USPS - Still a money pit

[SCDeac]

1. Drop Saturday delivery....or maybe another day

2. Eliminate many of the tiny branches and consolidate them...there are several USPS offices in towns near here with less than 100 PO Boxes

3. Install neighborhood mailboxes rather than have the carrier have to walk to each and every address...cuts way down on fuel consumption and manpower...plus this is already done in apt complexes and is coming back in vogue with "traditional neighborhood" developments.

Personnel is always everyone's biggest expense so that's where the savings need to come from...my suggestions will slash personnel costs

 

[PhDeac]

What if they eliminated home delivery altogether (except in the case of handicapped people) and just built everyone a PO Box linked to your home address at the closest branch? That would save a ton of money in the long run.

Yeah but it would cost us more money.

 

[WPDeac]

It would dramatically harm our economy to privatize the USPS.

Isn't it already happening? E.g., one of the local retail outlets where I work actually has a USPS branch office within it that is not staffed by Government employees. Granted, it is only outgoing mail/packages, but I'd be interested in the economics behind it.

I far prefer it to the real post office, less lines, friendlier staff, and I can walk from my office.

 

[RJKarl]

Isn't it already happening? E.g., one of the local retail outlets where I work actually has a USPS branch office within it that is not staffed by Government employees. Granted, it is only outgoing mail/packages, but I'd be interested in the economics behind it.

I far prefer it to the real post office, less lines, friendlier staff, and I can walk from my office.

By privatizing, I mean, private companies taking, sorting and delivering the mial. I.e. FedEX doing first class and junk mail as well.

 

[2&2 Slider To Leyritz]

Yeah but it would cost us more money.

How so? There would be huge savings on workers, gas, trucks and repairs, etc. Just sort it at the post office and dump it in the person's box. People who routinely get important mail could go there every day or two, and those of us who end up getting mostly junk could just go once a month on nudie magazine day.

 

[Milhouse]

do you expect that the po boxes will be free?

 

[2&2 Slider To Leyritz]

Given the amount of potential long-run savings, I think the post office could build them and not charge for them. Home delivery is free as it stands, and that costs a lot more than building a box.

 

[PhDeac]

How so? There would be huge savings on workers, gas, trucks and repairs, etc. Just sort it at the post office and dump it in the person's box. People who routinely get important mail could go there every day or two, and those of us who end up getting mostly junk could just go once a month on nudie magazine day.

By "us", I mean individual Americans who would have to take the time and gas to drive to their PO Box instead of getting the mail at their home.

You seem to be missing the whole point that the system saves individual citizens money. Show me some stats on how much it would cost individuals to send mail without USPS.

And as Milhouse kind of points out, you don't have to get mail at your home now. My parents had a PO Box growing up. My dad drove and checked the mail every day. It's a good way for people who move regularly within the same area to do their mail. But it's not for everybody. To force individuals to buy a PO Box (because there's no way the USPS would just give up the revenue they already get from PO Box holders to make it free) would be ridiculous and costly.

2and2, in your plan, I'm pretty sure anything I'd save as a taxpayer (which probably wouldn't be much given the expansion necessary to add more PO boxes), I'd surely pay that and more as a consumer. And that would probably be the case for all but a very small portion of Americans.

My ideas would streamline the current system we have that works for so many Americans and keeps the cost of consuming USPS services low compared to what we get.

 

[WhatUTalkinBout Willis]

What if they eliminated home delivery altogether (except in the case of handicapped people) and just built everyone a PO Box linked to your home address at the closest branch? That would save a ton of money in the long run.

Maybe for the USPS, but overall it would be a big loss economically, I would think.

 

[RicoSuave]

I think the USPS as it now operates provides a valuable service, even with the added burden to the taxpayers (assuming the taxpayers have to cover the loss). I think it would still be a good deal even if they raised prices 30%. I don't agree with all the Federal benefits and employment rights for their employees, but thats the government for you. But unlike many government services, at least it "works".

 

[2&2 Slider To Leyritz]

By "us", I mean individual Americans who would have to take the time and gas to drive to their PO Box instead of getting the mail at their home.

You seem to be missing the whole point that the system saves individual citizens money. Show me some stats on how much it would cost individuals to send mail without USPS.

And as Milhouse kind of points out, you don't have to get mail at your home now. My parents had a PO Box growing up. My dad drove and checked the mail every day. It's a good way for people who move regularly within the same area to do their mail. But it's not for everybody. To force individuals to buy a PO Box (because there's no way the USPS would just give up the revenue they already get from PO Box holders to make it free) would be ridiculous and costly.

2and2, in your plan, I'm pretty sure anything I'd save as a taxpayer (which probably wouldn't be much given the expansion necessary to add more PO boxes), I'd surely pay that and more as a consumer. And that would probably be the case for all but a very small portion of Americans.

My ideas would streamline the current system we have that works for so many Americans and keeps the cost of consuming USPS services low compared to what we get.

To the first bolded point, it isn't saving Americans any money by using the current system - Americans are collectively paying for all of the costs either through stamps or taxes.

