I have Netflix, and won't be happy about not getting a movie on Saturday, but they have to do what they have to do to cut back. Rather have this then lost jobs.

We don't have Saturday delivery here in Canada, and think it's kind of weird that it's available in the U.S. Well, not weird, I guess, just different. But getting rid of it seems like a reasonable way to cut revenue, IMO.

Seems reasonable to me. It'd just take a bit of getting used to.

Something needs to be done, and that seems the most logical thing to do.

My mail has pretty much been reduced to junk mail so I have no problem with it. There's nothing delivered on Saturday that I can't wait until Monday for. Businesses open on Saturday might have a problem.

There is no home delivery of mail in our town. Everyone inside the "city" limits has to have a Post Office box. You have to go to the post office to check your mail. It's rather inconvenient, and we still have to pay the full price for the P.O. box, even though they are making us get it by not having any home delivery.

While it won't affect me; there are lots of people that work Mon.-Fri. They will have a hard time picking up large packages or "signature required" mail if the post office is only open Mon.-Fri.

While the Post Office is closed on Sat we still get home delivery. I wonder what impact it will have on the salary of the carriers. Will they be the ones to lose out?

It needs to be done......

That was my first thought, Minnie.

Maybe if they quit giving away those priority boxes it would help.

I remember when we had mail delivery twice a day!

Sue

We don't have that up here in canada and 5 days a week for mail I believe is enough.
Only our post office open from 8am - 12 noon on saturdays.

I'd rather they eliminate another day, like Wednesday, so we don't go two days in a row without mail.

The US post office is considering raising the price of first class stamps and eliminating Saturday delivery. If they exercise these two options, and still lose money, what is next?
If I were the PO CEO, I'd try to find other ways to increase mail usage and to run a more efficient organization. Cuts in service can only go so far, and each time the price of a stamp rises, the customer has an added incentive to use e-mail and electronic banking/bill paying.

Like others have said, we don't have weekend mail delivery here in Canada. No big deal. I don't think any mail is important enough that you'd miss weekend delivery.

Ok by me - if it saves any money - I say go for it!

Fine with me - I get very little of value in the mail any more. I throw most of it away in the garage before I even go in the house. In fact every other day delivery would be fine by me. They need to figure out how to operate in the black. It seems like they keep functioning the way they always have in spite of their business sinking like a rock.

Good example of how the government isn't effective at managing a significant enterprise - and why I don't want them running our healthcare system any more than they already are with Medicare (which is also in the red).

Looks like we're going dowhill in everything!

Donna (^_^)

IMHO, I don't think this is an example of ineffective government as much as it is that technology has changed the way many Americans communicate with one another. The way the post office used to stay out of the red was the sheer volume of letters and packages. That volume need just isn't there anymore.

For example, why would I send a friend a paper letter when I can send her an email for free, that allows instantaneous communication? Or why would I mail photos of the kids to the inlaws when I can just post them in a Shutterfly album? Over the holidays, why would I go to Macy's and buy my MIL a sweater and send it via USPS when I can order from the same store online and get free shipping?

If I think about it, probably 95% of my mail needs are met via email and bill-payer banking services. The only mail we get that we want/need are birthday cards and holiday greetings, which could also be sent electronically.

Most of the other mail we get is direct mail solicitations, which go straight into the trash, unopened.

I think in 20 years there will be no such thing as the USPS and I think what we are seeing now is the phase out of this service. The USPS is a dinosaur and due for extinction. Things change.

Once you don't have it for awhile you will get used to it. I agree though, a Wednesday would be better.

I have no problem at all losing a day of mail delivery - even 2. I send e-cards, so they always get there the day they're supposed to. Anything else can wait.

I doubt it will happen though. Losing a day's delivery probably means layoffs, and the government doesn't want to be associated with more job losses.

It seems we get very little mail on Saturdays for some reason. Then on Mondays, we get a lot. So I wouldn't miss it.

Our newspaper said this morning that the P.O.'s would be open on Saturday but they are also looking into putting mini-offices in existing stores. Our Hallmark store just down the street has a post office in it already. We can also buy stamps at Publix at the check-out counter. I like the convenience.

If the USPS would stop spending so much money buying houses of employees who relocate, there would be no need for them to be operating in the red or raising prices or eliminating delivery days.

Here is a link that might be useful: USPS home buying

I wouldn't miss it.

Now if they could only make the telemarketers have to MAIL you the information they are trying to force on you, the USPS would be rich, rich, rich!! A win win situation!!

if this was a business they would have gone under yrs ago. they are billions in the hole right now in March they MUST do something much more drastic than cutting sat delivery. my bets on dumping retirement benefits, cutting delivery days back even more, closing 40% of their branches and raising prices alot. all of these were recommended by a federal study panel trying to find ways for the PO to just stay in business.

if they can't do something asap some company like FedEx or UPS will come in and you will pay what they want for mail. i don't have a problem w/ the panel recomendations, i'd even pay $2. a letter/card for mail. i do have a problem w/ a business being able to be billions in the hole and supported by the govt that has more important needs than getting smeone a dvd or letter. i do not use the mail on a regular basis (i am internet everything), i send cards out & priority mailboxes ea month. BTW those on netflix stuff can upgrade themselves next yr and stream movies, including HD thru their wii. ~ liz

Okay by me...I stopped using the USPS for anything important years ago - not a dependable service.

