Postal Service's emerging model: Never on Saturday

**SBG** · March 2nd, 2010, 03:49 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. Postal Service is increasing the pressure for dropping Saturday home delivery as it seeks to fend off massive financial losses.
Postmaster General John Potter is also expected to raise the possibility of higher rates Tuesday in a speech to postal-related businesses and officials.
The agency was 297 million in the red in period from October through December, usually its best season because of holiday mailings.
The Postal Service has previously proposed eliminating delivery six days a week, but got a cold reception in Congress. The renewed effort comes with a series of consultant reports supporting that idea, as well as other changes.

http://timesnews.net/article.php?id=9021033

**starbuck** · March 2nd, 2010, 05:48 PM

heck, why not go to 5 day delivery? is there really a call for 6 day delivery anymore?

**SBG** · March 2nd, 2010, 07:44 PM

Hell, they get an amazing number of holidays off and now they want Saturdays? If they take Sats off then they should make it up working on some of those holidays. They're slow enough as it is. I could deliver mail on horse quicker. Instead of losing a day they should find more ways to appeal to customers.

**LCAS_712** · March 3rd, 2010, 04:48 PM

The USPS is quite possibly the most uneconomical service in the world. For example if I order something from Charlottesville it takes like almost a week and a half to get here and i drive back and forth from there in 12 hours. Tell me they could streamline thier processing but hey that would take the beuocracy out of it. Another example of how the government will find a way to screw up anything they have thier hands on.

**imported_elp6n** · March 3rd, 2010, 04:56 PM

You really have to read the fine print on their services too.

Essentially anything lost is never their fault, period.
I've never had to file an insurance claim on lost packages - but I could only imagine what that process would be like.

I sent something to Abingdon via priority mail a year or two ago. Using regular first class mail it's typically a one day turn around. Package was lost, never got there.
And even though they advertise Priority as 2-3 day service, it's not considered late until it's 6 days past mailing. You're not allowed to call them or put a search on the item until 6 days have passed.

I use other carries for important stuff now, and online bill paying services rather than USPS.

**SBG** · March 3rd, 2010, 07:15 PM

My mom recently sent a package to her sister in Memphis via USPS. It took about a month to get there. They're ridiculous.

But they're not alone. I can't stand Fedex or UPS either. Once I withdrew some money, a few thousand dollars, from my 401k. It was sent UPS. It was delivered while we were out that day. Came home and the person just left it on my porch. A check for thousands of dollars. On my front porch. I thought I was supposed to sign for it.

Fedex once delayed shipping a package to my better half for a day or two because they said they couldn't find the house. The guy never called for directions. So it's obvious he never tried.

And both UPS and Fedex still seem to have troubles finding my house even though we've been getting stuff here for years. Not to mention the numerous times they drop stuff at my house when it's for my mom next door or vice versa. There's been a few occasions where they left stuff at the other neighbors' homes. Idiots.

When it comes to mail and delivery we're just screwed. The US needs a better, non-governmental option.