USPS To Reduce The Number Of Days Mail Is Delivered.....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Government Accountability Office on Tuesday added the Postal Service to its list of high-risk federal agencies in need of change. The post office has been struggling with a sharp decline in mail volume as people and businesses switch to e-mail both for personal contact and bill paying. The agency is facing a nearly $7 billion potential loss this fiscal year despite a 2-cent increase in the price of stamps in May, and cuts in staff. "There are serious and significant structural financial challenges currently facing the Postal Service," the GAO said. "New technology is profoundly affecting services in both the private and public sectors, including traditional mail delivery. Compounded by the current recession, the volume of mail being sent is dropping substantially," Gene L. Dodaro, acting comptroller general, said in a statement. The report called on the Postal Service to work with Congress and other organizations to develop and implement a restructuring plan. He said that "every major postal policy, from employee pay, to days of delivery, to the closing of postal facilities must be on the table. Without major change, the day will soon come when the Postal Service will be unable to pay its bills...." The GAO report said the key short-term goal is to cut expenses quickly enough to offset mail volume and revenue declines to avoid running out of cash to pay its expenses. Postal officials have said the agency could run out of cash in September.

Source: finance.yahoo.com

I don't know why, but when I first read the article, I was thinking that they may take out a day or two from the Mon-Fri work week. I immediately thought, wow, things really are not getting any better, but instead they are getting worst. However, I spoke to my supervisor about it, who heard about this as well, and she informed me that they are considering no longer having Saturday mail delivery, which is not as bad as I thought. The article is true though, people are not getting as much mail as they use to. So I guess I can see why they would go this route to help cut expenses. I rather them do that, than go up on stamps every couple of months. Lol. In addition, they made the decision to remove the stamp machine out of the lobby area. Now if people want to purchase a stamp, they have to go inside and wait in that long line. I'm not sure if they started doing this everywhere, but I know they have started this where I currently live and in my hometown. So to avoid having to wait in a really long line just to buy a $.44 stamp, it's best to just buy a book of stamps.