To the second bolded point, that is part of my intent. The cost of operating the postal service should be borne proportionately by those who use it the most. If you send more e-mails than your neighbor so need faster internet, then you pay for that, not him. 200 years ago, postal mail was crucial because it was the only means of distance communication, so it was necessary that the cost be paid by the government for the country to operate efficiently. Now, postal mail is no more important than e-mail, faxing, overnight delivery, or phone calls. Given the various options, there really isn't any need for the government to provide any of it at this point in time. It is no different than any other consumer service.

I would actually be curious as to whether government-provided e-mail would be more cost effective, energy efficient, paper efficient, and progressive in the long run than trucking and flying billions of letters and junk mail across the country each day. But I do think the PO Boxes could be free if we were to go with my no-home-delivery plan. The amount that the Post Office would save from not having to employ any letter carriers would clearly offset whatever fees they would lose from existing PO Box holders.

 

[KanhojiAngre]

2 and 2, doesn't having to pay to mail things constitute people who use it most paying for it?

Cutting back to Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday delivery or something of that ilk would help a lot. If you just HAVE to send it on a Wednesday, use FedEx.

Increase cost of bulk mailing and you should have a significant dent in the deficit.

 

[2&2 Slider To Leyritz]

It would, if the Post Office was self-sufficient. It isn't.

 

[RJKarl]

Using the same logic about the USPS for other departments, I guess the DOD would be shut down as they don't at all for themselves.

Another one is the interstate highways system. Gasoline taxes are supposed to pay for this, but Congress always has to add to it. Should we make all the free interstates toll roads?

 

[Satan]

Classify harder to reach destinations as "remote service". Remote deliveries/pick ups would only take place 4 days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday). That would allow post offices in remote areas to use a short staff on Wednesday and Friday and would cut drivers (and gas mileage) on those routes. Any businesses or individuals in remote areas who want Wednesday/Friday service can pay a premium for it. I think many people would realize it's not that urgent.

They probably need to charge more for remote service as well.

I've heard that FedEx and the like push their remote packages onto the USPS because they deliver it for less than it would cost them to do it.

Pretty bad policy that allows your competitors to do their work while you are losing money doing it in the process...

 

[DeaconPeach]

By "us", I mean individual Americans who would have to take the time and gas to drive to their PO Box instead of getting the mail at their home.

You seem to be missing the whole point that the system saves individual citizens money. Show me some stats on how much it would cost individuals to send mail without USPS.

And as Milhouse kind of points out, you don't have to get mail at your home now. My parents had a PO Box growing up. My dad drove and checked the mail every day. It's a good way for people who move regularly within the same area to do their mail. But it's not for everybody. To force individuals to buy a PO Box (because there's no way the USPS would just give up the revenue they already get from PO Box holders to make it free) would be ridiculous and costly. 2and2, in your plan, I'm pretty sure anything I'd save as a taxpayer (which probably wouldn't be much given the expansion necessary to add more PO boxes), I'd surely pay that and more as a consumer. And that would probably be the case for all but a very small portion of Americans.

My ideas would streamline the current system we have that works for so many Americans and keeps the cost of consuming USPS services low compared to what we get.

There are areas where there is no home mail delivery now and you are forced to pay for a PO box yearly in order to receive any mail, like where I lived in the Atlanta metro area. I often wondered whether it was worth it economically for the USPS to pay for a small facility, a full-time postal worker, and one part-time worker for Saturdays/vacation coverage/cleaning rather than to just add the 97 homes in our village to the route of a regular postman.

 

[2&2 Slider To Leyritz]

Using the same logic about the USPS for other departments, I guess the DOD would be shut down as they don't at all for themselves.

Another one is the interstate highways system. Gasoline taxes are supposed to pay for this, but Congress always has to add to it. Should we make all the free interstates toll roads?

Probably not until we have individual missile silos to defend ourselves from international attack and active teleportation to avoid the need for roads. As I mentioned, the USPS was implemented out of necessity, and therefore it was appropriately subsidized by tax dollars when running a deficiency. However, at this point in time, it is not a necessity because there are numerous other modes of communication available to people, many of which are cheaper and faster. Just because the government paid for it in the past doesn't mean that it must always be paid for. However, we still need national defense and we still need roads, so government funding of those two programs is appropriate.

 

[RJKarl]

It's an ABSOLUTE necessity for millions of businesses.

If there modes of communication that were cheaper and more effective there wouldn't be mail advertising. Macy's doesn't just waste tens of millions of dollars every year on bad communications choices.

Grocery stores would use other advertising if mail wasn't cost effective and useful.

This is true for millions of other businesses with less money to spend.

Your point shows how little you understand about US business.

 

[paradeac]

While I agree USPS needs some serious remapping, it does provide a vital service. Those of us with loved ones in the military overseas live on mail. Sometimes thats our only link and you can never replace the feel of paper and knowing someone took the time to write. Getting the mail is the best (or worst) part of the day...

 

[RicoSuave]

It's an ABSOLUTE necessity for millions of businesses.

If there modes of communication that were cheaper and more effective there wouldn't be mail advertising. Macy's doesn't just waste tens of millions of dollars every year on bad communications choices.

Grocery stores would use other advertising if mail wasn't cost effective and useful.

This is true for millions of other businesses with less money to spend.

Your point shows how little you understand about US business.

Dammit I find myself agreeing with RJ again.