It’s getting really rough for postal workers, according to the NY Times, the postmaster general, Patrick Donahoe, might get rid of Saturday mail delivery, lay off 120,000 workers and close up to 3700 post offices — all in an effort to lessen the post office’s deficit, which will be $US9.2 billion this fiscal year. Why? Well, labour costs too much and revenue is down.
The post office will handle an estimated 167 billion pieces of mail this year, that’s down 22 per cent from 5 years ago. It’s expected to dip under 120 billion by 2020. Truthfully, I imagine it’ll drop even quicker than that. Everything that’s sent through snail mail can get done faster, cheaper and easier through email. Sometimes, you don’t even need e-mail actually. I mean, what’s “important” that you get through the mail now?
Magazines, bills, invoices, stuff that requires your signature? Birthday cards, maybe?
Tablet versions of a magazine, electronic bills, PayPal, apps like Sign It! and the fact that you’re getting older have replaced all those itty bitty pieces of mail — 44 cents a pop saved for us Americans, revenue lost for them. Heck, the only thing I need a physical mailing address for these days is to get physical packages from Amazon, UPS and FedEx do just fine and do it with lower labour costs (53 per cent of its expenses for UPS, 32 per cent for FedEx compared with 80 per cent with the USPS) — the private delivery services just run more efficiently as a business. Every other piece of mail from a love letter to catalogues to spam to a thank-you note, just email me. I’ve changed my mailing address every year for the past five years and probably will do it again next year. My email? It’ll be the same.
I’m hopeful, of course, that the post office can find a way to survive, if only so people can keep their jobs. The USPS has long been home to generous benefits and good perks, but the old pony express is going to have to get creative to stay alive and I’m not so sure they can. [NY Times, Image Credit: mjay/Shutterstock]
EckyThump
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 8:05 AMFor a second there, I thought you were talking about OZ! My local PO has been reduced from a fully fledged office, to a corner of the News Agent. Not looking good over here either! #{
Cameron
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 8:23 AMPost Offices aren’t competing with courier shipping companies on the right level. It costs a dollar or so more to send something from the US to AU via DHL or FedEx then USPS, with FedEx or similar you get a lot more added on like tracking, faster delivery, even in some cases insurance. AusPost is in a similar situation, but not as bad. If these traditional post services want to continue on in the modern day where parcel delivery is picking up where traditional letters left off they need to start competing.
EckyThump
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 8:45 AMI’ve never liked the convoluted mess that is US Mail! I try to avoid eBay purchases there too because they take for ever and charge like a wounded bull! #}
Cameron
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 9:36 AMI usually try and get stuff from the UK, the $$ isn’t as good compared to the Stirling, but shipping is usually more lubricated.
Carol Sybrowsky
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 9:46 AMSorry, but the US Postal Service has simply outlived its usefulness. Even its sister agency, the IRS, wants people to send in their returns by internet not by the mail. You can send Birthday Greetings by email – no need to buy a card or a stamp. Most of us receive our pay and now pay our bills via the internet. Even recipients of welfare and unemployment benefits are paid via the internet. If the Federal government is so all-fired eager for us to “Go Green” why are we polluting the air with emmissions from USPS vehicles? Why are we wasting energy to heat and cool USPS buildings? The “marriage mail” my postal carrier drops off every week just ends up in my local landfill which creates its own pollution. I just heard today that 80% of the cost to run the USPS is salary and benefits. Even if they cannot be laid off because they are unionized, saving the other 20% will be quite a windfall for the US Taxpayer. Ultimately the decent, self-respecting postal workers will find work elsewhere. The rest will eventually die off,so, at some point, THAT particular albatross will be off our necks. It’s time to start making some changes to get our country turned around. This might be a small step but it would be significantly symbolic. I am sure that the wise and ever practical Benjamin Franklin, who first proposed the USPS, would agree!
Lillee
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 9:52 AMLast time I was at the postoffice it was still a 20 minute queue… but I think that’s due to lack of customer service focus rather than volume of customers
Azza
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 10:02 AMPost Offices in Oz are doing okay. They are kept relevant for things such as passport applications and selling merchandise like collectors coins etc.,
jashsf
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 1:11 PMcongress passed a law 5 years ago requiring the usps to put 5 billion aside every year for retiree benefits that aren’t even born yet.
besides that, our postage rates are the lowest in the world, and deliver to 2x’s as many addresses as anyone else in the world.
raise the prices. get the gop out of power.
Nate
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 1:22 PMdid auspost or usps ever think of becoming another hotmail/gmail/yahoo mail or something :P ..jks
David
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 3:46 PMPlease make at least a token effort at localisation. Edit to “US Post Office” and note that “any more” is two words in English.