Most Americans think a mail-free Saturday sounds fine: Poll

 

John Potter, the latest in a long line of Postmasters General stretching back to Benjamin Franklin in 1775, let it slip to reporters in Washington Tuesday that his financially-squeezed Postal Service was pondering an end to Saturday mail delivery.

Because that news release was mailed, it just arrived this morning. No, just kidding. However, because the economy move involves the post office and the average American doesn't like surprises except for "The Bachelor,"  the Saturday cutback wouldn't actually arrive until next year.

Even then it requires congressional approval. And watching how inoperable a Congress with lopsided majorities has been on healthcare legislation during the last year, the postal service cuts would likely be even further delayed.

And, let's be honest now. Watching Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid these past several months leading into a crucial....

... midterm election year, does anyone seriously anticipate either one going against a postal union's opposition to killing Saturday mail delivery?

Still, a new Rasmussen Reports poll this week indicates that while an overwhelming majority of Americans (70%) have a favorable opinion of the Postal Service, a substantial majority (58%) are good with not getting 15 to 20 pizza flyers and pre-approved credit card offers on Saturday.

In fact, some folks suggested that to save even more money, the Postal Service eliminate mail delivery Monday through Friday and just bring it all by on Saturday, so it can be thrown out at once.

Historically, the post office has played a vital role in American commerce, political patronage and romance. Anyone else remember SWAK?  Mailed correspondence provided official records and, after rural free delivery was established in 1896 and parcel post in 1913, facilitated growth of a national economy through mail order. Think Sears, Roebuck.

Today, documents and products can be shipped overnight. Many such typed missives can be electronically transmitted instantly, even from war zones. And they can be deleted almost as quickly.

Such transmissions helped reduce U.S. mail volume 12.7% last fiscal year, even with Netflix. That's still 177.1 billion pieces of mail, half the world's volume, but down 25 billion pieces.

Without stored letters, though, historians (and many family members) would be hard-put to reconstruct many events and relationships in the past. Good luck writing those biographies come 2020 or so.

Because for so many years the post office was the average citizen's closest contact with government, it was often derided as inefficient and politically corrupt much as, well, Congress is today. The kind of institution that would print a mistake like the 1918 one above.

In 1982, the post office accepted its last public service subsidy. But according to Potter, the service faces a projected 10-year shortfall of $238 billion, which seemed like a lot of money until the last year or so. 

Potter estimates he could save about $40 billion by whacking Saturday service. Canada dropped Saturday deliveries decades ago and it's still, uh, Canada.

Such a weekend cutback proposal has arrived in the U.S. every 10 years or so since 1957. That's when, you all will remember, deliveries were stopped for one solitary Saturday, causing such an outcry that six-day service was restored by Congress come Monday.

The Postal Service has cut employment from more than 700,000 to about 600,000 currently through retirement incentives and attrition, 40,000 last year alone. Under its union contracts layoffs are not permitted. The postal workers union, you will be shocked to learn, opposes deleting Saturday delivery, obviously because it provides a rationale for more employee attrition.

Killing Saturdays would be the first day's reduction since 1913, when Sunday deliveries were halted. People would probably get used to it though, just like they did in 1950 when -- no joke here -- the post office cut home mail delivery from twice a day to once.

How would you vote this time? Use stamp-free comments below.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Comments

[Ayda Haghighatgoo]

I'm assuming this means that not only will mail not be delivered on saturdays, but that the post office itself will be closed? How are people so eager to make this happen. I don't have time to go to the post office during the week because i work. The post office by my house doesn't open until 8:30am, which would be too late for me, and closes by 6pm, which is the time i get home. So how do other people plan on making this work? I look to saturdays to go in and mail things that i can't mail during the week.

[Kathy]

Though I am going to miss Saturday delivery, I believe Potter did the right thing in cutting back to save money. Now if the people in D.C. got real and would do the same thing in cutting spending, keeping to a budget, work on our economy, and other things along this line I would be a happier person.

[Joey Drummond]

Does anyone really think that reducing free delivery to every household to five days a week will be fine for the American people? When has the governnment done anything for us that didn't cost us more in the end? Consider this.

If you have 5 day delivery and you really need something to get somewhere on that sixth day, guess what, the postal service will deliver it......for a fee. Yes that's right America, your free six day delivery is gone but for a fee, and more than likely a higher fee, we will deliver for you.

