(The Verge) – Starting this August, mail will no longer be delivered on Saturdays. The change, announced by The U.S. Postal Service earlier this week, is being made in an attempt to decrease the growing deficit with which the agency has been struggling for quite some time now. According to reports made by The Wall Street Journal, in its most recent fiscal year the USPS suffered losses of 15.9 billion dollars. Now, the new 5-day delivery schedule is in place, the agency expects to reduce this number by about $2 billion per year. The Postal Service verified that the new policy regarding delivery would not apply to packages. Packages will continue to follow the same 6-day delivery schedule as they have in the past and post offices will still remain open for business on Saturdays. Therefore, only the delivery of mail itself will be affected.
The public hasn’t contributed a negative response to news of this change. In fact, many seem not to have any strong feelings toward the matter at all. If we are to take a look at the way our society as a whole communicates, this does not come as a surprising concept. As members of our fast-paced and technology-driven society, a majority of people today rely primarily, if not solely, on electronic means of communication. When it comes to interacting with one another, many seem satisfied depending simply on the use of cell phones, e-mail, Facebook, and other forms of social media to communicate. In fact, with the ability to pay bills, balance checking accounts, and manage several other aspects of one’s personal and professional life online, many people could most-likely go weeks without physically checking their mail, perhaps even forgo checking it all-together!
As with any issue, there are a few people that are displeased with this news. Some are not as accepting of the change it implies. Some, specifically older adults who recall a time when mail had a much more prominent role in day-to-day life, do not agree with the idea of switching to a 5-day delivery week. Some even feel that this cut-back, on the part of the USPS, is a subtle, yet valid indication of the direction in which the economy is migrating. They feel it holds negative connotation in this regard. Although there are some who take issue with the new mail delivery policy, the overall attitude towards the matter seems to be one of casual indifference. There was one argument against the new policy that seemed to hold validity, which was the idea that the USPS did not have the authority to execute such a decision without approval from Congress. However, this argument seems to have since been put aside. It was determined that the USPS is, in fact, an independent agency. So, their decision to change the delivery schedule was both legal and within their scope of authority. Mr. Patrick Donahoe, the postmaster general, commented on the decision stating, “Our financial condition is urgent…This is too big of a cost savings for us to ignore.” (Quote via: The New York Times)
What is your stance on this decision? Do you feel this a good move, or does the idea of no post on Saturdays have you ‘going postal’? Comment below!
