How much do you rely on the U.S. postal service?
(PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The post office is in big trouble, and today the United States Postal Service announced it's planning to close nearly 3,700 post offices in 50 states and in Washington. The closings will occur mostly in rural areas and involve outlets that don't get a lot of foot traffic. The closings would save $200 million.
The move shouldn't come as a surprise. The postal system has been bleeding cash for years. The volume of first-class mail has dropped 28% in the past four years as more Americans send e-mails and pay their bills online. Last year, the U.S. Postal Service had an $8.5 billion loss, that's compared with a loss of just $3.8 billion in 2009. Things aren't looking any brighter this year. Last quarter, the U.S. Postal Service lost $2.2 billion.
But many people in the communities set to lose their post offices are up in arms. The postal service says "village post office" kiosks will be created in grocery and convenience stores in the next year to fill the voids in these towns. You'd be able to buy stamps and mail packages there. And that may be the future of post offices. The postal service plans to review half of its existing 32,000 post offices over the next 10 years for possible closure just to stay afloat.
Legislation proposed in Congress could provide more help to the ailing agency. It would relieve the agency of paying into a retirement fund for future retirees' health benefits, and it would reduce mail delivery to five days from six. That would save an additional $3 billion annually. But that still may not be enough.
Here’s my question to you: How much do you rely on the U.S. postal service?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
Apart from the Executive, the Post Office is head and shoulders over any other government entity.
yes we do we are rural mo and we use po to get our mail as there is no home delivery,if they close our po we may have dirve 10 to 15 miles to pick up our mail
jim avilla mo
10 years ago i would have said a great deal. I pay all bills via the internet, try not to buy stamps unless necessary. If i send packages its UPS or FedEx. I would think closing one in ten postoffices is a great idea and eliminate Saturday delivery as well. How much does that save us? Otherwise we just cut programs that the rest of us rely on.
The postoffice goes the way of having land lines, electric typewriters and honest politicians.
Jack, I rely on the postal service to keep my mailbox full of junk mail. How did I become so popular? If the post office charged the same for junk mail as they do legitimate mail then the post office could pay off the national debt. We could get by with a whole lot less post office!
what , to gurantee that the bills make it so i can get evicted by the feudal landlord? not to much. but, when my food stamps are needed becuz i am homeless, they still want a adress .
A lot. I don't have a computer. I have friends who live in rural areas and depend on their mail delivery. I would not need a Saturday delivery and I would be happy with delivery 3 days a week HOWEVER I still need a mail delivery as does anyone who lives in the country and doesn't have easy access to a post office station.
Jack, I rely on the Postal Service every bit as much as I rely on those politicians who promise to lower my taxes, increase my income and get some hottie for me to date.
I rely on them every bit as much as a Cubs fan relies on that team to be in the World Series.
I rely on them like I rely on televangelists.
Oh ye of little faith.
Keep the faith Jack!
John P. Slevin
Sacramento, CA.
I certainly don't rely on the U.S. Postal Service on Saturdays. If Saturday deliveries were canceled I would have two days a week I wouldn't have to waste time going through all the junk I get in the mail.
I went to the post office once to buy some "forever" stamps. After standing in line for very long time, it dawned on me why they call those stamps "forever" stamps....it takes you forever to get them.
I rely on the Postal Service for delivery of merchandise my familiy orders online, including medicine. I also rely on the Postal Service to deliver birthday cards and cards for other special events in our lives. Last, but not least, I rely on the Postal Service to deliver bills that I pay by mail.
Unfortunately my family relies heavily on the United States Postal Service. My father has been working for the Postal Service for nearly 30 years, and if the offices close, the financial pillar of my family will crumble, not to mention the other families that rely on the postal service to help them make ends meet.
I am 23 years old, and have been told since I was little that the Post Office was a steady job. However, this proposal shakes my faith in the economy and the United State's ability to pull ourselves out of the rut we have found ourselves in.
Jack,
I teach business management. My top two rules ... stay liquid ... stay relevant! The USPS has been struggling with both for quite some time.
Rick,
Medina, OH
I receive prescriptions in the mail and a couple of bills which I also get delivered by e-mail along with the occasional card, and of course bills from the attorney.
Not very much, but it sounds like they could be run profitably if Congress would just keep its hands off it.
Congress makes them prepay medical expenses for retirees, unlike every other government agency or private company. And they make them keep unprofitable post offices open in remote areas that have few customers.
The Post Office is totally self-funded from postage and doesn't get any government money. It would be good if they could make their own business decisions without Congress interfering.
I do not. Somehow my mail ends up the neighbours' boxes, and I end up with mountains of junk mail. I've complained to the PO on numerous ocassions, but the problem persists, therefore; I've given up. I believe that as a result my children and I have had our IDs stolen. My son gets bills for credit cards he does not have, and one time I couldn't get my refund cheque because someone had claimed me as a dependant.
Houston, TX
I use the post office 6 days out of 7. Besides renting a box for mail, I often ship packages from Internet sales. I can't imagine not having the post office. They provide wonderful service for a fair price. Is it necessary everything turn a huge profit?
Not much at all Jack. I have a substitute mailman that I don't think can read. He is aways putting mail in the wrong boxes. My wife medication that she relies on was delivered two streets away to an address that wasn't even close to ours. Thank goodness the people there brought it down to us.
Not as much as I used to. I'm getting less and less mail delivered to me plus I do not send out much mail either. I do use it for package delivery if at all possible (my older brother is a postal employee and I'm loyal – plus it's more handy to get to than UPS or Fed Ex where I live).
Jack: I rely on the US Postal Service much more than most people in this country. I do not bank electronically, and I do not use my cpmputer to pay my bills. I trust the USPS for delivery and receiving of my important doucuments for me. I let my bank accept direct deposits, but I do not pay money out of my accounts by direct withdrawal. I have seen how computers can be hacked into, and I would rather trust the postal service.
A reasonable amount.
They are still reliable for small packages, have a good system for that, etc. I still mail a couple of bills, every month, that I can't pay any other way, but by check.
