Major USPS deficits

[sevfiv]

I was reading about the huge postal money problems and how the Postmaster General is calling for Congress to end the annual rider that requires mail delivery six days per week. The following article says a day other then Saturday might be eliminated, but I wouldn't think the end of weekend mail would be so bad (okay, so I rarely get mail as it is...).

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...toryId=99969178

[memebag]

They're suggesting no more mail on Tuesdays. That seems insane. The only thing I use mail for is Netflix, and I want that coming seven days a week.

Netflix just announced a big profit from the last quarter, so maybe they could take over the post office. I bet they'd do a better job at it.

[kylejack]

Why don't they just bump postage again? The mail must get through!

[Geoff8201]

In this digital age, it would seem that the mail load would be getting lighter, therefore saving by cutting one day of delivery would make sense. But personally I think just for 11 months out of the year (exception, December for obvious reasons).

I have little need for snail mail...

I do my credit card payments online.

I check my bank statements online.

I do any and all correspondence via e-mail or IM.

I don't subscribe to any magazines.

Bout the only thing I get in the mail is solicitations from creditors who want a piece of my awesome credit rating, and junk ads.

[barracuda]

I imagine the mailmen/women would appreciate having their weekends off.

[Subdude]

I can't imagine it would be a problem to not get physical mail on weekends. 90% of it is garbage anyway.

[memebag]

I can't imagine it would be a problem to not get physical mail on weekends. 90% of it is garbage anyway.

Tuesday. They want to drop Tuesday. I think no-mail-Tuesdays are going to screw with business enough that the last holdouts go digital, which will further degrade the USPS business model and lead to more cutbacks. I can see once a week mail in our not to distant future.

[houstonmacbro]

I say do it twice a week. I get too much junk mail as it is.

[20thStDad]

Tuesday is when all the fun grocery store ads about what meat is on sale come. I like Tuesday mail.

I don't think all carriers work 6 days a week, they are probably on some rotating schedule where they work 5 and alternate who has what days off. I could be wrong, maybe they just work less hours per day and pull 6 days. Anyone know?

I think what they should do is cut down to half the staff and train them to scan and email everything to us. All while somehow having the sender represent the actual sender, so we can effectively deem some as junk mail. That is a really bad idea.

[Daniepwils]

I see why they are picking a day in the middle of the week and not Saturday. Some people work all week and the only time they would be able to get things done with USPS would be on a Saturday.

I don't see why they just don't fire all the "slow poke personnel" and the extra baggage they have sitting at counters not doing anything.

[BryanS]

USPS should reduce from 6 days a week to 0 days a week. Nobody needs them.

[memebag]

USPS should reduce from 6 days a week to 0 days a week. Nobody needs them.

Who's going to bring me Netflix DVDs?

[kylejack]

Who's going to bring me Netflix DVDs?

The internets? And a video card that does TV-out?

[memebag]

The internets? And a video card that does TV-out?

I've got Watch Instantly on my Xbox. I'm talking about the DVDs. Until all the same movies on DVD are on Watch Instantly, I need someone to bring me DVDs.

[BryanS]

I've got Watch Instantly on my Xbox. I'm talking about the DVDs. Until all the same movies on DVD are on Watch Instantly, I need someone to bring me DVDs.

I heard that for $9.99/month... you will be able to order NetFlix movies - unlimited movies - that you can download to your Laptop/TiVO. They are now making TVs that have "direct NetFlix" connectivity, coming out in the Spring. Basically, it will be like comcast/satellite movies on demand... except you can pick from 12,000 movies.

You do not need the post office anymore.

BlockBuster... it was nice knowing you. Game over.

[RedScare]

USPS should reduce from 6 days a week to 0 days a week. Nobody needs them.

Yes, because if BryanS doesn't need the USPS, no one else does.

[Montrose1100]

I don't see what the big deal is. Corporations usually have great discounts & accounts with fed ex, ups, dhl, etc. I only check the mail 3 days a week... if I remember.

[Jeebus]

Here's a question of ignorance.. Is the USPS still a government owned business, or was it privatized back in the 90's?

[kylejack]

Here's a question of ignorance.. Is the USPS still a government owned business, or was it privatized back in the 90's?

It claims to be a revenue-neutral separate entity that doesn't cost the taxpayers any money, yet allocations keep showing up for it in the government's budget.

[musicman]

they lost 2.8 billion last yr

[musicman]

Here's a question of ignorance.. Is the USPS still a government owned business, or was it privatized back in the 90's?

still govt. internally many there are hearing by 2013 the mgmt wants all civil servants gone.

[memebag]

I heard that for $9.99/month... you will be able to order NetFlix movies - unlimited movies - that you can download to your Laptop/TiVO. They are now making TVs that have "direct NetFlix" connectivity, coming out in the Spring. Basically, it will be like comcast/satellite movies on demand... except you can pick from 12,000 movies.

You do not need the post office anymore.

BlockBuster... it was nice knowing you. Game over.

Read my post again. Netflix claims 100,000 DVDs for rental, but only 12,000 movies to stream or download. I've got an Xbox that can play them on my big TV (it's very sweet), but the selection is still very limited. Until there are 100,000 movies on "Watch Instantly", I have to have at least 6 days of delivery. Seven would be better.

