Free Republic

Postal closings’ value questionedDozens turn out in Springfield to air concerns about a plan to close a processing center By Saul Hubbard The Register-Guard Published: Midnight, Dec 29, 2011 First-class next-day delivery could be a thing of the past, and a letter mailed in Eugene would travel 100 miles up and down Interstate 5 to Portland before arriving at its local destination, if the U.S. Postal Service moves ahead with a proposal to close its Gateway processing center in Springfield. Where will that leave veterans and seniors who rely on mail-order medical prescriptions, small businesses who require prompt mail delivery...

The U.S. Postal Service announced plans this month to phase out overnight delivery of first-class mail. Postal officials are portraying the decision as a painful but necessary budget-induced departure from a long history of exemplary service. In reality, the Postal Service has been intentionally slowing down first-class mail for almost 50 years. It's time to end the post office's monopoly on letter delivery. [snip] The Postal Service has gotten away with scorning its customers because it is effectively a federal crime to provide better mail service than the government. The Postal Service has a monopoly over letter delivery (with a...

Had an interesting question from my father: I have a nephew stationed over in Afghanistan. My dad wants to send him a small artificial Christmas tree, lights included. Is that allowed or even possible? Any FReepers out there have any knowledge on this?

Many consumers are irked by the catalogs, credit-card pitches and other "junk mail" they receive. But the U.S. Postal Service loves it—and wants to deliver more. The agency, beset by historic losses and a plummet in first-class mail, is running promotions, easing rules and planning television and radio ads to encourage more businesses to send pitches by standard mail, the official term for bulk mailings used by marketers to prospect for customers. "What we want to do is to make standard mail more interesting for customers so we can grow the total volume," Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said in an...

I make many of my small purchases from Amazon or Ebay. Over the last few months the USPS delivery time for small parcels has almost doubled.I'm about ready to pay a little more for Fedex or UPS.

The head of the U.S. Postal Service said in an interview that the organization will default -- perhaps as early as this winter -- unless Congress intervenes. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe's comments reflect a well-known reality that the Postal Service is in dire financial straits. The rise of email and online bill-paying has steadily eroded its profits over the years while labor costs soar. Donahoe is calling for a host of changes, including the elimination of Saturday delivery, to close a deficit projected to top $9 billion this year. But he said Congress needs to step in to help keep...

The US Postal Service warned on Friday that it could default on payments it owes the federal government, just days after the US government itself narrowly averted a default. The government's mail service said it lost $3.1 billion in the period from April to June, blaming "the anemic state of the economy" and the growing popularity of electronic communications over old-fashioned letters. As a result of its mounting losses, the US Postal Service said it would not be able to make a legally required $5.5 billion payment in September to a health-benefits trust fund. "Absent substantial legislative change, the Postal...

USPS Posts $3.1 Billion Loss In Q3, Warns Of Default By Emily Stephenson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Postal Service posted a net loss of $3.1 billion in its third quarter and warned again it would default on payments to the federal government if Congress did not step in. Total mail volume for the quarter that ended June 30 fell to 39.8 billion pieces, a 2.6 percent drop from the same period a year earlier, as consumers turn to email and pay bills online. The mail carrier, which does not get taxpayer funds, has struggled to overhaul its business as...

The U.S. Postal Service lost $3.1 billion in the third quarter and warns it will default on payments to the federal government if Congress does not step in with help. [snip] Total mail volume for the quarter that ended June 30 fell to 39.8 million pieces, a 2.6 percent drop from the same period the previous year. [snip]Also, it is required to make an annual payment to the federal government of $5.5 billion. The postal service says high payroll and retiree costs and declining volume has put it in a severe bind. [snip] The postal service says it lost $5.7...

Post office looking to close offices to save moneyBy RANDOLPH E. SCHMID - Associated Press AP – 7 hrs ago WASHINGTON (AP) — The Postal Service is launching a study of thousands of local post offices for possible closure in an effort to save money. The cash-strapped agency, which lost $8 billion last year, scheduled a briefing for Tuesday at which it is expected to announce the action. Most of the approximately 3,600 offices that face reviews are in rural areas, but postal official say they are looking into alternate service, such as locating offices in local businesses, town halls...

Past what...who thinks what...now?

Federal officials launched an investigation on Thursday after four 200-pound mailboxes were stolen in less than a week at multiple San Fernando Valley post offices, potentially leaving postal customers vulnerable to identity theft. The mailboxes stolen from offices in Pacoima, Glendale and Burbank were bolted into a concrete slab, U.S. Postal Inspector Renee Focht told the Glendale News-Press. No suspects have been named, but the thefts appeared to be a “recent trend,” Focht said. Investigators have not confirmed if all the incidences were connected. Focht advised concerned postal customers to check their credit reports and contact their banks. All of...

Several people posted addresses, not sure if e-mail or snail mail, for Prime Minister Netanyahu. Would like to write support. Could someone please repost? Looked through search engine, but not trusting that message will be received. Thanks.

The delivery of mail on Sundays in the United States has a fascinating history, and most people do not know that until 1912, the Postal Service routinely delivered mail on Sundays. It was only under pressure from religious and labor organizations that the USPS gradually transitioned to the now-familiar Monday through Saturday schedule. ... Between its inception in 1775 and 1912, postal employees delivered mail seven (7) days a week. In the early 1800s, religious leaders became concerned that employees were forced to work on the “Christian Sabbath,” or Sunday, and began to petition Congress to use its Article I...

Savings from 5-day mail delivery overstatedPosted: Mar 25, 2011 4:09 PM by CBS News WASHINGTON - The Postal Service overstated its potential savings from eliminating Saturday delivery, a proposal that would slow delivery of about 1 in 4 letters, the independent Postal Regulatory Commission said Thursday. The post office lost $8.5 billion last year and is seeking ways to cut costs, including its proposal to end Saturday mail. Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe said that despite the report he would continue supporting the idea, which must be approved by Congress. Donahoe also announced a series of other savings Thursday that...

U.S. Postal Service to cut 7,500 jobs, close offices 31 mins ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Postal Service said on Thursday it would cut 7,500 jobs and close seven district offices and 2,000 post offices as it handles less mail and faces greater staff costs and competition from FedEx and United Parcel Service. "It's critical that we adjust our work force to match America's changing communications trends as mail volumes continue to decline," Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said in a statement. In November, the Postal Service reported a net loss of $8.5 billion for fiscal year 2010, its fourth...

On the 22nd of last month I bought some camera lens filters from a seller in New Jersey. On the 25th the package was scanned in to Jacksonville Florida. It sat in Jacksonville until yesterday, 9 days!I called the local PO last Friday and got things stirred up, otherwise my filters might still be stuck in Jacksonville.

THREE STAFF TAKEN ILL Police are checking one of BP's offices in Moscow after three female workers fell ill when they opened a bag of letters. Officers in the Russian capital said the employees "got sore throats, their eyes watered and one of them got red spots on her skin". A police spokesman added: "They packed the letters back in the bag and called emergency workers and chemical experts, who are now studying the letters." Russia's Emergencies Ministry said it had sent experts to BP's oil trading office. It was not clear what caused the employees to feel ill. But...

WHITEFISH BAY, Wis. (AP) -- A Wisconsin postal carrier says he simply wanted to cheer up a woman on his rounds who seemed "stressed out" when he decided to deliver mail in the buff. But upon further review, the worker told police that delivering mail while completely naked probably wasn't a good idea.

Just got my mail and it was junk mail from the Postal Service advertising for their flat rate mailers. It's so sad to see the once great U. S. Post Office reduced to this.