In the words of our President and Congress, PAGO...Pay As You Go,,,

[Steve]

That's actually not a bad idea.

[mike g]

I for some reason don't think this is such a great idea. More people loosing there jobs. I don't even like the post office but I do not want to see an organization that doesn't take tax payer money lay people off. I have family that works for them and I am sure alot of other people do also.

[Roy G. Biv]

Unemployment checks and Netflix are pretty much the only important regular mail we've received the last few years, so eliminating Saturday is just fine. And with more people switching to video downloads/VOD, even Netflix is becoming irrelevant. It's hardly even worth polling. The postal union and their lobbyists are the only ones who will fight this. I assume their power is as strong as AARP, the Teachers Unions, Wall Street, and the Health Care lobby, so I doubt changes will come. Politicians vote based on campaign donations, not what's right for the people.

[paul]

Just charge $1.00 for the stamps, and dont change anything... maybe hire some smarter employees!!!

[Adam]

I say cut Saturday deliveries out. I previously worked for the Postal Service as a Clerk and Rural Carrier. With the recent decline of mail volume, there is typically only one or two busy days per week.

The Postal Service is terrible to it's employees. Since we can't get laid off, "Part time regular" or "Casual" employees will go from working 50 hours a week, to 4-8 hours, forcing someone to quit, and leaving them without unemployment benefits.

[john reed]

no Saturday mail would be fine. who foots the bill for the mail reps and sens enjoy.

[fibber mcgee]

Having been in the mail order business and seeing as how I order a lot of books through the mail (albiet ordered on the Internet), I love Saturday mail. I even like junk mail. However, I do feel it is time to cut back and end Saturday mail sevice. Times are a'changing, they tell me.

[Matthew Hencke]

Recommend reducing service to three days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Increase fees on commercial mass mail distributions (not-for-profits exempt). Offer free mail/no postage paid options to persons or parties willing to give up delivery service to their residence (businesses not included) on a per fiscal year contract. Residence would pick up mail at the post office. Recommend all non-commercial mail picked up at post boxes (nursing and any not-for-profit hospital facilities exempted). No new post boxes added. Recommend USPS employment capped at 500,000 starting FY10 and all reduction accomplished through normal attrition (retirements, etc).

[Nina]

I could be ok without Saturday delivery, but I wish the Postal service would just bite the bullet & raise rates . US Postage is some of the cheapest in the world, if rates were higher, we might continue to have Saturday delivery.

[Erwin]

I'm for it. The office is closed on the weekend and at home there's either bills or ads in the mailbox. So, losing Saturday delivery seems like an idea whose time finally has come.

[Tim]

I say we cut it even further. Eliminate half the postal workers, the remaining workers deliver half the routes on Monday,Wednesday and the other half on Tuesday Thursday. Americans have got to get over nostalgia overriding common sense.

[goforit]

This absolutely makes sense. The average Saturdays mail consists of 99% junk. While business will probably complain more then others it simply means companies have to be more proactive and plan ahead of time. I can't believe that we have not already started doing this.

[gw]

old fashion postal service will die out in 10-20 yrs if they don't improve.
going to usps is like going to dmv....same crappy service.......
i will not miss any of them....since i have internet for everything...well almost.

[John Axtell]

Cut salaries 20% and you would still have more applicants than open jobs. Tell the union that layoffs are a fact of life for most of us, especially in these times.

[Ruben Valdez]

That poll is misleading. of course nobody want more pizza flyers and pre-approved credit card offers.but what about there online parcle orders, or birthday cards, or letters from friends or family. this poll just shows if you control the questions on a poll you control the outcome.

[HC]

I would not mind. If it will save us money than I am all for it.

[AK125]

I am all in support of the 3 day a week delivery model where the same "team" delivers one route on Mon, Wed, Fri; and another route on Tue, Thur and Sat.

Also, forget what the postal union says. They don't have anyone's interest but their own. You can't blame them, but you don't have to listen to them (beyond legal obligations).

[Tim]

I say we cut even further, deliver half the routes on Mon-Wed and the other half on Tue-Thu. Americans have got to get over nostalgia being more important than common sense. If you haven't yet converted to email, electronic bill pay then go live with the Amish. Hand delivery of advertising to every address in the US 6 days a week is foolish,wasteful, and not worth my tax dollars.