I personally wouldn't miss Saturday deliveries. Somehow, my bills always seem to arrive. When I was a kid (1950's) we used to get two mail deliveries a day-morning and afternoon. We also didn't have a mailbox, we had a mail slot on the door. Ah, the Good old Days!

i live in the orlando burbs and on my normal 8 mi commute to & from work i pass no less than 6 post offices along 1 road in 8 miles. if i venture 2 blocks on either side of that 1 road (SR 436) i can stop at 10! THAT is ridiculous...no wonder they have problems running a business. and i know people will say all those people will lose their jobs but seriously should we over-employee people and drive a business out of business, just to keep un-needed people working? that mentality is what brought on alot of problems in the economy over the last 8 yrs. ~ liz

Don't care. I only check it twice a month anyway.

They could cut it down to Monday and Thursday and people would still be happy. I can't think of anything I've gotten in the mail that did not go directly to the trash. I can't even remember when I've mailed anything with a stamp.

The PO need to continue to expand their business to incorporate online technology like they have been trying to do in spits and starts. Its the only thing that will save them. Their card store has not received the proper marketing it should have had implemented. It is a great idea for them and should be expanded.

http://www.usps.com/createmail/cardstore.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: PO Card Store

I would have absolutely no problem foregoing Saturday mail delivery. It would just be one less day that I get a bill in the mail...lol! Seriously, most of the mail I get just gets dumped into the trash. I do all of my bill paying online and even receive the bills online in order to save wasted paper. The postal employees are very well paid and I'm sure they can all survive on 5 days pay versus 6. I'm not sure if these employees are hourly os salaried. If they are salaried, I'm assuming pay adjustments will be made if theri work load decreases.

Most of my snail mail is junk so I wouldn't miss the extra day.

I'm with Liz and all of the others that said the USPS is not an efficient entity!
I don't mind not having Saturday delivery...ours only is delivered about half the time anyway. BUT....if they would have a good business person "retool" the USPS, they could do everything usefully and have money left over! I do a LOT of mailing (9 grands and great grands) and postage is ridiculous!!

Just to clear up one thing, the USPS is not subsidized by the government and hasn't been for many years.

Obviously it would be better to cut the slower day of the week like a Tuesday or Wednesday and leave Saturday a full service day. That was the initial proposal but the "postals" are pushing Saturday to have another day off and guarantee a minimum of 2 days in a row for everyone.

If they'd quit overstaffing, and adjust to the needs, they could run 7 days a week. I get tired of walking in there with lines out the door, 1 or 2 people working and 6 sitting on their butts or leaning on the counters drinking pop.

I wouldnÂt miss it either.

I use modern technology over snail mail. Many doubt internet security, but everything is traceable. The check is in the mail no longer works. 1/2 of my bills are paid online and the other 1/2 are automatically deducted from my checking account. Also my bills are emailed to me versus snail mail. I check my mail once a week and rarely does it contain anything of substance.

If they gave good service, stopped worring about how big a letter/package is, stop measuring everything, and weighing everything, stop stealing out the mail (yes it happens alot), stop sending mail all over the country before they deliver it, etc.
I can drive to CA in 3 days, and yet it takes up to 7 days to deliver a letter/package even priority mail.

Mariend,
I've got you beat in the "Lost pkg" dept.We mailed a pkg to our GD 7 hours away in N.Calif on Jan 16th and she still hasn't got it.Everyone and their brother in the postal system is looking for it.I have sent pictures and all the info to the lost & found place in L.A. and our local Po is also looking for it.It's not a small pkg,so not easily lost.Personally we think someone stole it.

The box DH used to ship it was a recycled box and he didn't cross off all the info on the box like i always do,so someone probably thought they were getting a "bullet thingy,blender etc"and if that was so they got a big surprise,as it was a twin size blow up bed,by Simmons.

Also when you call our local PO the line always has a busy signal,24/7.I even called the phone co last week and had them try it,and they got the same thing,yet they said no one was on the line.I told the PO this,but they swear it's working,NOT!!
Kathi

Actually, the one in our town is already closed on Saturdays, and closes at 4pm everyday. I understand the need, but disagree for all of the people who can't get to the post office during the week. They should stay open later during the week - because they're really making it user-unfriendly.

I think there are other ways they could change things and do better. If they could be opened up to provide more services, that might help (mentioned in the Yahoo article I read yesterday).

Go for it dont need mail Saturdays.

I wouldn't mind one bit if they eliminated Saturday delivery. There is nothing that arrives on Saturday that I can't deal with until Monday. I do all our business shipping with the USPS it's alot less expensive than UPS and FEDEX.

It wouldn't bother me at all. Any mail that we would get on Saturday could wait until Monday. Hopefully it will not have to be cut further.

I haven't experienced Saturday mail in the 40 years I've lived here, so I don't think it's such a big deal to get mail on Saturday. And frankly, who really cares if their birthday card arrives on the exact day, or early or even late? By that reasoning, if your birthday falls on a Sunday it's ruined because your cards can't arrive on the day.

Heres a few ideas for them...
1.get rid of half the post offices out there,FORTUNE,right there
2.stop Sat mail
3.Start charging people that send junk mail ANOTHER FORTUNE...
Everytime they raise stamps I cut back mailing.

We have a post office box since the mail they put in our mailbox kept blowing out all over the place. They said the mailbox didn't close properly, we fixed it, then they said it was too hard to open. When I found a jury summoms out in the field next to our house I decided we needed a PO box. Now that we have one we don't drive down there every single day so I guess Sat wouldn't matter, but like some said, 2 days in a row might make a noticeable difference.