serial_crusher: Oh no. I'll have to go all weekend without any extended car warranty scams, grocery store ads, or letter begging for donations to charities that I don't care about? This is tragic.

I have an ebay store and usually provide free USPS shipping because it's WAY cheaper than the other options. Cutting out Saturday delivery will make it that much harder to satisfy customers without spending a lot more money for the services. I've said it before and I'll repeat myself: I do agree the postal people get paid a bit more than they should be and their pensions are crazy, but considering how this society is morphing to 'work work work 24/7' (I'd bet many of you end up doing at least some work from home on the weekends) - we still need the post office to be open and delivering.

It's too bad it takes an act of Congress to make any freakin' changes, or they could have worked this out a couple of years ago instead of wringing their hands about it.

umad: stevetherobot: Snarfangel: ToldThereWouldBeCake: serial_crusher: Oh no. I'll have to go all weekend without any extended car warranty scams, grocery store ads, or letter begging for donations to charities that I don't care about? This is tragic.

Hmm, has anyone started a petition to STOP Saturday mail delivery? I'll sign it.

I'm still waiting for a "Do not mail list" to go with the "Do not call list."

DMAChoice. (new window)

Do you have an option other than a placebo? DMAChoice doesn't stop shiat.

Declare yourself a Sovereign Citizen and refuse to accept any mail with a ZIP code on it.

I guess another reason I have a hard time caring is that we already have zero-day-a-week mail service here in my town. There are no mail trucks or mail boxes. Everyone in the entire town is required to have a PO Box.

Makes it fun to buy online when the merchant requires me to ship to my billing address, but then wants to ship UPS.

Huck And Molly Ziegler: 3StratMan: Q: When do Democrats/Liberals/Farklibs think the best time to cut taxes is? A: Never. They only believe in raising taxes.

Gee, I dunno, when do conservatives think it's a good time to go to their boss and say "I'm taking in too much money. Could you please cut my paycheck 15 percent so I won't be so tempted to spend it on food and my kid's education?"?

Gee, listening to you, if I didn't know better I would think that you believe there is something wrong with profiting as much as possible from one's education, talent and determination.

theorellior: But a first class letter is the same cost no matter where it goes. It may take time to get there, but it'll still get there. The rest are upgrades in service, not basic service.

It sure is the same cost, but it's not mandatory that it be so. That's a choice the USPS made at some point and/or Congress imposed on them. In other words, they could change the cost to properly reflect actual costs of shipping.

I'm sorry the Post Office is mentioned in the Constitution and the Air Force isn't. The Air Force doesn't make money either.

??

cgraves67: YOu know what would help? Get hipster to use snail mail ironically.

meh, unless you're handwriting your letters with a quilt on hand-made paper and having your letters delivered via courier on horse, you don't understand

The only reason I care about the post office is Netflix DVDs.

I guess this is a good thing for Netflix. If it takes longer to complete a round trip for a DVD because Friday/Saturday deliveries don't happen until Monday, they will end up processing fewer DVDs in the same period of time, which means lower operating costs for them. Since the plans are flat fees, that means more profits. It's the new step #2!

Sybarite: ballooning pension costs and the incursion of email have pushed the USPS into what looks like a death spiral

It's an entirely manufactured crisis. The Bush Administration pushed through a postal "reform" law that required the USPS to pre-fund 75 years' worth of future retiree health benefits within just 10 years. No other federal agency or private business is forced to pre-fund benefits on this kind of schedule, and it accounts for the entirety of the loses that have occurred in the intervening years.

It's pretty odd. Seems to me the intent is to use up all the department's resources to make a mighty sweet, mighty huge cake. Someone's gonna dissolve the org and eat the cake.

TNel: Optimus Primate:

All of my finances are organized electronically, so it is in my benefit to receive ALL bills in that format, as it makes my life easier. Both the vendor and I win, essentially. I can keep a file of all of my past bills nice and neat, with no clutter.