[Duke]

Most of the stuff in my mail box is junk mail. You'd be doing me a favor by not delivering it on Saturdays.

[Absolutely Vic]

Well, you know what that means? Another day checks don't arrive. Another day in which you need to juggle bills to get out in time because you need to factor in a second down day. Netflix Rentals not showing up. Packages turning up late (that'll be just hilarious at Christmas). Who's going to benefit from this? Credit card companies, who'll profit from late fees. This is a very bad idea.

[Joel]

I would cut daily service down to three days a week...Monday, Wednesday and Friday...except for those USPS items sent Priority or Express. Then the customer is paying for immediate delivery. The USPS is a hardworking organization which has improved its ability tremendously in the last few years. And, no, I'm not an employee nor a member of a union. I always ship via USPS whenever possible as it's usually faster, cheaper, more efficient and a heck of a lot friendlier than UPS or Fedex. Support the USPS.

[commonsense]

cut saturday, save lots of money. No brainer. If you can't wait for it an extra day or two, it's not going to be sent regular mail anyway.

[Phil Blum]

Small, home-based businesses rely on Saturday service. For many of us, Saturday is administrative day, and being able to receive customer payments on Saturday makes it easier to do bookkeeping, etc., without the distractions so pervasive during the work week, such as doing actual work.

Apart from that, the big question here should not be about cutting costs, it should be why the Postal Service needs to be a profit center instead of a normal Federal agency that gets funded with the normal budgetary process that gets adjusted periodically based on fiscal requirements. It's just another shining example of Ronald Reagan's glorious legacy.

[Floyd Tarpenning]

I vote in favor of discontuing mail delivery on Saturdays.

[Lance]

I still think the mail serves a purpose but I can't think of hardly any reasons why it couldn't be just one day a week. As a compromise, I'd be OK with a 3 day, M-W-F, delivery.

[Thomas Southworth]

I read your article on the post office closing on Saturday. Personally I seen no need for delivery on the weekend. As for the Union, hey, they oppose anything that would would lower union dues coming in.

If they(the post office)want to lower operation costs then this is a viable way to achieve that. It would lower manpower, vehicle maintenance, fuel consumption and associated overhead that goes with those things.

Unfortunately I don't think it would be enough to blot out the red ink that currently exists. But with all the government red ink out there its a drop in the bucket.

Maybe cut a deal with UPS, FedEx or both to move their Package mail delivery over 10 lbs would also be a possible resource as well. Get out of the package delivery business over 10 lbs altogether. Oh, by the way I am over 13 by factor of 5.25. How about an article on Medicare, or Social Security? I definately would love to comment!

[Msrozz]

I don't agree with it. If you do online business, customers don't like to wait until the next business day (Monday) for items they have paid for. Also, when some pay bills by mail, are the bill collectors going to take that into account; I don't think so. So, what happens is, more people will have late fees and companies make more off the consumer....a win for them, a loss for consumers. Also, the postal service says they are losing money but the price of shipping is still going up; the service at some of the local post offices is shabby, stuff is still getting lost and broken and items going from one town to another within a metro area is taking even longer to arrive. So, they need to hire more people....one thing I've noticed regarding all businesses over the past 10 years; customer service is lacking extremely and incompetence is an every day thing. Treat customers like they are of true value and business would not be lacking and maybe, just maybe they will see their business and bottom line improve.

[jrsposter]

I vote for stopping mail delivery altogether, and doing everything electronically. I spend entirely too much time going through junk mail and tearing up the pages with my name and address on them so no one will be able to claim I signed up for something I didn't.
Junk mail is a plague! End it now!

[Mike Bres]

most polls are internet based, so they leave out a lot of the elderly which depend on mail service. Personally I would like to keep Saturday delivery. It is a minuscule loss compared to the banking and auto industries. If the post office would have cried poverty earlier during the recession, they would have gotten a rubber stamp from congress.

[Andrew Kubat]

Many are suggesting the USPS raise rates. While that would solve the problem, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA) put restrictions on rate increase. The PAEA limits the USPS to raising rates only by the rate of inflation. No inflation in 2009, 2010 means (by law) no increase. ~~~~

The double whammy imposed by the PAEA is that Congress has ordered the USPS to pay $5+ billion per year till 2016 to pre-fund a future retirees benefit fund. NO other federal agency of Fortune 500 company faces this requirement, only the USPS. If the USPS had not been required to make these payments it would have shown profits in 2008, 2009 and 2010! The USPS is running a $1.3 billion deficit over the first 5 months of Fiscal Year 2010. Without the required prepayments ($450 million per month) the USPS would be showing a $900 million profit for FY 2010!

