Do you think the Post office will go the way of the Dinosaur?

[Robinrs]

My sister, who just retired from the Post office last December, told me that if it weren't for the elderly and eBay they wouldn't have a job!

Now with eBay going the way of the dinosaur itself I wonder how much longer the PO will be profitable. I doubt if it has much longer.

 

[Nancyg56]

Personally, I would prefer that senior postal carriers work Monday-Friday and junior postal carriers work Tuesday-Saturday. Commercial buildings would get Monday, Wednesday and Friday deliveries, and residences would get Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday deliveries. That would save even more money, effectively cutting costs in half, while just getting rid of Saturday delivery would cut costs by about 15%.

My brother used to pedal the mail, he retired a few years ago. He would have hated your schedule. He had seniority so he was able to choose hie route and his schedule and loved his Mondays off.

DH and I were just talking about this yesterday and neither of us would miss Saturday delivery. For some folks it may take a little time to get accustomed to but I think it would be a manageable adjustment. It would be a shame to see the USPS go away so making changes is necessary. The mailman is more than the person who delivers your mail, my brother was checking on his customers long before it was considered part of his job. He would deliver boxes that normally would need to be picked up, shoveled driveways for his seniors, checked to make sure that they were okay in storms and was a friend to some folks who never saw anyone else during the day.

 

[iwrbnd]

I never check it on Saturdays. That's my day off and don't want to think about bills or anything. Any fun news comes from facebook or email anyway!

 

[bicker]

My brother used to pedal the mail, he retired a few years ago. He would have hated your schedule. He had seniority so he was able to choose hie route and his schedule and loved his Mondays off.

I ended up taking that who-works-when stuff out of the message just after I posted it, figuring that it doesn't really matter, and it wouldn't work that way anyway... the main point is reducing deliveries from six to three per week.

 

[puffkin]

I don't really care if they eliminate saturday delivery, but what about holiday weekends since most fall on a Monday. That is a long time to go without mail delivery!

I really think they need to close some post offices and expand into kiosks. I hate going to the post office as it is not convenient. Kiosks in grocery stores would be much more convenient!

 

[Missy1961]

I would miss Saturday delivery. I love going to get my mail & it's the only day I'm home to get it! And I may pay some of my bills online, but I don't pay all. Plus I actually write letters to my nieces & nephews, and they write back. Yes, we email, but we still love to put pen to paper. What can I say, I'm a dinosaur! (and I still read a newspaper every day too!)

 

[bettymae1121]

No, I don't think the USPS will cease to exist, but I could see them going to home delivery to 3 days a week (M, W, and F) and only offer daily service to businesses and PO boxes. Post offices would still be open M-F if you have to mail something and you can't wait until the next home delivery day. Maybe have 5 day a week home delivery in December, between X-mas cards and packages it would break the poor letter carriers backs that month otherwise!

 

[jiminyC_fan]

I wouldn't miss Saturday delivery. I can't see USPS getting shut down. Those of us that are lucky to have the internet could survive but the poor and elderly would have major problems. I personally don't like the idea of being forced to pay bills online.

 

[Micca]

Saturday delivery wouldn't be missed here.

 

[Handbag Lady]

We only check the mailbox M-W-F anyway, so we wouldn't miss Saturday DELIVERY.

However, I would miss being able to mail out packages on Saturday. I work M-F, so I can't get to the actual post office on any day except Saturday.

 

[Nancyg56]

I ended up taking that who-works-when stuff out of the message just after I posted it, figuring that it doesn't really matter, and it wouldn't work that way anyway... the main point is reducing deliveries from six to three per week.

That would work for me too. I like daily delivery but would figure out how to deal with it three times a week.

 

[Northstar]

This is funny! One of my little culture shocks when I moved from the U.S. to Nova Scotia, Canada in the 90s was discovering that there was no mail delivery on Saturday. People I asked gave me this weird look, like, "Why would you expect mail service on Saturday? It's a weekend!"

So after a few months, naw, you folks won't miss the Saturday mail service. It's easy to get used to!

 

[AlleyKat]

I wouldn't mind seeing a Mon.-Wed.-Fri. delivery.

Neither would I.

 

[C.Ann]

My sister, who just retired from the Post office last December, told me that if it weren't for the elderly and eBay they wouldn't have a job!

Now with eBay going the way of the dinosaur itself I wonder how much longer the PO will be profitable. I doubt if it has much longer.

Wondering why you specifically mentioned "eBay" - even though I no longer buy or sell there myself.. (Well, technically I guess I use a sub division of it though - half.com - for used books..)

I can't see USPS getting shut down. Those of us that are lucky to have the internet could survive but the poor and elderly would have major problems. I personally don't like the idea of being forced to pay bills online.

I agree - and there are still many companies that don't accept online bill paying..

I can see them doing away with Saturday, but it would be very, very inconvenient for many people if they went to only a 3-day delivery schedule.. That's a little too drastic - IMO..

 

[Nancyg56]

So after a few months, naw, you folks won't miss the Saturday mail service. It's easy to get used to!

Every summer my Credit Union closes on Saturdays. You forget one time and then just make sure to get your banking done during the week. It really is no inconvenience.

 

[drag n' fly]

Ok pardon my ignorance here. I just read this week that the end of the world has officially arrived because they are discontinuing Saturday mail services in the US. I was SHOCKED. Not because of the change in service but because in my 44 years on this earth we have never had Saturday mail delivery EVER in Canada. Please take comfort in knowing you will all be fine....I am living proof of it

 

[Ember]

Ok pardon my ignorance here. I just read this week that the end of the world has officially arrived because they are discontinuing Saturday mail services in the US. I was SHOCKED. Not because of the change in service but because in my 44 years on this earth we have never had Saturday mail delivery EVER in Canada. Please take comfort in knowing you will all be fine....I am living proof of it

Yep, you'll be fine.

 

[sorcerormickey]

I wouldn't mind seeing Mon-Wed-Fri delivery either!

We rarely get anything of interest in the mail - most of it gets dumped in the trash can before I even get back in the house.

 

[jlmarr]

Ok pardon my ignorance here. I just read this week that the end of the world has officially arrived because they are discontinuing Saturday mail services in the US. I was SHOCKED. Not because of the change in service but because in my 44 years on this earth we have never had Saturday mail delivery EVER in Canada. Please take comfort in knowing you will all be fine....I am living proof of it

That's what I was wondering - what do other countries do? Sounds like we could cope with it. Now to enact some of those other policies that seem to be commonplace in other countries.

 

[Shyvioletisme]

I would miss Saturdays a bit and definitely wouldn't want to see it go down to 3 days a week. We have netflix and frankly I like my quick turnaround...if it went down to 3 days a week it could be 4 days in between movies which would end up putting Netflix under...also I order a lot of stuff online and it would be nice to still be able to get it quickly. So yes, some people do still use the USPS a lot and would miss days being cut.