That's cool about the electric bill, you do know that you still get bills by email and can read the last years worth of statements in pdf format from the bill's website even if you have them send you mail right? It's weird they use that as "selling" points when it's available to you if you go "green" or not.

I still like getting spam and garbage mail though, makes getting the mail a suprise every day. Plus the kids LOVE to run and check the mail everytime we get out of the car, even if they already got the mail earlier they think it comes all the time. I should start to put random things in the box to see what they do.

Ok ok...My girlfriend's dad recently moved to Sweden. I admit I am actually really getting a kick out of the "male enhancement" junk mail he gets (his mail is all forwarded to our addy now). That sh*t has the CRAZIEST pics, super funny - and he must have ordered something at one time cause he gets at least 2-3 offers a week. All of them have pics of tiny, wide-eyed girls, looking in terror at huge photoshopped penises the size of tree trunks as if to say "omg that thing is going nowhere near my vagina". It's the only mail I enjoy opening anymore.

But that's the extent of my junk-mail love.

Do it i love to see the panic Tuesday morning on the drivers faces when they have been since friday without a delivery.

Treygreen13: ITT: People attributing the USPS's shiattyness to recent government meddling, not to the fact that the USPS is shiatty and has been shiatty for some time.

Every post office near me is full of the laziest, least competent employees of any organization I could imagine. The ones near me make the DMV seem like a well-oiled machine. If my firm wants to make sure somebody gets something important, the Post Office falls somewhere between "carrier pigeon" and "osmosis".

I just choked on a grape skin laughing at that...which wouldn't be bad if I wasn't sitting in a crowded restaurant, alone at a bar table, choking and desperately signaling for more iced tea.

After reading through the 200+ comments I have a few things to say...

People have post offices that are open till 5pm? Talk about luxury! Ours closes at 3:30pm. So if you have anything important to be mailed that requires actually going into the post office you have to take off early from work to do it. Our post office services about 20,000 people in around the county, so it's not exactly small in terms of mail volume.

I am a rural postal customer and I'm so far out our mailbox is over a mile away from my home at the nearest county road. If they did away with Saturday delivery, or even cut back on weekday deliveries to residential customers, I wouldn't bat an eye. Other than the occasional Amazon, Ebay, and Upton Tea order most of my important stuff is delivered to my door by UPS/Fedex. As someone else said, why the USPS would consider eliminating the day they have the biggest advantage over UPS/Fedex, i.e. Saturday deliveries, is beyond me.

99% of our bills are billed online and paid online, only a few local companies don't process online payments at this time and for those I just hand deliver them when I'm in town. I've had to start getting Forever stamps because I'll have stamps that will last through one or two postage rate increases before they get used. Most of the mail we receive is unsolicited junk mail that gets thrown in our burn bin without even looking at it.

When I do have to go into the post office there is only one person at the counter and 30+ waiting in line. More and more I'm seeing Mexicans be the largest chunk of users of the local post office as they get their money orders to send back to Mexico. Irony no?

The USPS needs to stop pennying us to death every other year, I can never find 1c and 2c stamps locally. Raise the price of stamps to a price that'll sustain the cost of delivery and be done with it. I mail so little, and mostly note cards to older family members and birthday/anniversary cards that a $1 stamp isn't going to bother me in the least.

Raise the cost of bulk mail. Most Americans don't want junk mail and it seems to be getting worse year after year, so it'd be a two-fold benefit. Companies would pay more to send out their junk, and maybe they'd start sending out less if they couldn't afford it (i.e. local carpet cleaners and cheaply-made furniture stores).

Deliver mail twice a week, if you want it more often, you pay $10 a month. P.O. boxes are filled every day.

Problem solved.

Treygreen13: ITT: People attributing the USPS's shiattyness to recent government meddling, not to the fact that the USPS is shiatty and has been shiatty for some time.

