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News & ArtsTuesday, July 26, 2011
Money USPS to Close Almost 4,000 Post Offices?
Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 4:39 PM
The financially beleaguered Postal Service announced Tuesday that it would consider closing more than 3,600 of its 32,000 post offices...In communities that lose post offices, the Postal Service may outsource basic services, like selling stamps and shipping flat-rate packages, to local businesses like pharmacies and groceries...
The USPS spokesman in the New York Times story says “The Postal Service of the future will be smaller, leaner and more competitive." Just what we need! Teabaggy mailmen who'll hold our packages hostage until we pay an additional receipt fee or some shit like that. I can't wait to see what FedEx and UPS will do to their rates when the USPS eventually dies—buying over the internet will be a luxury that very few will be able to afford.
3
I'm kinda pissed that the very first post office in America - in Benjamin Franklin's house in Philadelphia - is on the list for closure. That's just wrong.
4
Wait, they've always outsourced the selling of stamps, and I think the shipping of small packages. What's more worrisome is RECEIVING packages, and held mail while on vacation and so forth. Is Walgreens going to do that?
5
Paul Constant apparently puts $3 worth of stamps on every letter he sends to help make the USPS sustainable, right? No?
6
Thing is, Fed Ex & UPS absolutely depend on USPS, since many rural locales are too far out-of-the-way for them to make a profit driving miles and miles down some Rural Route just to deliver a 12 ounce box from Lilly Vernon to some farmer's wife in the middle of nowhere SD, for example. So, they actually sub out these deliveries to the Postal Service, since they already cover those routes.
By cutting these smaller offices, USPS is actually making it more difficult for the big for-profit carriers, not to mention for the folks who live way out there in the heartland, so I would expect delivery rates to these areas to increase dramatically in order to make shipping their worth the Big Boys while.
By cutting these smaller offices, USPS is actually making it more difficult for the big for-profit carriers, not to mention for the folks who live way out there in the heartland, so I would expect delivery rates to these areas to increase dramatically in order to make shipping their worth the Big Boys while.
8
You'd think that it would be in the interest of internet retailers such as Amazon to oppose closures like this, because even when they use UPS or FedEx they need USPS to ship to many of the smaller markets. Their whole retail business model is built on cheap shipping to almost everywhere.
9
Reading articles on this, I was shocked they didn't take this action earlier. They're cutting post offices that average less than two hours of work per day and $50 in sales. I can't believe the postmaster general didn't think that those might be money leechers that need to be pulled off the vein. Most of the post offices under the knife are within five miles of other offices, too.
Besides, in rural areas post offices were traditionally part of other services, like a general store. Big fucking deal. It's about time someone got their head out of their ass.
Besides, in rural areas post offices were traditionally part of other services, like a general store. Big fucking deal. It's about time someone got their head out of their ass.
13
The post office gets a bad rap - on the rare occaison I send anything, I always use it and am generally astounded at how quickly and cheaply stuff arrives. I mean $5 for a small package from Illinois to Jersey in 3 days. Or $20 for a large, insured camera (+bag, accessories, etc) to Maine 4 days.
When I shop at Amazon I always use their free super-saver shipping too (which is USPS) and I get what I order in less than a week generally.
I'm surprised my local POs aren't on the list. As the two nearest me are in very tiny towns. I'm glad they must be fairly profitable and thus safe :)
When I shop at Amazon I always use their free super-saver shipping too (which is USPS) and I get what I order in less than a week generally.
I'm surprised my local POs aren't on the list. As the two nearest me are in very tiny towns. I'm glad they must be fairly profitable and thus safe :)
14
It's sort of like the closing of all those blacksmith shops. Really do you still need your horses hooves shod? The post office was once, in the past, a vital part of communities big and small. Now it's the internet that fills that need.
15
well, no, this won't make internet shopping more expensive. If it becomes too expensive demand will drop and the retailers and/or the couriers will have to drop rates.
16
@9: I believe the post office has a government mandate, and the post office closings, reduced delivery days, etc. have to be voted on? It's probably only possible now that we have such a forceful "small government" faction and a budget problem.
17
Closing Post Offices does not equal the end of delivery, you stupid cunt @10.
Priority mail is the best value in shipping, bar none. Costs about the same as UPS Ground, but almost always delivered in 2 days (as opposed to about a week w/ UPS).
But, yeah, I can definitely see there being too many post offices. New world order and all that shit. Cut the fat, keep the 2-3 day priority shipping is what I say (unlike so many commentators here who obviously know nothing about actually shipping through the PO).
Priority mail is the best value in shipping, bar none. Costs about the same as UPS Ground, but almost always delivered in 2 days (as opposed to about a week w/ UPS).
But, yeah, I can definitely see there being too many post offices. New world order and all that shit. Cut the fat, keep the 2-3 day priority shipping is what I say (unlike so many commentators here who obviously know nothing about actually shipping through the PO).
19
Uh, yeah, um, I'm confused.
In my defense, I'm drunk.
The point is, I'm a huge defender of the postal service, even if I acknowledge that there are probably more offices than are needed.
Sorry for calling you a cunt, @10. Though, your post is a little unclear, unless != has come to mean ≠ while I was downing that bottle.
In my defense, I'm drunk.
The point is, I'm a huge defender of the postal service, even if I acknowledge that there are probably more offices than are needed.
Sorry for calling you a cunt, @10. Though, your post is a little unclear, unless != has come to mean ≠ while I was downing that bottle.
20
Having the functions of small post offices taken over by local businesses is nothing to worry about and nothing new. Didn't any of you ever watch The Waltons? Ike Godsey was as reliable as they come. (His wife Corabeth, however, was one sneaky bitch.)
