Washington Post:

https://archive.ph/6uXhT#selection-537.0-537.59

Top U.S. Postal Service officials are considering plans to allow slower mail delivery in the coming months for long-distance and rural service to cut costs at the financially troubled agency — but not until after the election.

The changes would give customers within 50 miles of the Postal Service’s largest processing facilities faster delivery service, which accounts for the vast majority of mail and packages, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told The Washington Post. But the agency cannot afford to maintain the same model for deliveries into far-flung areas, he said. That could add an additional day to current delivery timetables, though mail would still be delivered in five days or less across the country.

“At the end of the day, I think some portion of the mail showing up 12 hours later, I think it’s a price that had to be paid for letting this place be neglected,” DeJoy said. “You look around every other country, [delivery] is longer, it’s much more expensive. We’re trying to save the Postal Service — not figuratively, not to advocate for something. We’re trying to literally save the Postal Service.”

DeJoy said the new policy would not be implemented until after November’s elections. The Postal Service filed plans Thursday with its regulator to hold public hearings to solicit feedback on the proposed changes.
Four years ago, similar cost-cutting moves prompted litigation over fears voting would be disrupted. Ultimately, the agency helped nearly half of all 2020 voters request or cast ballots by mail, according to the University of Florida’s U.S. Elections Project.

In the plans under discussion, the Postal Service would allow mail and packages to sit at certain facilities for an extra day instead of transporting them immediately for processing and delivery, DeJoy said. That would extend acceptable delivery times for mail traveling longer distances.

Pilots of the policy have been in place in certain areas, mostly rural, for months.
The new delivery standards require the approval of the agency’s nine-member governing board. They also must be reviewed by the Postal Regulatory Commission, though the panel’s recommendation is nonbinding.

More at link

They have new stamps with a tortoise I hear.
Fast as email.

I’m not even sure we need a USPS in the age of electronic documents and email along with Amazon and UPS

Slower than it is already? Who'd notice?

Well the postal lady handed me the mail and waited until i backed out of my driveway. She even said thanks sweetie. Deep South of course. THey are nicer here than Chicago. Warrren buffet said he watches the weather channel daily and makes his trades accordingly. There are several tropical disturbances out in the Gulf. Katrina which I experienced was something else. State farm got an adjuster out to my residence in late November but i had to pay upront to get them to come out. Correctinon one in Gulf near Texas.Hurricane season runs to the end of november so anything is possible. Follow the entertainment on You tube. I have direct tv satelite combined with supposed high speed internet and I phone. The reps in Phillipines are sweet but they cannot make decisons like this ha ha The giant insurance company UNH is the same. I had a contract that is above their so called rates so I am out of network which means full fee.I could get that in NYC but my wife will not move. Our my 40 year old daughter is working for slave wages for a mental health concern locally.

I'm okay with the Postal Service! They do a good job around here!

Nothing has been said (we haven't received any notices from the USPS), but we and our neighbors haven't received any mail on Thursdays for several months now.

United Sloth Postal Service.

So let’s me guess how this will go…

Slow down service, fewer delivery days…cost goes down a bit but then back to current costs.

Surprise! Less work for same cost!

I can see that, slower service, the same or higher costs.

On the other hand, with email, electronic payments, etc, I’d be ok with delivery every other day or so. They can drop Saturday delivery.

It cost a lot of $$ to be driving those vehicles all over everyday. Then look at what you get on the average mail day?

Another option is mail at centralized locations, less delivery to homes.

All packages sent here are usually a day later than the tracking# suggests for any delivery service, UPS, USPS, FedEx, Amazon. And I also live in an area where I only have dial up internet (50kb/s) and cell service is dependent on where in the house you are. 5G? Streaming? High speed internet? Whats that?

Our regular mail is sporadic already. I’ve had magazines delivered a month late, I’ll have a weeks worth of mail stuffed in my mailbox then nothing for 3-4 days. I live about 70+ miles from the major USPS hub in Kansas City, MO. After 20 some years of living out here I’m used to not getting anything delivered when it’s supposed to.

quote:

Originally posted by Ogie:
I'm okay with the Postal Service! They do a good job around here!

Me too. And easiest way for wife and I to ship items we sell online.

I remember the days of the 3 cent stamp, and two mail deliveries a day. You mail a letter in the AM visit, and it got to the addressee that same afternoon, and not ust in the same city. Air mail was another story, most long distance mail went my train. Union contracts for Govt. employees did not exist (coincidence?)

Once you let the first drop of water leak through the dam, it is just a matter of time.

Lot's of small towns around here with no gas stations, or grocery stores. But they all have a post office, postmaster. Huge expense, if they have to come to the next town for gas and groceries, might as well add a trip to the post office, or maybe once a week delivery.

We have been hearing about a USPS proposal to consolidate mail handling into Regional Processing Centers. For those of us in Wyoming that means that mail would no longer be processed in Cheyenne and Casper, but outside the state in Denver and Billings. Mostly rural Wyoming could expect even slower mail delivery. Our Congresswoman, Harriet Hageman, who’s outstanding, is on it, but it may not be possible to stop it.

I live in rural SoDak and, locally, they started implementing some changes a year ago. I don't know if it a manpower issue or directives from higher up, but Saturday deliveries have been curtailed or eliminated. I suspect, but can't verify, that if I don't have any mail to be delivered then they won't even check to see if I have any mail to go out.

I have the only place on my particular mile road and it happens to be in the middle of that mile, so that's a mile and time saved for the mailman.

I don't know how many times I have received my neighbors mail. One day I received a bunch of my neighbors mail and as I was going into town anyway I decided to drop it off at their place on my way. They invited me in and I told them I had some of their mail that got delivered to me. They said, thank you and we've got some mail for you!???

So, I have absolutely no confidence in the USPS whatsoever. That whole organization is FOBAR!!

For the past year plus, it’s taken letters/cards between 7-10 days to get between me and my family. It’s a 3.5 hour drive. It used to be a 3 day delivery. Soon it’ll take a month the way things are going.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
We have been hearing about a USPS proposal to consolidate mail handling into Regional Processing Centers. For those of us in Wyoming that means that mail would no longer be processed in Cheyenne and Casper, but outside the state in Denver and Billings. Mostly rural Wyoming could expect even slower mail delivery. Our Congresswoman, Harriet Hageman, who’s outstanding, is on it, but it may not be possible to stop it.

This is 100% accurate. There is a plan to consolidate the first class mail to regional processing centers and increase the package sorting/handling in the smaller facilities.

In the pre-Amazon days, packages rode on the the back of First class mail. Now it's totally flipped, with First class mail being delayed for the packages.

Another thing that changed mail service leading up to this, is that in 2001 the Amerithrax attack led to the death of 5 people and created the Bio-Shield leading all mail to be scanned for Anthrax. This is done during the cancellation of the stamp, requiring all mail to go to the Processing Centers (not just cancelling local mail at the local PO).

Many small town Post Offices are only staffed for half days, and usually with only 1 or 2 people where they used to have 3 to 4 on full time.

The postal ‘service’ has been making itself irrelevant for a few decades now. Other than a few paper bills and one magazine a month the bulk of my mail is junk mail.

I don’t want the junk mail.

Let ‘em die.