Every post office near me is full of the laziest, least competent employees of any organization I could imagine. The ones near me make the DMV seem like a well-oiled machine. If my firm wants to make sure somebody gets something important, the Post Office falls somewhere between "carrier pigeon" and "osmosis".

Blame whoever the local post master is for that, the main one near me runs like clockwork at least at the counter, and they haven't lost any of my ebay packages yet... My neighbor is a retired post master and tells the occasional story about some of the actual carriers being lazy, but generally this region does good work. Also he said that the higher ups show up at random and walk all the routes to make sure they're paying for actual work done, not guys who knock off early.

soup: Why do government programs/agencies have to make a profit to be immune from being dismantled? Same goes for high speed rail programs when people complain that they would never make enough money to cover the costs of construction. I mean shouldn't our taxes go towards making life a little better for the people who pay those taxes, regardless of "profitability?"

I guess not, huh. Let's just order another three aircraft carriers and a few thousand next-gen fighter planes.

I'm guessing it's because these same people are under the mistaken impression that government = business.
We pay taxes for services, not products, and "profitability" shouldn't be an issue.
Street lights need fixin', roads need pavin', fires need extinguishin', mail needs deliverin', that type of thing.
They also can't deal with the fact that the taxes they pay are supposed to benefit everyone, not just them or those like them (which is why most anti-tax people I know are white middle class males) and why they hate paying taxes.

They're also the first people to whine like little b*tches when budget cuts affect the things they want their government to do, especially local governments. "I thought you were going to cut the money from THEM!!!!!!"

"The Post Office is in the Constitution. It's been around since the beginning of our country. ... We all have to remember our values."

Al Franken is a farking moron : Exhibit D

Poowaddins:

The USPS needs to stop pennying us to death every other year, I can never find 1c and 2c stamps locally. Raise the price of stamps to a price that'll sustain the cost of delivery and be done with it. I mail so little, and mostly note cards to older family members and birthday/anniversary cards that a $1 stamp isn't going to bother me in t ...

I agree with you there. I don't think anyone would mind much if stamps were suddenly 1$. I pretty much use them for Christmas Cards and Wedding RSVP's.

What I think the USPS could do is allow FedEx and UPS to deliver to PO boxes. All it would take is an alteration of box contracts that would allow Post office employees to sign for packages at post offices. They can even pass a cost on to box holders, I know many people who would love to stop worrying about being home for UPS or Fed Ex.

I need MORE junk mail! I have one of those Recyclebank recycle cans and I need more weight!!!! I get more points and paper is heavy!

Sybarite: ballooning pension costs and the incursion of email have pushed the USPS into what looks like a death spiral

It's an entirely manufactured crisis. The Bush Administration pushed through a postal "reform" law that required the USPS to pre-fund 75 years' worth of future retiree health benefits within just 10 years. No other federal agency or private business is forced to pre-fund benefits on this kind of schedule, and it accounts for the entirety of the loses that have occurred in the intervening years.

So much THIS I can't stand it. I can't believe TFA neglected to mention that.

More info here: A rebuttal: Postal Service runs net profit (new window)

Poowaddins: The USPS needs to stop pennying us to death every other year, I can never find 1c and 2c stamps locally. Raise the price of stamps to a price that'll sustain the cost of delivery and be done with it. I mail so little, and mostly note cards to older family members and birthday/anniversary cards that a $1 stamp isn't going to bother me in the least.

This was basically fixed with the latest first class rate increase. Now all the first-class standard stamps you buy are Forever stamps (instead of having an actual amount marked), so they will also work even if the rates go up. I guess they realized printing a bunch of 1-cent and 2-cent stamps isn't really worth it.

If you're going to eliminate a weekday, get rid of Wednesday.

But if you can contract out the post office and get 6 days for less than the cost of 4, just do that instead.

TNel: I still like getting spam and garbage mail though, makes getting the mail a suprise every day. Plus the kids LOVE to run and check the mail everytime we get out of the car, even if they already got the mail earlier they think it comes all the time. I should start to put random things in the box to see what they do.