[crunchtastic]

Read my post again. Netflix claims 100,000 DVDs for rental, but only 12,000 movies to stream or download. I've got an Xbox that can play them on my big TV (it's very sweet), but the selection is still very limited. Until there are 100,000 movies on "Watch Instantly", I have to have at least 6 days of delivery. Seven would be better.

You would know this: what's the movie system that all the MTV Cribs types have for their media rooms? It's some server-based thing but crazy expensive. Like a private PPV feed that costs 20 grand.

[memebag]

You would know this: what's the movie system that all the MTV Cribs types have for their media rooms? It's some server-based thing but crazy expensive. Like a private PPV feed that costs 20 grand.

I don't watch Cribs, but there are a bunch of different ones out there. They're marketed to people who can't figure out what to do with all of their money. Imerge, Niveus and Crestron are some of the brands. I can do what they do, but for about $600.

[tanith27]

I love my xbox. Even wirelessly, its streams the movies with surprising clarity.

Now back to the subject on hand:

I remember watching new neighborhoods being built growing up in Canada, and many of them had outside postal boxes in some central area where residents would stop off at and pick up their mail as they entered the neighborhood. This allowed the postal workers to stand in one place and deliver the mail to a whole neighborhood at one time without the time spent walking to each and every home. The residents could stop their car and get the mail on their way home, or more often than not, just walk to the boxes after work with Fido and pick up the mail.

The concept is similar to an apartment mail system but for whole neighborhoods.

Is that done down here to any capacity (besides apartments)? Having a system like this wouldn't bother me at all, and I bet they could deliver 7 days a week and have costs that would be less than what is currently proposed.

I fathom there would be many who would be upset at something like this, either out of laziness or preconceived belief that all mail MUST be delivered to each persons door, but it would address many of the concerns out there right now....

[houstonmacbro]

I love my xbox. Even wirelessly, its streams the movies with surprising clarity.

Now back to the subject on hand:

I remember watching new neighborhoods being built growing up in Canada, and many of them had outside postal boxes in some central area where residents would stop off at and pick up their mail as they entered the neighborhood. This allowed the postal workers to stand in one place and deliver the mail to a whole neighborhood at one time without the time spent walking to each and every home. The residents could stop their car and get the mail on their way home, or more often than not, just walk to the boxes after work with Fido and pick up the mail.

The concept is similar to an apartment mail system but for whole neighborhoods.

Is that done down here to any capacity (besides apartments)? Having a system like this wouldn't bother me at all, and I bet they could deliver 7 days a week and have costs that would be less than what is currently proposed.

I fathom there would be many who would be upset at something like this, either out of laziness or preconceived belief that all mail MUST be delivered to each persons door, but it would address many of the concerns out there right now....

My neighborhood (Ella Crossing) has a system like this. We do not have individual post boxes at the house, but rather a central (actually 4) pickup and delivery mail stops in the neighborhood.

[20thStDad]

I love my xbox. Even wirelessly, its streams the movies with surprising clarity.

Now back to the subject on hand:

I remember watching new neighborhoods being built growing up in Canada, and many of them had outside postal boxes in some central area where residents would stop off at and pick up their mail as they entered the neighborhood. This allowed the postal workers to stand in one place and deliver the mail to a whole neighborhood at one time without the time spent walking to each and every home. The residents could stop their car and get the mail on their way home, or more often than not, just walk to the boxes after work with Fido and pick up the mail.

The concept is similar to an apartment mail system but for whole neighborhoods.

Is that done down here to any capacity (besides apartments)? Having a system like this wouldn't bother me at all, and I bet they could deliver 7 days a week and have costs that would be less than what is currently proposed.

I fathom there would be many who would be upset at something like this, either out of laziness or preconceived belief that all mail MUST be delivered to each persons door, but it would address many of the concerns out there right now....

I think this is becoming more common. Our block has 10 houses built in 2004, and at first they each had a mailbox on the gate. I think it was only a couple of months until they put in a central box, which I like better because it's more waterproof and it's locked. Oh, and it's right on the street in front of our house. It's also big enough that when we go on vacation we don't have to make special arrangements, it's easily held 2 weeks worth of mail.

[marmer]

My neighborhood has always been like that. (Pearland, built 1990) I think many suburbs, especially less expensive ones, are like that.

Still, we get other peoples' mail all the time. Usually similar addresses or similar names. It doesnt help that most of the streets in my hood are called Spring (Something) and all the addresses are either 3900's or 4000's.

[Fringe]

I used to have friends that worked for the USPS. Unless things have drastically changed in the last few years I can tell you the USPS is one of the most inefficient, poorly run organizations in the world. This would be a good time for them to clean up their act except their upper management is most of the problem to begin with. So I don't hold out much hope for them.

In today's paper they say they're going to close some of the post offices. Welcome to even longer lines.

[editor]

I wish congress would just finish the process of deregulating postal services and let the private sector sort it out.

They already started when the United States Post Office became the United States Postal Service.

Now they have to repeal all those laws that prevent FedEx, UPS, and the other package carriers from legally carrying regular mail.

I can think of a few ways that private companies would be able to provide superior services at reduced cost.

By way of comparison -- in Japan, the mail gets delivered three or four times a day, even in rural areas. You can mail a letter to your neighbor in the morning and he'll get it in the afternoon. The reason is because the Japanese Post Office is swimming in money because people use it like a bank. I've seen lists where it is considered the world's largest bank, even though it's not officially a "bank." Not that it would ever happen here, but it's just interesting.