Obviously though, the main use of the PO is for JUNK MAIL! The PO subsidizes the rates on JUNK mail, and tries to make up the difference on 1st class, which no longer works, because even bills are often paid by bulk mail rates with return envelopes.
The only solution for the PO, is to charge what it really costs, to send JUNK and BULK mail. Why they don't do that, is beyond me. Surely they know, that 1st class will never support the junk and bulk mail, again?
I rely on the U.S.Postal Service quite a bit. I pay my bills by mail opposed to Internet Banking and as I live in the country I do a lot of mail order shopping. I would miss them if they were gone and there is no reason that they should go under if they would lose the federal service mentality. The Postal Service needs to address, waste, wages, benefits and healthcare in a reasonable manner.
Gerry
Ash Fork, Az.
To be honest Jack not much. I get the occasional holiday package but even those can be delivered by UPS or Fed Ex. Other then junk mail i see very little benefit to the service. If it were gone completely tomorrow i would not miss It. It has long outlived its usefulness and has become far too expensive to keep around.
Very funny, Jack, rely on the Postal Service. Next thing you know, you're going to ask us how often we ride a horse to work. You're such a kidder, Jack.
We must have a post office, even as in many places in Europe is cannot be run at a profit, we must have it.
Perhaps we need to allow them to provide other services to bolster their revenue.
Call me old fashioned, but I still receive and pay my bills via the mail. I don't trust these new-fangled systems enough to put my money in the clouds. I may be a Luddite, but I was informed that my personal information may have been disclosed when the Veterans Administration laptops went missing and when the federal jobs website was hacked. Luckily for me all I ended up with were two free credit reports. Whew!
I just don't rely on Postal Service at all. They have not even tried to keep up with America's changing communication methods.
I rely on it from time to time, But the Postal Service PAYS FOR ITSELF, so leave it alone. It creates jobs and provides a service that people use.
Funny you should ask this question today. My wife just received a birthday card today from our daughter in Austin, Texas that was postmarked July 2. Why should it take 24 days to travel from there to here when we can make the drive in four days?
Not much. Modern technology allows you to do qickly what you couldn't do except by mail before. Unfortunately, the legal process requries reliance on the same for everyday Americans. If the USPS would end our junk mail, we'd be just fine without all that paper.
Alot. The PO is still very important.
For all the continuous bad rap the postal service gets from everywhere, they realistically do a very good job but are hampered by one main reality.
They are run by the U.S.federal government; the most inefficient, wasteful, and ineffective entity ever devised by mankind.
They try to do their daily job with one hand tied behind their backs.
Impossible.
I personally depend on them for numerous monthly mailings and deliveries.
I actually feel sorry for them.
I use the Post Office only when I can't use the Internet which is seldom and the only purpose the Post Office will have available in the future is package delivery which they will share with UPS & FedEx.
Today's paper mail is the same as the Pony Express was when the Telegraph was invented. The rebellious Pony Express would ride across the prairie tearing down Telegraph lines so the could keep their jobs, but technology won out and this will occur again with email.
The Post Office's days as Letter Carriers is limited and unless the Post Office can offer some type of Certified Email and maintain their Package Delivery, then the Post Office will be phased out of business over the next 10 to 20 years.
Many senior citizens who are computer illiterate depend greatly upon the US Postal Service. All of my banking and bill payments are being done electronically, so I could do without the "junk mail," but if it keeps someone employed like my son-in-law I am all for it.
Quite a bit. Safer that electronic transfer. Howevr, it is becoming obsolete – needs to explore new mehods to reduce time..
We rely on the U. S. postal service alot. Time to re-evaluate that.
Jack,
I rely on the USPS for bill paying and occasional letters. I guess I could go fully electronic and do without the mailman, but the truth is I enjoy picking up the mail and looking at what surprises have come my way.
Jim
Reno, Nevada
I do–I also like getting mail tho it is far infrequent now days because of Internet. So I want to keep it please. Of course sounds like it is going away since they won't even teach writing in schools anymore. 'X' marks the spot where my name should go.
tampa, fl who else would fill my mailbox with junkmail?
I don't.....
I rely too much on the Post Office for critical business.
I rely on the Post Office to receive payment due notices as well as mailing the payments to these businesses or governments.
I mail my federal and state taxes.
I receive my driver's license through the mail.
I receive payment due notices through the mail.
I pay my monthy health insurance payment by mail.
Payments to utilities, city's services, telephone, cable, etc. electronically take their payments from our account. I am not certain if this reduces our exposure.
After experiencing Identity Theft, we got a Post Office Box which supposedly reduces our exposure. It does have its negatives.
I am not satisfied with any ot the above. Once you have experienced crime, you become more paranoid, less trusting, more cynical, and a little more harsh when you serve on the grand jury or a petite jury. Politically, you will experience a shift to the right. I guarantee it.
Once you have experienced a crime, you are more than willing to give up freedom for more security. No doubt about it.
For the most part, I welcome Homeland Security measures. If spying on me may help catch these criminals, then I welcome increased spying on myself.
They deliver my mail?
Jack i can instantly send email on my computer anywhere in the world with no fees for stamps or envelopes. I can bank on line and pay bills the same way. Other then the occasional wave to my postman i don't interact with him because he is obsolete. Well other then junk mail. That has become the postal services biggest customer. I think they need to close about half the postal stations they have and put smaller Kiosks in shopping areas for those that still want to use snail mail.
I like receiving my bills through the mail. I pay my bills online and also receive some of them through e-mail. But if my Internet Service goes down I still have the means of paying my bills through the mail. I also receive a lot of packages through the mail that are a lot less costly then using other methods.
I don't use it as much as I used to, but it's like all the great book stores and music stores that have gone under since Amazon on-line put them out of business. I sure miss them now that they're gone.
I don't, Jack, but my creditors sure do.
My wife and I were in Naple Flordia last month ,she bough more than we could carry on the airplane,well the airlines now charge big bucks for any extra luggage ; so we went to the local postal office.
We could eliminate the Postal Service and Congress and balance the books in less than two years, they are both a huge waste of money and only create fear.