Spiders.

I just paid $15 to mail something that they would have charged me $5 to send BUT it got there undamaged.... Teh USPS has damaged/lost so much of my stuff recently that I can only guess they're fresh out of F---s

/True story
/wouldn't trust 'em with anything other than a card

Fark-Land: brick and mortar stores need t die. Get with the program dinosaur! Post office needs to be saved. I need credit card offers and ads for brick and mortar stores

engine: I just paid $15 to mail something that they would have charged me $5 to send BUT it got there undamaged.... Teh USPS has damaged/lost so much of my stuff recently that I can only guess they're fresh out of F---s

/True story
/wouldn't trust 'em with anything other than a card

I mail an average of at least 10 packages a week and as long as they're well packed (!) so far they've all been fine. One of my German customers even left feedback that said his item's packaging was 'bulletproof'. I think 9/10 times stuff gets damaged because people don't realize that it needs to withstand a fall from ~3 feet, pad the corners on slightly breakable things (jewel cases for me), and be able to hold up to being stacked with other things that might be heavy enough to crush them. This is why they have stamps that say 'fragile' 'do not bend' etc and they'll apply those if you ask.

People cut corners on the packaging and that's usually when damage occurs. Personally I say why not take the extra minute/extra material and avoid the hassle of breakage - and that's shipping First Class. Also preprinted labels help a TON to keep stuff from getting lost. I've mailed things to a bunch of random countries and ever since I started printing out the labels instead of hand writing, nothing has been lost (knock on wood).

By the way Trey, as far as I know, USPS employees have mandated break times - I'll often see a counter employee hanging out by the door, but it's because they're on their lunch/break and have to stay off the clock, not because they're being lazy. I'm on a first name basis with them and they're all super friendly so they talk openly around me. I'm sure people who don't go there often probably think the same as you. Not necessarily saying that's the case for yours, but that's my guess.

ladyfortuna: engine: I just paid $15 to mail something that they would have charged me $5 to send BUT it got there undamaged.... Teh USPS has damaged/lost so much of my stuff recently that I can only guess they're fresh out of F---s

/True story
/wouldn't trust 'em with anything other than a card

I mail an average of at least 10 packages a week and as long as they're well packed (!) so far they've all been fine. One of my German customers even left feedback that said his item's packaging was 'bulletproof'. I think 9/10 times stuff gets damaged because people don't realize that it needs to withstand a fall from ~3 feet, pad the corners on slightly breakable things (jewel cases for me), and be able to hold up to being stacked with other things that might be heavy enough to crush them. This is why they have stamps that say 'fragile' 'do not bend' etc and they'll apply those if you ask.

People cut corners on the packaging and that's usually when damage occurs. Personally I say why not take the extra minute/extra material and avoid the hassle of breakage - and that's shipping First Class. Also preprinted labels help a TON to keep stuff from getting lost. I've mailed things to a bunch of random countries and ever since I started printing out the labels instead of hand writing, nothing has been lost (knock on wood).

By the way Trey, as far as I know, USPS employees have mandated break times - I'll often see a counter employee hanging out by the door, but it's because they're on their lunch/break and have to stay off the clock, not because they're being lazy. I'm on a first name basis with them and they're all super friendly so they talk openly around me. I'm sure people who don't go there often probably think the same as you. Not necessarily saying that's the case for yours, but that's my guess.

So much this. I encountered so much shiatty packaging when I worked in the USPS. Your stuff is getting thrown/dropped/etc. no matter what company you're shipping with, although I do imagine the USPS is a little worse when it comes to proper handling. We do throw packages and they do get dumped onto a conveyor belt, lots of times with heavier items falling on top of them. Use bubble wrap and tape the damn thing. Even if you buy insurance, they're not covering it if you packaged it like an idiot.

