Postal Service mulls dropping Saturday delivery ............

[Defense54]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35661462/ns/business-us_business

Wow. I never thought I'd see the day. When I first moved south I wanted a steady goverment Job. I worked Construction for 17 yrs and was sick of working steady and then dealing with  months and months of layoffs.  My father in law was a postal worker and had great benifits and retirement. I tried like hell but it was immpossible to get a route.  I guess things happen for a reason.

So I went into corrections and eventually law enforcment. I never thought I'd see the day that the US Postal service would we cutting back. I'm guessing that Emails and texts are hurting stamps, and UPS and Fed Ex is taking another big piece of the pie.

I know Ma bell is on the verge of being obsolete in the next decade. (Landline phones) Is too much technology a good thing? Are we moving too much too fast?

 

[Dave Gray]

I'd be okay if they limited local delivery to 4 times a week, so long as they kept the major channels open for 7 days.

[jtex316]

Here's all i ever get via USPS:

1. Bills
2. Spam
3. Coupons
4. More Spam
5. Even More Spam

I'm not going to miss the Saturday delivery.

[bsfins]

I think it's more of a hindrance to Ebay and Netflix....Right now I have to make sure that Netflix receives the movies I send back on Friday, so I can get movies Saturday,otherwise I have to wait till Monday...Kind of leaving Sunday nights with no movie option...

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I typically just pile my mail up for a week, and then read/open/pay bills for a week all at once.  If they dropped mail delivery to once a week it would be fine by me.  

[Dave Gray]

^^ Netflix is a hindrance now, but that will be less of an issue each day, and digital distribution takes more of a hold.

I'm to the point now, where almost half of the stuff I watch is streaming through the TV, rather than on a disc mailed to the house.  The selection is limited, but as it grows, you probably won't even notice.

[Buddhagirl]

I never check my mail. It's all junk. I haven't mailed a letter or anything in ages. I probably won't even notice it's gone.

[bsfins]

Hijack Sorry
I watch Lot's of streaming, but it's not Blu ray quality,and the the addition of movies to netflix is sort of random...A strange example was the movie "Year one"  When it was on my disc mailing list it popped up as soon to be available on Watch instantly date....I dropped it to the last movie on my list, and watched it when it came became watch instantly....Yet it's not shown up on any of my " new to watch instantly" (probably because it sucked) Alot of series discs,7 of 10 episodes are watch instantly,3 are disc only....

[Dave Gray]

Yeah, let's consider what is actually being mailed:

Bills - now most are electronic, and a one day lull in delivery won't bother anyone.

Spam - who cares

Actual packages - This will suck to wait an extra day when you're waiting to receive something, but I don' think that this is a very high percentage of the mail, plus if it's urgent, there are private alternatives, like UPS and FedEx.

Letters - Does anyone write these anymore?  The only thing I get like this is the occasional card in the mail, sent only as a gesture, and not something where a 1 day lag matters.  ...also invitations, I suppose.

Checks - Businesses still get checks in the mail, but I don't think that will matter.

Netflix - Pretty much its own category -- This may hurt the most, but like I said earlier, the digital distribution model eases this problem daily.

Magazines, Catalogs - With the internet providing up to the second news, magazines are no longer a timely media source.  For that reason, late delivery doesn't matter.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Yeah, let's consider what is actually being mailed:


Actual packages - This will suck to wait an extra day when you're waiting to receive something, but I don' think that this is a very high percentage of the mail, plus if it's urgent, there are private alternatives, like UPS and FedEx.

UPS and Fedex don't deliever on Sat unless you pay oodles extra.

Checks - Businesses still get checks in the mail, but I don't think that will matter.

shouldn't matter at all most business don't get mail on Sat now as it is cause they are closed.

Magazines, Catalogs - With the internet providing up to the second news, magazines are no longer a timely media source.  For that reason, late delivery doesn't matter.

most magizines are mailed with a timing delivery of Tues or Wed, not Sat.

[Dave Gray]

Is stopping mail on Saturday, does that mean stopping the entire chain on Saturday, or just the local delivery.

Because if you stop the entire chain on Saturday, that will slow mail on every day, not just Saturday.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Is stopping mail on Saturday, does that mean stopping the entire chain on Saturday, or just the local delivery.

Because if you stop the entire chain on Saturday, that will slow mail on every day, not just Saturday.

from the article....

Cutting back Saturday home delivery, however, does not mean post offices would close that day.

so i am guessing the chain will remain as is. 

the chain doesn't even completely shut down on Sunday, cross country trucks keep rolling on the highway and train keep rolling and very little mail enters the system on Saturday as business don't send ads, bills, magaizines etc on that day.

[Tepop84]

Not doing home delivery on wed or thursday would be much better.

[StL FinFan]

My insurance won't pay for certain medications that I take unless I order them from their mail order service.   My mom is in the same boat with different insurance.  I don't have a problem with not getting mail on Saturday, per se, so long as it did not slow up the entire system.

[Dave Gray]

So, if it's only the local service, why not cut down to 4 days a week?  As long as the planes and trucks are still moving, I think we'd be OK.