[GEAH]

I'd be happy if they only delivered mail three days a week. Monday, Wedensday and Saturday.

[marc boucher]

The PO is running billions in the red, and needs to make common sense business decisions. If the PO wants Saturday delivery, raise the postage rates to fund it, not Tax dollars; But they can't do that or they would go out of business, as its non competitive, and simply a poor business decision.

I don't want to use tax dollars we do not really have to fund poor business decisions like Saturday delivery. We as a country have excessive deficits, and are cutting Medicare and other social programs for the elderly and poor as it is, why take more away from them just so certain interest groups can keep Saturday delivery.

The PO can use the money saved by eliminating Saturday delivery to offset postage rates, which might enable it to gain business back from UPS, etc.

Best of all, think of the positive environmental impact eliminating Saturday delivery will have on our planet. We will save millions and ultimately billions of gallons of fuel while keeping the air a little cleaner for all of us.

It's that simple, Eliminating Saturday delivery is one of the smartest decisions our country can make.

[Bob]

If you really want to cut costs do away with our top heavy management We have more people telling us how to carry mail who has never carried mail aday in there life. If you don't touch the mail your job should be done away with. I wish smoeone would tell me how many billions of dollars would be saved there.

[Mailgurl]

Tell me this. When this new health care reform starts up, and the prescription coverage only allows your prescription to be filled by MAIL, will you still want it on Saturday? or will it be okay to wait till Monday? maybe even Tuesday if there is a holiday? What if this conversation were taking place in November and not March? Would you still say you can wait till Monday for any presents or cards from family? Gifts for the kids?

Why is it that everyone looks at the craft employees as being expendable, but they fail to look at the administration? There are more management positions that could be removed without anyone noticing then there are craft. And we can still have 6 day delivery.

[Brian M]

I cant believe the american public is going to be ok with this. instead of doing what needs to be done like cutting all the fat from the top of management. does the po really need a vp of sustainablility or a vp of feasability?
How about the fact MR. Potter states we have to many employees and not enough mail, then why do we subcontract the sorting of mail? A major competitor of the po is paid BILLIONS of dollars by the po to do just that. instead of doing whats right Potter wishes to jip the american people so he can get more bonuses. just like a bank bailout the po loses billions last year and yet Mr. Potter was given a generous bonus for meeting on time goals. isnt it commom sense more people and less mail then of course everything should be on time!! there is a real push at the top to destroy the po as we know it! everyone should right their congress person and rep in the house to investigate what is really going on with the post office.

[Postman]

What is wrong with having a member of the Federal Government delivering mail to your house six days a week at no cost to tax payers. Every day there are stories about Letter Carriers saving people's livies as they come across people in trouble that would go unsuspected for hours. It seems that identity thefts have increased since people are putting their business on the internet. Think about it.

[steve behn]

Since most people want to do away with sat delivery maybe they should request a visit to the post office and see what mondays are like for the carrier. We have to put all the mail up in the case and you are looking at 1 or 2 inch slots that the mail will go into. Mail does not stop moving just because its sunday or a holiday so on monday the carrier is puting up sundays mail plus mondays and if they do away with sat. deliver we will be putting up three days worth. Most holidays fall on monday the carriers and clerks have it off but the plant does not so again we would be getting four days of mail at one time. Yes I'm a rural carrier and I would love to have two days off in a roll but I'm looking at the big picture and I don't want Sat off

[Wendell O'Connell]

If the Postal Service put the budget on the Internet, all the way to the local level, then we the people can review the spending and make suggestions on how to save money. By cutting Saturday delivery, this still leaves the problem of over spending and would cut jobs that this economy can not take right now. By making the budget transparent, this would eliminate waste, fraud and financial abuse. I believe we would find the necessary revenue to save to U.S.P.S. and we would be able to keep Saturday delivery. Thank you, sincerely Wendell O'Connell

[inside info]

The Postal Service is corrupt! Check the Upland, CA post office in Southern Ca. The president of the Union is a Letter Carrier. He has not carried mail in the last 10 years. He receives full pay and benefits as any other Letter Carrier from the Postal Service while performing his duties as a Union Representative.This is done 8hours a day, 5 days a week. This is a provision in the labor contract. There are approximatey 50 letter carriers at the Upland Post Office. Imagine this all over the country! No wonder the Postal Service is going broke!

