did that start anyway?).

[Cobra64]

But that's what pays the bills. If they counted on only first class mail the rates would skyrocket.

The clerks have to handle all the junk mail, then the carriers have shove it in the mailboxes.

As for first class mail, for the most part, the only time I ever use it is if it is a legally binding document that requires my inked signature. Otherwise, it's e-mail.

For packages, I use United Parcel Service or Fedex. They love me for shipping my Bullet Bra orders.

[Cobra64]

They love me for shipping my Bullet Bra (correction: "SHIPMENTS."

[nothingnew]

It's only a matter of time the internet gets taxed...snail-mail is fast becoming obsolete, and the $$$ is gonna come from somewhere. The UPS and Fed-X will survive, but only because you can't Email packages....yet....buuuhwahahahaha!

FMCDH

[Welsh Rabbit]

The first thing I'd do is STOP delivering those dopey food coupons and newspaper-flyer ads that no one ever uses.

I briefly worked for a company that sorted and addressed those things for mailing. It was by far the most depressing and unrewarding job I ever had. It's hard to feel good about yourself when your job is just sending garbage no one wants. It was the only job I ever quit without notice or lining up another (just grew to the point where I couldn't stand it another minute).

[Colonel Kangaroo]

"Here in upstate NY they keep bankers hours- 9-1, 2-5."

There will usually be some difficulty in small and medium stations covering the lunch hour. In those post offices, some of the window clerk complement are also responsible for distributing box mail, sorting incoming parcels and breaking down incoming dispatches of mail to the letter carriers. At my station we had four clerks. One guy came in at 5 am to work parcels, I came in at 6 am to work box mail and we have two clerks to primarily work the window come in around 8. We would have liked to have staggered the window clerk's lunch breaks and covered the noon rush better, but the early clerks usually couldn't get away for lunch until 11 am. That would mean that the late clerks on the window would be forced to take their lunches at noon as that was the only time the early morning clerks would be around to give them a break.
I do think there's a lot of locations the USPS could do a better job and be more flexible in providing convenient window hours, but there's usually a lot of things that have to be done behind the counter and I know that our station, nobody enjoyed seeing long lines in the lobby.

[brianl703]

One of the local post offices leaves the lobby open 24x7. In it is a postage and mailing machine which will weigh your package and print the appropriate value stamp for it. The same machine doubles as a stamp vending machine, if the 3 other vending machines in there aren't to your liking.

They ought to put those in more post offices, but that would probably make too much sense.

[hillyes]

FACT-the Confederate Post Office made a profit!!