/do not put jewelry in a regular envelope and mail it
//do not tape coins to your envelope
///put your goddamned checks/money orders in an envelope, don't just slap a stamp on it.

Cheesus: ///put your goddamned checks/money orders in an envelope, don't just slap a stamp on it.

Seriously? I can't even... I mean... OK.

if($netflix_sent_dvds_flag or $expecting_bills_flag) {check_mail()} else {farkit()}

Cheesus: So much this. I encountered so much shiatty packaging when I worked in the USPS. Your stuff is getting thrown/dropped/etc. no matter what company you're shipping with, although I do imagine the USPS is a little worse when it comes to proper handling. We do throw packages and they do get dumped onto a conveyor belt, lots of times with heavier items falling on top of them. Use bubble wrap and tape the damn thing. Even if you buy insurance, they're not covering it if you packaged it like an idiot.

/do not put jewelry in a regular envelope and mail it
//do not tape coins to your envelope
///put your goddamned checks/money orders in an envelope, don't just slap a stamp on it.

You are now my hero.

I've registered with DMAChoice and optout. I think optout worked, I never get credit card and insurance ads. I still get a crapton of local flyers. There absolutely needs to be a way to ban this stuff. I would deal with USPS going away if it also meant I didn't need to deal with this crap. I also want to add to the anti-mail-spam bill, that it should be legal to shoot the people sticking flyers on my door. Especially the 'phone books'. Farkin asshats...

Nabb1: Losing Saturday mail would be okay with me. Losing any weekdays, however, would not be so good for my line of work.

UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc.

umad: This is bullshiat! What am I supposed to do with my weekends now that the postal service refuses to deliver my fifty pounds of weekly spam at a reasonable time? This will totally screw up my routine of throwing away 99.99% of the shiat they deliver as soon as it arrives. They had better make it up to me by sending me even more stuff to throw away on the days that they still deliver. I have become accustomed to a certain level of unwanted errands being delivered to me by my government. It would be a tragedy if that were to change.

Or you could just go down to the post office and fill out the form that opts you out of junk mail.

fusillade762: Sybarite: ballooning pension costs and the incursion of email have pushed the USPS into what looks like a death spiral

It's an entirely manufactured crisis. The Bush Administration pushed through a postal "reform" law that required the USPS to pre-fund 75 years' worth of future retiree health benefits within just 10 years. No other federal agency or private business is forced to pre-fund benefits on this kind of schedule, and it accounts for the entirety of the loses that have occurred in the intervening years.

So much THIS I can't stand it. I can't believe TFA neglected to mention that.

More info here: A rebuttal: Postal Service runs net profit (new window)

Good post, thanks. If it's true, then I have absolutely no problem with the PS, I do wish congress would get out of the way and let the USPS do what they need to do regarding rates. Consevative FWIW.

Why not let corporations advertise on stamps?

You could have General Motors classic cars stamps, Pepsi stamps, or get the x-treme Mountain Dew collection of stamps.

/OK, this is slightly depressing, but is this the worst thing ever?

I'm really pretty disappointed at the thought of losing any mail delivery days, personally. I use USPS for most of my packages, both shipped and received, and priority mail has a great price and faster delivery times than UPS or FedEx, in addition to the Saturday delivery that UPS doesn't offer and FedEx charges extra for.

ChrisDe: I thought it was teacher salaries that were wrecking the economy. Now you're telling me it's letter carriers?

Teachers are mostly paid from state level down, unlike carriers. Last I looked though, looking at public-sector salaries, it's public safety salaries and pensions that are bankrupting cities. They usually get a 90% retirement at 20 years with COLA's and a generous health/dental/vision plan, at least here in California. Santa Rosa negotiated to 30 years (new window), but they are still had problems and had to renegotiate two tiers. Stockton wasn't so lucky (new window), and appears to be headed tits up. Teachers, although there are many out there, don't have anything close to the pay, benefits, or retirement deals as public safety personnel. At least from what I've read.