[Frank mcCabe]

They say that now, wait until they are waiting for a check or an importatnt piece of correspondence. People are always waiting for something important, such as checks, medications, or correspndence from mortgage companies. What about the elderly and the poor who may not have access to computers. Wake up AMERICA, you have the best and most inexpensive postal service at your door six days a week.

[Mike]

I find it troubling that people have so much hatred for unions and what they've done for the American worker. During the first half of the century they fought to provided people with many things we take for granted today;
living wages, safe working environments, a 40hr workweek, health benefits, vacation and personal leave. Even if you do not work at a union shop these changes were incorporated in order to keep competitive. Yet for some reason around the 80's people started thinking they could get by without unions. They believed managements claim that the unions were actually hurting them more than helping them. Management said that they could do the same things for them so the union's weren't necessary. Who wants to pay dues anyway?
So, what happened over the next 30yrs? Production soared yet wages stayed stagnant. We've seen jobs go overseas or under NAFTA to Mexico and Canada. Benefits and pensions have been reduced. People worked their whole lives with the promise of a decent retirement only to be told that even though you kept up your end of the deal we won't. And what has all this done for us? To make up for the lost jobs, stagnant wages and stripped benefits we were forced to make up for it by going into debt just so we could keep up with the cost of living. We believed that businesses had our best interest in mind and we relinquished our power of negotiating on our own behalf. I do not believe that unions are always the answer. There are many businesses that take good care of their employees but the majority still put shareholders first thus minimizing workers contribution to their success. What this has done is it has basically decimated the middle class. That's why I'm confused when somebody wants to besmirch the unions. We should be championing the worker who still has a decent paying job in this country and trying to empower people to fight for their just dues. As for USPS I am not surprised that some of the postings by postal employees raise the concern of a overstaffed bloated 200yr plus bureaucracy that probably has an inappropriate management to worker ratio. I would think that they need more people actually handling the mail and taking care of customers than not.

[Mkw]

I'm a lettercarrier. I've been one for 15 years. During the summer when I get Saturdays off, I pack the camping gear and head to the lake. When I return on Sunday afternoon I would get my mail. I cann't do anything with it until Monday. Wheather it bulk business mail, bill or a check.
The bank are for most of them close. I all for cutting Saturdays mail delivery.
Closing Sat, would save on electrity, water, and heating for one day for all the postoffices in the USA, saving alot.

[ellen]

The post office will be open on Saturday. Only the carrier operation will shut down, which means no mail delivery on Saturday.

[dharc]

the government cannot run a post office,dmv, an economy,cannot win a war against a bunch of camel herders,cannot keep uneducated third world mexicans from crossing our borders by the millions,cannot get us into the 21st century we're still using gasoline driven engines,they cannot stop chinese subs from popping up 1000ft. off a destroyers bow, HOW THE "L" are they going to run healthcare ?

[Mail Carrier]

Check into managements costs. They harass and bully the craft(carriers, clerks, etc)you know, the people who actually handle the mail, just so they can get their PFP bonuses! I know that you have to have someone in charge, but SO MANY??
It's funny how people will say that the carrier or clerk make too much money, but what about management? I know for a fact that someone coming in as supervisor, makes as much money as a carrier who has been on the job for 20 YEARS! And that is if they have a HUGE route!
WAKE UP SHEEPLE!

[Captn]

Business needs mail 5 days a week. Most are closed Saturday & Sunday. Many have PObox delivery anyway. Residential- get real! We hardly need mail 3 days a week. Let's say carrier A delivers rt 1 on M/W/F and rt 2 on T/T/S. The 6th day will still be covered by a floater. Carriers could be cut by 40% and residents still receive mail 2 days a week more than needed.

[Sheila]

I say cut Saturdays...but only if the States Attorney Generals consider Saturdays as non-business days.
In Texas, Saturday is considered a business day for most contracts and legal documents and could be used against you if facing a closing deadline.
In my experiences, USPS has not been reliable on the weekends for rural deliveries of crucial documents, anyway. You get it on Monday! Use the Fax.

BTW, I just got a returned Christmas card on 3/5 from Dec 7 mailing. How's that 90-day service again, APWU?