Jack,
I'm guessing you're asking this in light of the report that the U.S. Postal Service is considering closing about 3,600 offices. Seeing as I rely on our local Post Office quite a bit, I'd hate to see it closed. I wouldn't be surprised if the people that live in the townI do, said the same thing.
Yes I do. I put my letters out in my mailbox daily and buy my stamps at the local postoffice and will miss it if I have to travel elsewhere to mail packages and stuff. But no one cares anymore.
I rely on the postal service to bring junk mail and bills.
The one thing I know I can count on is them bringing my tax bill on time every year.It's a marvel!!!!
Without the postal service, how would I pay my bills? I don't trust the computer.
I don't rely on the postal service anymore than I have to. When they waited over two weeks to deliver my monthly bills and cost me a bundle in late fees, I started paying bills online. When I had a $300 package lost in the mail and could not get a refund from the seller, I started using UPS and Fed-Ex. The postal service is a big fat joke.
About as much as I rely on the lottery.
About as much as I rely on my land line. Junk calls and junk mail is pretty much all there is on the phone or in the mailbox. Two more dinosaur sectors, one private the other public. More jobs that'll never return.
Carol in Northampton, MA
Not nearly as much as I once did. Their constant cries for raises and rate increases have soured me on them and I shop on the internet a lot and carry my bills to the places of business rather than use them when I can. It has to stop somewhere and they have to learn that.
Not at all. Between email, social networking, paperless billing and online bill pay, I'd be surprised how many homes actually use the post office all that much anymore. I think I only check my mail once every two weeks, and 99% of items in there are junk mail anyways, I could do without the Post Office entirely.
Jack, if the USPS closed tomorrow I would only miss the junk mail that I use to fire up my grill.
Who would ever rely on a postal service? They are a bunch of greedy, union driven service providers that don't give a hoot about the people they serve. You need only look at the success of companies like UPS or Federal Express to see just how bad the service the Postal services provide actually are.
I rely fairly heavily on it jack. It would be solvent if they would leave it alone. I have a couple of friends that work for it they tell me that the problem that the p.o. has is that they keep borrowing money from it. If you check the other services they are twice as much. There is one major company a sweepstakes co. that is behind the bid to privatise. I say leave it alone.
enough that delivery 5 days or less a week would be more than sufficient for this entity that cannot break even. it is a sinking ship.
the postal service is very important to our country but it is not run like a business which it is , A major over haul of the postal system on its operation cost plus make it competitive with the competition.
Jack,
At present most of my important mail comes by e-mail, or I download it from the Internet. I would estimate I am 15% dependent on the US Mail. If property tax and medical paperwork went by email, which they could, I would be down to 5%.
Carl from Pahrump, Nv
The USPS will take an envelope from me, send it across the continent, and hand deliver it in a few days for 44 cents. Wow. We joke about the post office, but I depend on them and they are pretty close to perfect. They have a better service record than almost anyone else I ever deal with.
Albany, Georgia
Jack, one of the things I do for a living is sell books online and that side business of mine is totally reliant on the USPS, their "media mail" rate is the cheapest way to go. Also, I'm not comfortable with paying bills online, so I use the USPS for that too and I have no outstanding bills. For the record, my postwoman Robin once told me I'm cute and trust me, I probably hear that less than you.
Although I can transact practically all business online, some federal and state agencies are required to physically mail me certain documents. For those, I need the postal service. Also I prefer to receive important bills in the mail so I have the option of paying by check in case my computer dies or I lose my internet service. Technology is a wonderful thing but when it fails, it's good old-fashioned paper that saves the day and for that...neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor dark of night should keep the postman from his appointed rounds.
About once a week or less. Direct depositing has eliminated watching the box for a check, so it seems they could cut deliveries substantially. The downside is we'll need a bigger box to hold all the backed up junk mail...and once their lobby gets told they have to pay standard rates, maybe, that nuisance will cut back too.
I rely on the postal service for bills, delivery back and forth, periodicals, and secure service. UPS is a block away, and I receive packages through them. Fed X doesn't even know where I live. I am very satisfied with the postal service.
Not much. I get my bill via email and I pay the same way. The USPS has burned me a few times on delayed deliveries and I had to pay late fees. Email is direct and I get immediate confirmation
Jack,
Our mailman barely works now! He takes a lot of time off so we get anyone who is done with their route first to deliver our mail, that means getting it around 5 or so. On Saturdays, we never get our mail earlier than 4:00pm, and it is usually a couple of letters anyway. I don't see the problem with eliminating Saturday service as long as it saves money!
Jack, I still pay my bills the old fashioned way....with an envelope and a stamp. I don't trust the internet and all the hackers out there to do my banking or bill paying on-line.....and besides I like stamps!
I have always depended on the Postal Service to send and deliver my mail efficiently and promptly. They have never lost a piece of mail or failed to deliver every day. Republicans trash the Postal Service because they would like to give it over to big business so they could give themselves millions in bonuses. Instead of forty five cents to mail a letter we could then pay a couple of dollars if we are lucky. Obviously we do a lot of bill paying online and emailing so the Postal Service has lost a lot of business and does not make as much money as they need.
Frances
Escondido, CA
I rely on them sending me bills and credit cards I don't want, other than that, I don't think I need them. The postal service does have one thing to thier credit though, they created the term "going postal". I think it's actually in the dictionary isn't it?
Twice a week would be fine with me !
Not much, Jack. But is still fun to use these excuse that the check is in the mail. Once something is in the governments hands, all bets are off.
How else would I get my delivery of Kauai coffee every month or so except by USPS?
The US mail is an important part of everyday life. If the Tea Party has their way, it will be gone just like the Pony express.
About as much as I rely on a typewriter.
I rely on the Post Office quite a bit. I don't pay my bills online, so I rely on the postal service to mail my statements to me every month.
Jack,
I'm guessing you're asking this in light of the report that the U.S. Postal Service is considering closing about 3,600 offices. Seeing as I rely on our local Post Office quite a bit, I'd hate to see it closed. I wouldn't be surprised if the people that live in the town I do, said the same thing.