Oh, and it's how most mail is still handled in much of Europe. And we're a bunch of Euro-lovin' faggy hippies here on the Slog, right?
Oh, and it's how most mail is still handled in much of Europe. And we're a bunch of Euro-lovin' faggy hippies here on the Slog, right?
21
You know Paul if your going to spend a good portion of your life ranting about capitalism, you might want to learn how it actually works. If FedEx and UPS raise their prices that high two things will happen:
1) They will hurt their own profits
2) New competitors will emerge will lower prices.
If you truly believe the USPS closing down a few branch or even closing entirely will lead to situation where: "buying over the internet will be a luxury that very few will be able to afford." You are a fucking moron who would never be able to get into an econ 101 class.
1) They will hurt their own profits
2) New competitors will emerge will lower prices.
If you truly believe the USPS closing down a few branch or even closing entirely will lead to situation where: "buying over the internet will be a luxury that very few will be able to afford." You are a fucking moron who would never be able to get into an econ 101 class.
22
@21,
Collusion is another pretty fundamental economic concept. Not saying Paul wasn't gravitating toward the hyperbolic there, but I think the idiots at comcast have clearly demonstrated they can seize control of a widely distributed & desirable service, then ram it up our collective anus sans lube.
Collusion is another pretty fundamental economic concept. Not saying Paul wasn't gravitating toward the hyperbolic there, but I think the idiots at comcast have clearly demonstrated they can seize control of a widely distributed & desirable service, then ram it up our collective anus sans lube.
24
Since the post office is often closed by the time I get home from work, leaving only Saturdays open to ship items, to of which the local UPS center is often 2$ cheaper, I cant say I will miss the local broadway or union office if they closed.
I never got the feeling that these clerks really cared about their job. Insure something for 500$, package doesnt show up, do you think they'll give me 500$ for the lost desktop pc I shipped to my sister in Ireland? LOL, no. Where I used to live, packages were always delivered in the late afternoon, so why does all the tracking information say it was delivered at 8:30am? Because its too much of a burden to have that scanner holstered on their belt, so they scan everything at the start of the shift and when they come to your apartment, realize you have a small mail slot that the package wont fit in and since they cant un-scan the delivery confirmation and leave you an orange card telling you to come pick it up, they leave it there for some avenue rat to walk by and steal. That has happened to me several times to the point where I couldnt have packages delivered to my apartment. Ironic it was that I lived directly behind a post office.
Seriously, post office doesn't care anymore and hasnt for a long time. They will not be missed.
I never got the feeling that these clerks really cared about their job. Insure something for 500$, package doesnt show up, do you think they'll give me 500$ for the lost desktop pc I shipped to my sister in Ireland? LOL, no. Where I used to live, packages were always delivered in the late afternoon, so why does all the tracking information say it was delivered at 8:30am? Because its too much of a burden to have that scanner holstered on their belt, so they scan everything at the start of the shift and when they come to your apartment, realize you have a small mail slot that the package wont fit in and since they cant un-scan the delivery confirmation and leave you an orange card telling you to come pick it up, they leave it there for some avenue rat to walk by and steal. That has happened to me several times to the point where I couldnt have packages delivered to my apartment. Ironic it was that I lived directly behind a post office.
Seriously, post office doesn't care anymore and hasnt for a long time. They will not be missed.
25
@19 It's meant that for a very long time and comes out of logic and programming notation, the same as "<>". You may have noticed that there's not a "not equal" sign on the average keyboard.
26
I had a feeling something like this was going to happen. we ship hundreds of packages a day at my work, and it used to be we had separate pick-ups for UPS and USPS. now, it's only UPS that picks up the packages. the really small stuff gets transferred to USPS through some "mail innovations" thing for final delivery. it basically makes everything a gigantic headache for us to ship and our customers to track packages. I'm not exactly sure how this collaboration happened but obviously UPS is benefiting from the deal.
27
@10 and @17: Closing post offices DOES mean ending mail delivery in areas like mine where we all have to come to the Post Office to collect our mail. That's what "General Delivery" means. We live in the woods in an isolated area where there is no other access to postal services without hours of expensive travel.
@6: Yes, exactly right. Our postal mail carrier (who brings mail out here three days a week) also has a contract to bring UPS. Because they sure as hell aren't going to deliver anything themselves.
@14: Do you have some kind of magic computer that opens a hatch and spits out the stuff you order online? Because when I shop online I don't know any way of getting the stuff besides having it come in the mail. (Or UPS delivered by the postal carrier, as I mentioned above.)
@6: Yes, exactly right. Our postal mail carrier (who brings mail out here three days a week) also has a contract to bring UPS. Because they sure as hell aren't going to deliver anything themselves.
@14: Do you have some kind of magic computer that opens a hatch and spits out the stuff you order online? Because when I shop online I don't know any way of getting the stuff besides having it come in the mail. (Or UPS delivered by the postal carrier, as I mentioned above.)
29
They have a long history of outsourcing services in smaller communities (in fact, I worked at one a long time ago) and part of the bargain is no additional fees or surcharges over standard USPS rates.
30
@29: Except when there aren't any local businesses to outsource to, as in our case. We're all a bit on edge here because the postal service is such a lifeline, but hopefully we can talk them into not closing this office down.
34
Yeah, well, everybody gets some sort of a subsidy from the government in one way or another. You too, I'll bet (ever taken out a college loan or ridden a bus?). Mail service can be a lifeline - I don't have a problem with that one, especially for people in extremely rural areas.
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