Jack.. My wife and I rely on the post office to mail out all our bills. We do not trust Internet banking and never will. There is just too much of a risk associated with clicking "send" on the computer. We feel much more comfortable with paper invoices, paper receipts, and paper checks; all things we can physically touch with our bare hands.
I don't rely on postal services any longer. I get all my bills electronically, send things electronically and have no need for the postal service.
The postal service could benefit by cutting its' ties to the US government oversight and compete head to head with UPS and Fedex. 1st class mail should only be delivered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Priority and Overnight USPS being delivered on a M-F schedule only.
The USPS has outlived the 1st, 2nd and 3rd class delivery services.
I used to do mail order and was almost completely dependent on it. I buy a lot from ebay now and most goods come via the Post Office. I like it and am willing to pay much more for postage (80 cents an ounce). It just needs to get prices and costs in line with reality.
I actually depend on the postal service a lot and i'm a student. Plus, my school sends stuff by mail... so i tend to depend on it. I really hope the postal service doesn't shut down.
I consider myself quite computer savey, but I don't trust using my account numbers, etc on sites where I would pay bills. (Look at the rate of hacking these days) Therefore, I still rely heavily on the postal service in my area.
It's not called "snail mail" for nothing. USPS is antiquated and either needs to change in response to the changes in technologies or go out of business. Unfortunately, the communities that are being affected by these proposed closings probably need the services of the USPS more than those of us in metropolitan areas. However, I'm sure the cost of keeping these facilities open far outweighs the usage by the patrons.
Gee – gimme a break, Jack! I use the Post Office and I rely on their service ... not all of us live in NYC and believe it or not, there are lots of folks in this country who do not have access to the "technology" to which you refer.
The Post Office provides a vital service, and the implication that it is not needed is ludicrous. You can't email parcel post, and the demise of printed materials (books, magazines and newspapers) is greatly overstated. And many small businesses don't have the capability of getting payments by mail, while many citizens don't trust electronic commerce.
Oologah, Okla. (Birthplace of Will Rogers)
We depend on the postal Service to deliver our bills. We don't trust paying bills online.If you put a lot of information on computer ,you are asking for trouble....
Rudy P.
Roanoke, VA
Jack,
As retired person if I could get AARP tp stop sending me solitions I wouldn't need the USPS at all.
I run a small home business. Without First class mail and Priority mail, my shipping expenses would triple. My profit margin is slim enough already. If several thousand dollars went to UPS and Fedex instead of into my bank account, I'd be out of business soon enough.
We easily could function with mail delivery 2-3 times per week. So no, there is no reliance on the US mail system.
I don't rely on the post office at all. It's an antiquated communication channel. END IT. All my bills, payments and communications are done via electronic mediums. If you need to have something delivered to you there are other ways.
I buy online and many places still use the Post Office because it's cheaper. However, after the pronouncement by the Postmaster General that the price of stamps will go up again soon; Saturday deliveries will be a thing of the past; and that sometime in the near future deliveries will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays only, why bother? I feel sorry for the lower level postal employees who actually work with the public and deliver the mail. They work hard and have to deal with a lot of nonsense. But as far as the top bureaucrats go, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, they can all go fly a kite.
I cannot remember the last time I mailed ANYTHING. I pay all my bills online. My Father works for the USPS as a mail carrier. Hopefully his PO is not on the chopping block! I remember when stamps were 19 cents!
Kevin Maloney from New York
The Post Office AND National Debt... here we sit looking for places to make cuts. We could save BILLIONS if we cut delivery from 6 days to 3. No one needs mail six days a week. Most of it is junk mail anyway. Deliver mail Mon, Wed, and Fri, and we'd cut expenses by more that half of what it cost to run the post office now. (payroll, fuel, overtime, etc) Thats a great place to start budegt cutting.
Jack, your question would proably be better answered if qualfied by age of respondents. I'm 75 and rely upon the postal service almost 100% of the time. Those of younger years would, no doubt, be inclined to use other, more recent, communication techniques. It's kinda like newspapers going out of business for the same reason,. Or the retail marketing industry describing "bricks and motor" outlets obsolete versus "on-line" selling. Personally, I like my long time postal delivery lady because she's conscientious and dedicated.
Gary in Scottsdale, Arizona
I use the post office quite a bit. I love Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes. It's convenient and quick. They will even pick up at my house. I also have a PO Box for my business – I feel it protects the privacy of my home address. They have these neat machines where I can buy stamps, mail a package using my debit card. Our post office is amazingly busy, so others must think so, too.
I use the post office about three times a month. I use it purely for packages sent out to troops. As a military wife, it is very important to me to have a post office close and available, although I think it is all about placement. Many post offices are not frequented because of poor placement, however, the one on post is ALWAYS packed!
Well the postal service is good for some things today like, buying something online or sending a letter to a friend or family member that does not rely on todays technology to much. The point is we still use just not as much.
Now that I am boycotting Email and most movies, I use the mail service more than ever. I get more satisfaction from holding a written letter from my sister, than I do seeing it on a screen. Movies are a waste of time too , Call me a Cave Man ...
Jack, you should know better. People who truly RELY on the U.S. postal service can't go to CNN.com (or any other dot com) to let you know they rely on it. Silly man.
From Midland (a small town outside Charlotte) NC.
Won't this become a self-fulfilling prophecy? That is, as cuts and drawbacks are made, people will use the postal system less. I think the postal service abdicated its market years ago when it let the DOD develop the Internet (ARPANET) then let it go off on its own for free. Any business manager who bases the future of his/her business on the assumption that things will never change is doomed to fail. They should always have their eyes on the future and be ready to respond. USPS was asleep at the wheel.
I don't rely on it at all. But I think its necessary to keep.
As an educator and a homeowner, I could get by with 2-3 days of postal service per week. You are correct in your analogy that the Postal Service is like the rotary phone. However, I know this action would cut many jobs and I do not like that.
i see no reason to have mail deliverty more than once a week, maybe twice.
As the retired son of a letter carrier that walked his route from 1948 to 1976, I hate to see it go, but like most others, I pay bills online and send e-cards, too. It still brings store ads and occasional packages, but that's about it. I recently moved back to Flint from California, so I don't send the kids cards with money anymore, I deliverer the gifts in person. The last one to go was Blue Cross. They are now an email bill and an online payment. No more checks to write.
All the postal service needs to do to save a bunch of money is to cut management at least 50%. The way you do that is to require management to submit to drug testing. At least half of them will not pass.These people have to be on drugs,just look at what they have done.
Somebody – anybody – tell me why mail delivery can't be an every other day option. Monday – Wednesday – Friday for some folks, Tuesday – Thursday – Saturday for others. Clearly I don't need junk mail every day of the week.
Snail Mail is dead. Anything I ship is sent via UPS anyways. Scan and Email save a tree!
I depend on the Post Office VERY much. I work for a sub-contractor to the post office, moving mail around the country. It's my livelihood. It keeps me gainfully employed and OFF the "Government Dole".
Jack, ever both of my parents have worked for the post office, and they both agree that it should be moved from six days to five. They say the majority of its business is from businesses that only operate on weekdays. I personally rely on the post office quite a bit, since you can get things (such as college textbooks) so much cheaper from the internet. My mother (who has multiple sclerosis) gets her medication delivered to her. Even though it may be inconvenient, I think it's something that will have to get use to in order to make sure the post office stays.
I rely on the USPS heavily. I ship out multiple small packages every day. Granted stamps may be on the downsize but packages are up. E-commerce has increased yearly. Does the USPS think we are idiots. They do not know how to manage money and have too many entitlements
I use the Coral Gables, Florida, Post Office. I still rely a lot on the service, but it is getting worse everyday. There is a sign on the wall that says:
"...If you wait more than 5 minutes in line, call the agency´s manager and let him know... The wait is sometimes half an hour or more, but no one calls the manager (who, by the way, is not there) , and nobody takes down the sign. Blitzer would say "What´s going on?"
I'm a young 26 year old, of course I am pretty tech savvy and know how to use a computer to pay all my bills. However, older people, like my parents have no idea how to even use a computer and they are in their early 60s. If we get rid of mail for good, how are the people that do not use technology going to benefit? I think it's too soon.
Right now I am relying on the postal service a lot. The bill pay part of the website I use to make my car payment is not functioning..and they don't know when it will be. With the payment due in just a few days, they suggested I mail a check, which I will do today. Or I could phone in the payment and pay them $15 for the privilege.
I think that the kiosks in supermarkets are a great idea to replace Post Offices.
Many time, I've waited for up to forty minutes in my post office that has eight stations along the counter, while two, maybe three are manned...and the postal workers there seem not the least bit concerned that many people are waiting in line.
I've never seen a slower walking or working group of people ANYWHERE!
Let them all go...and let us use the machines. At least the kiosks don't have an attitude...
Thanks,
Michael
I rely on the USPS as about the only Government Agency that really delivers. Can you say as much for the US Congress?
Not as much as I did just a few months ago. My previously totally free checking just disappeared when my bank started charging for writing checks forcing me to go to e-banking. But WAIT FOR IT! – As soon as a massive solar storm or an asteroid shower takes out enough satellites (it's bound to happen sooner or later) everyone will be screaming to have the good old reliable post office back. Our technology is only as good as the infrastructure supporting it and Mother Nature loves to remind us from time to time that nothing we build is permanent or indestructable.
To some degree we all rely on the post office and will continue to do so until a better system is put in place. Just a few short years ago we were all wired to our desktop and now we are completely wireless. A little innovation goes a long way, but it requires us to let go of traditional models and allow the evolution to take place.
Our post office is in danger of being closed, and the next nearest is a half-hour round-trip drive from here. I'm a book publisher, and mail books almost daily. When an item weighs over 13 oz., it cannot be mailed in a mailbox - making the counter service at the post office necessary. Further, everyone's P.O. Box numbers here would become extinct. There's NO way to notify 30 years' worth of contacts and customers of a new address. All in all, this would make Evansdale, Iowa a 3rd-world community, by USA standards, and it would be disastrous to the entire city.
I have a home based Ebay business. I use the USPS for 99% of what I ship and it would cost much more money and time if it was not available.
I don't. Email, UPS, Fedex and the web take care of my communications needs. Mostly the Postal Service just delivers the unwanted advertisements and bulk mail. Perhaps if the Post Office charged the bulk mailers what their annoying mail really costs it would become solvent, or go out of business anyway.
I actually rely on the Post Office quite a bit. Even though I have email, I still send regular mail, especially thank you notes and sympathy cards. I also send packages and, as it stands, mailing through the Postal Service is still the primary way of getting materials out to meet LEGAL deadlines and delivery confirmation.
Additionally, there is an unacknowledged benefit to having a large number of civilians who move through every neighborhood in our country ALMOST EVERY DAY and can observe when something is seriously wrong. Given the anonymous lives, the "virtual" lives, that we increasingly live, the postal carrier is everyone's neighbor.
We need to think long and hard not only of the "cost" of the US Mail but also about the "priceless" dimensions of this institution that really does serve the entire nation because it is required to do so.
Personaly, not much at all. As a business person all the time, I love my privacy from mail trash so a P.O. Box is just fine by me. Mail 5 days a week is satisfactory and would help reduce paper waste, save fuel, and reduce pollution with less mail trucks running and less workers driving to the Post Office. Sound good, downsizing is OKAY
I live in a rural area, and receive all of my mail at my Post Office Box. In fact, mail is not delivered to my physical address. My Postmaster and local staff know the community and the people who live there, and they are a central part of the community. Needless to say, I rely heavily upon my local Post Office and the services they provide.
Pembroke, VA
Jack,
We would probably go out of business without the Post Office.
We have a family eBay business and the small items we sell would not be worth selling if we were forced to use any of the other MUCH more expensive shippers.
Good Question. If you mean all the junk mail, paper bills that still find their way to the mailbox, then I really don't miss it at all. Let's not forget we also have FedEx and UPS giving them competition. The better question should be "How much do need a postal service?" It's Logistics...
I can live with postal delivery of 3 days a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Most of my product ordering, bill paying and receiving my Social Security & Retirements is accomplish electronically. That is the way of the future.
The US Postal Service is still the cheapest way to send items and receive gifts. Coupons, events, personal letters hand written still mean so much to me. I rely on my P.O. Box for packages, instead of other means bring brought to my front door and dropped off for the world to help theirself to my purchase. I am sorry for the 3,700 Post Offices closing for the patrons and employees. It's a real shame. May God bless all those families who are going to be out looking for work now.
Considering that postal workers are middle class AMERICANS and pay taxes, spend money, and work hard which all benefits the American people, I say WE depend on the postal service very much. On the other hand, we could do without millionaire politicians, talk show hosts, lobbyists', billionaires, and every other so called "elite" parasites who are compensated way more than the actual value they bring to the country.
I rely on the postal service as little as possible; UPS is much more convenient for parcels.
The U.S. Postal service is an anachronism. They are operating with a business model based on the 1800’s. For starters, in today’s world, everyone including businesses could operate quite well only receiving mail delivery three days a week. Having M, W, F and Tu, Th, Sa delivery would greatly reduce the number of delivery personnel. Secondly, they should change their hours of operation. Most people are working when the Post Office is open.
With a little progressive thinking, a smaller downsized postal service could continue operating and might even be profitable.
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Hey Jack, love your blogs!
To answer your question; I depend upon the post office less and less these days. I pay all my bills on-line, so I have a very rare need to send something by snail-mail that could affect my credit. And when I need to send money, I use Western Union. I do rely upon the US Post Office to send some things Priority Mail to family and friends from time to time just to expedite their delivery but I do not depend upon the USPS like I used to. In my opinion, the US government should go much further than closing down a handful of offices; they should stop delivering mail every day of the week. Send someone around to pick up mail every day of the week, but deliveries of US mail every day is just not as important in this electronic day and age! This would save MILLIONS in fuel and personnel costs. Take those personnel and put the in the offices that remain to help with the extremely understaffed office situation!!! Thanks..
Dennis in Miami
Come on guys ! bad enough you can't fix the budget, leave the mailman alone !!
It brings me my bills and lots of junk mail – with the occassional greeting card. In other words, not much.
Jack, A LOT, A WHOLE LOT. I know, I'm a dinosaur, but I'm self-employed and most of my customers are my age(60), or older, and this is how we deal with each other. Lately I have this re-occuring dream that I'm stuck as Kevin Costner's character in "The Postman", riding around on a horse, picking up and delivering sad excuses for discourse(ah, for those days spent behind my giant Underwood in high school). Layne A. Antioch, Il.
I only rely on the post office to ship parcels. They have limitations on the automated shipping kiosks and mail boxes as a result of terrorist fears. If they were to lift those restrictions, I would have no need for the incredibly slow people who "provide" counter "service"
LIke a lot of people, I communicate with my friends and relatives mostly by email anymore. But I will continue to buy stamps from the Postal Service to mail the payment of my bills. I don't trust the electronic way of paying my bills because of all the hacking and not knowing whether a bill payment site is totally 100% secure or not.
For supermarket ads and coupons. For netflix and political mail. For bills, motorcycle and car magazines. For stuff I won on ebay. Not everything came be sent via email. Be happy the post office doesn't send letters to enlarge your member, please and promises from Nigeria, or viruses. In fact, most of the useful mail I get is still delivered the old fasioned way.
I only get my bills and a few magazines by snail mail. The rest I do by internet. Most of my mail is unwanted junk mail and this is what is costing the PO so much in workers. Mail delivery 3 times a week would be fine with me.
Jack
The vast majority of mail we recieve is unwanted advertisments and catelogs, all being sent at bulk rate, which goes into the recycle bin the minute we recieve it. Great business model...pay some one a lot of money to deliver something that cost the sender almost nothing to send and the reciever throws it away as soon as it arrives. I wonder how long the shareholders of UPS or FedEx would stand for this strategy from its management. Seems to me there is plenty of private infrastructure to deliever packages and what little real mail gets delivered these days. The Post Office is a dinosaur and should be elliminated...period.
I mail packages from the PO, gossip with my neighbors at the PO, buy stamps at the PO, lots of things ! A part of rural America that is very important to me and many Americans
Decreasingly so, but a shift to agency arrangements would not be a bad thing. Most of the rest of the world has already moved to a hybrid system that integrates small business operators in agencies. They have greater incentive to increase volumes and make a buck. I have seen this work very successfully in parts of Europe and in Australia, for example.
Canada Post switched to private outlets, private individual contractors to deliver the mail and group mail boxes for rural areas and new subdivisions about 20 years ago. Since about the 3rd year after doing this they went from bright red to black and have been there ever since. My only problem with this is that the black is not being returned to the public. Stamps and postage keeps going up.
Not so much for monthly bills but very much so for Express Mail and packages. I could live with Monday- Wednesday-Friday delivery as long as a six day Express Mail option remained available.
Yes indeed, when lightening hit everything failed. No phone, no email, no transportation, isolated in the country. The only way I had was to send USPS mail to get help.
Everything fails, except my Postman, who else would ask if I need help when the mail box doen't get checked.
Create a special stamp for them, I'd pay more if it means keeping the security of a real live person; they are a life line for uncounted numbers of Americans.
As a 23 year letter carrier I have proposed 2 ideas to save the post office.1 All postal workers be paid a salary instead of hourly rate.No where on my pay stub will you find my hourly rate only my yearly salary.2 All delivery needs to be curbside and cluster box delivery.Going to 5 day delivery will cost 30,000 jobs my proposals keeps 6 day delivery
NOT AT ALL. I bought $100 worth of forever stamps a few years ago and have only used about 5 of them; I pay all of my bills online; I communicate with friends and loved one's via cell phone, email and the social media. Most of what I get in the mail is junk mail & advertisements and I send the majority of packages via UPS or Fed Ex. The Postal Service, unfortunately, is going the way of black & white TV and the cassette tape.
I still use the USPS for a few things but I see no reason why delivery to residential customers, at least, could not be cut to 3 days a week (Mon., Wed., Fri.). I rarely visit a post office since one can order stamps and I rarely send packages. If the post offices in small towns are closed, would the post office start delivering mail to the residents? My experience has been that people living in small town had to either have a post office box or rely on general delivery because there is no house to house delivery unless you were outside the village and therefore considerd "rural". I also think they could save manpower by requiring suburban customers to have mail boxes at the curb instead of the letter carriers having to walk up to each house.
Rain, sleet, snow, or hail didn't stop the internet to deliver the email. Far as budget cuts from the US Government is concerned, cut the services as we also have the UPS and FedEx which is to say a better Fed than the Federal Government.
I am one that still writes letters so I use the p.o. quite often. Call me a Luddite but I think the new social networks as well as email are doing tremendous damage to our society. The p.o.'s problems are indicative of that.
Like most of my peers, I use email for many things. Although I do not pay bills online for security reasons, I can appreciate why people do. My major concern with both online bill paying and having PO kiosks for mailing is the move toward a cashless society. If those machines they propose take cash, that's one thing. If they don't that's quite another. I still reserve the right to pull out my wallet and plop down a good ol' American greenback – regardless of with it is worth.
i totally rely on the postal system. i can't seem to get people to understand, but, every since the presidential campaign , i have been forced off the internet , by use of a computer. i now use an i-phone, that is being monitored and manipulated. i can barely depend on it for emails- especially to government agencies. i cannot get thru to agencies for help- they probably think i am crazy. i promise you that tho i consider myself a peon, i know when i have had around 5,000.00 in computers and technology items, ruined... i have to have the use of a postal office!!!
When you work for the USPS you rely on it 100% and we certainly don't want to add postal workers to the unemployment line....btw, the average worker is NOT overpaid Jack!
We are sick and tired of the P.O. subsidizing parcel post so they can undercut UPS and other pkg. companies. This is why they are broke, so don't blame regular mail and don't cut Sat. delivery.
i rely on the post office as apposed to electric bill pay i just feel safer with the post office and i am old scgool. they are a lot better than most delivery sewrvices.
I rely on the postal service to mail my bills and send packages. Call me old-fashioned but I still write checks and put stamps on the envelope. The postal service has never let me down. Too bad I can't say the same for other services I use.
I rely very much on the postal service. I run a small home business and we do all our shipping through USPS. My suppliers all ship through USPS, too. I am also an online shop-a-holic and most of the packages I receive are shipped through USPS. Maybe I am not that savvy, but I don't understand why the USPS is in such sad shape. They have increased rates annually on every service (stamps, supplies, postal extras such as delivery confirmation) and while they may have lost business with people who pay thier bills online ...what about all the people who sell on venues such as ebay, etsy, amazon, etc. I shop and sell through these venues and I'd say atleast 80% of sellers ship via USPS.
Jack,
If they closed my post office I don't think I would miss it much! I honestly think that mail delivery 6 days a week SHOULD be a thing of the past and it's been my experience that the quality of service varies greatly based on where you live.
Still it always amazes me how a letter can be delivered door to door from the USA to any address in Europe for under a buck! That may be why their losing money, but then again guess who has to approve rate increases .... Congress? ... as if they know ANYTHING about finances!
Jack – I have watched you for sometime, but this is my first time contributing. I'm 29 years old, I practically live on my smartphone and Macbook and email, IM and text almost constantly, and I think the USPS provides a very valuable service. I think they do need to sort of undergo a modernization or revitalization. It seems like every post office I set foot into feels like going through a time warp (the Betty Boop, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley specialty stamps don't help much either!). A grungy time warp at that. They're also–at least around here in Houston–stuck in out-of-the-way places, which makes it difficult to compete against the likes of FedEx and UPS. Despite those complaints, I genuinely do appreciate the USPS and prefer them to FedEx or UPS. I also think they're starting to come around, though. In fact, I think their new "flat rate boxes" are a great idea and an indication that there are still some folks in the USPS with some snap. My biggest annoyance in shipping is always wondering how much I'm going to pay to get something there in a certain time. With USPS I can ship up to 70 lbs. for a flat rate from Texas to Massachusetts in 2 days! I also work in Law and using certified, registered mail is very important. To my knowledge, the private companies do not provide that service and courts around here certainly do not recognize it if they do.
I was disappointed at first to hear that they're closing so many locations, but then after hearing you break down the numbers, and seeing how little savings it will generate, I started to think that maybe the bulk of the savings are being re-invested to continue to modernize the USPS. All it really needs is some innovation and leadership to make the needed changes. I do believe this is the right time and we have the right President.
Jack
They deliver junk mail and bills Thats it
I use the p.o. for allmost all of my billings and charity responce.
we cant lose them to the internet or what ever, even with the
ss going to direct deposit , we must have mail service – the stamp
rates are too low compared to other countries. they need to tell people
that .
Hey jack, I have the perfect solution to this problem. Everyday I receive up to 2 to 5 credit card applications in the mail. Simply put the return envelopes back in the mailbox Either empty or with scrap paper. And let the people who created this recession help pay 4 our post offices.
The post office could stop running packages and leave that for the private sector but, compared to the rest of the mail, it's the letters and flyers that produce the biggest losses. I actually think I may be in favor of a slight tax increase to eliminate the amount of junk mail I get. On the other hand, I get so many flyers and ads and worthless mail, maybe that's why it's losing money. They could deliver the stuff I actually WANT to get one day a week and I'd be good with that.
I rely on the US Postal Service exclusively for my small business Jack. I make fine art posters and small pieces of jewelry that I sell online and then ship to the customer. In my experience commercial carriers had far more problems than my business could stand. I was constantly experiencing damage of my products during shipping and the delivery process was not efficient enough to give my business an edge. The commercial carriers are also considerably more expensive than the USPS which made a huge difference to my business. In fact the USPS policy of one price for any priority package up to 7 pounds is an outstanding service that I use all the time.
I find the slo-mo demise of the US Postal Service is a national tragedy. I feel this is just another example of a great service that benefits the common citizen and small business person being gobbled up by the insane "privatization fever." The wanton selling of these wonderful America assets only benefits the biggest corporations and businesses and will seriously harm small businesses like mine. I hope Americans wakes up before it is too late.
Jack, basic daily mail delivery is nice, but in times of 'belt tightening' I could do without it. I say, privatize the whole process, and with just a little government oversight - to have someone to turn to if something really bad happened - I would learn to rely on electronic means, and the private mail companies that deliver mail now, should I need to mail something physical (like Christmas presents).
Plano, Texas
I rely on the PO as part of the three mandates that our federal govt. Is constitutionally obligated to provide. The fact that the PO has compitetion doesn't negate the responsibility of our govt to provide it. More importantly our govt. needs to be held accountable for any short falls and mismanagement brought on by stepping outside of these very specific and narrow perimeters.
Jack its like everything in this great country, people either hate it or love it. If you hate it its bad and if you love its great. The same goes for you Jack Cafferty!!! I love the USPS.
A lot. I have ordered many packages from the US over the years and I have never had a problem with USPS service or cost. Technology may have made letter delivery obsolete, but I've yet to receive a parcel via email. If I had to pay the exorbitant costs courier companies charge, I'd stop buying from the US altogether.
Not much since I discovered how easy it is to pay utilities and rent on-line. I find it a nuisance, actually. The junk mail drives me nuts.
I rely on the Post Office a lot. I mail cards to relatives all the time and write letters because it is more personal than an e-mail. I also mail most of my bills as I don't want to see the workers losing their jobs.
PS
the fact that they deliver 6 days a week is key for a small business. The commercial carriers either do not deliver on Saturday or charge a fortune for it. The USPS does it with no extra charges. That is huge for small business person.
My post office is at my finger tips 7 days a week and 24 hours a day as needed.
I can buy a two-dollar item from China on eBay, shipping included, and it arrives in less than a week by China Post with the USPS handling the final delivery.
If I then try to mail that same item to a friend in another part of the state it costs $4.60 in postage alone. The USPS is just broken.
They've outsource all of our jobs to China anyway, maybe we should just give China Post a contract to manage the USPS.
Or, change the laws that gives the USPS a monopoly on first class mail and let's see if we get better service from UPS and Fedex.
You won't really know how much you rely on it until it's gone.
Another assault on the middle class trying to make the gap between the rich and poor even wider. It has nothing nothing to due with the government, tax payers do not pay the workers they get their money from the sell of services, This will put more people out of work. The government owes the post office money for an over payment on a retirement plan if the government pays them back maybe they wont be in bad shape and its time to raise the price of our stamps everything goes up so must stamps.
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i totally rely on the postal system. i can't seem to get people to understand, but, every since the presidential campaign , i have been forced off the internet , by use of a computer. i now use an i-phone, that is being monitored and manipulated. i can barely depend on it for emails- especially to government agencies. i cannot get thru to agencies for help- they probably think i am crazy. i promise you that tho i consider myself a peon, i know when i have had around 5,000.00 in computers and technology items, ruined... i have to have the use of a postal office!!!
With most of my correspondence handle nia the internet, "snail-mail" every 4 days will be sufficient for me.
Hey jack, I have the perfect solution to this problem. Everyday I receive up to 2 to 5 credit card applications in the mail. Simply put the return envelopes back in the mailbox Either empty or with scrap paper. And let the people who created this recession help pay 4 our post offices..
While I pay my bills online I still receive the via USPS. I do this so that I can receive and pay bills when my computer crashes and it takes awhile to get it fixed or buy a new one.
i depend on it qite a bit. unfortunately i live on a training route for new carriers and four days a week we have our regular carrier and all go well. its the other 2 days that me and all of my neighbors have to meet in the middle of the street and exchage misdelivered mail. so when its social security check time there is alot of hand wringing while waiting to see who is on duty.
I contacted my congressman and the postmaster general months
ago. A $4 Billion cost is atrocious and inexcusable. The handwriting is on the wall that with on-line banking and bill paying it will only get worse. With FedEx and UPS and overnight deliveries available,
there is no longer the need for daily residential postal service.
Make half of a postal district's residential service Monday, Wednesday and Friday and the other half Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It will
have to come to that sooner rather than later and seems to me that
the sooner the better. Why not be pro-active for a change instead of
reactive?
Five days a week is not going to cut it. Go to Monday, Wendesday, and
Friday. Lets get real.
Please change "nia" to " via"
With most of my correspondence handle nia the internet, "snail-mail" every 4 days will be sufficient for me.
I rely on it heavily because we're in a rural area. It is the safer to get our mail there and anything else that we need to get.
It really comes in good when the road that you live on has more than one family with your last name. You don't have to worry that your delicate mail will get mixed up with someone else's.
Postal who? Whats a letter?
All I get is magazines I didn't order and offers for credit cards I don't need. Postal service should cut daily delivery and revert to 3 days a week, but still make sure that when I take a letter to an office, it will at least postmark and go out.
alot of people say they dont care about recieving mail,but when you come home and find your mailbox empty,you feel just as empty wondering what happened!....Mail is just like a email,if you get none all day you feel like you just dont have a friend! even if that friend is a bill
We do rely on the postal service; however, as well paid as they are, the job doesn't always get done. Your mortgage payment doesn't always get to the mortgage company and your credit card payment arrives past the due date. Not a very good record.
Send a few birthday cards and occasionally a check. That's about it.
We get all our bills and a lot of packages via them. Would be terrible to go to a five day service. Bush put in place a one or two cent tax per stamp to go to the General Treasury. Did that ever get rescinded back to the Post Office?
I don't feel sorry for them at all. I know too many USPS employees that take advantage of the system. Especially carriers. Like milking the clocks. Maybe if the supervisors watched their employees better they could get out of debt and stop paying so much overtime. I believe they are over paid.