Friday, October 2, 2009

Five day delivery - it's happened before

The discussion about five-day delivery has been ongoing and this blog has seen plenty from both sides.

Did you know that once -- in 1957 -- there was an attempt to do away with Saturday Delivery? PMG Arthur E. Summerfield, decided to save a little money and end Saturday delivery.

It lasted one week. On April 13, 1957, the mail stopped. But the public revolted and President Eisenhower promptly promoted and signed legislation for more funding and things returned to normal.

What do you think about this kind of move? Comment here.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

In 1957 people received mail that mattered. Of the 6 days a week that I receive mail, 4 days there is nothing but trash mail. This isn't the post office's fault. It's the fault of the people mailing the trash. But 95% of my important personal and financial correspondence happens electronically.

Anonymous said...

I think it sucks. If the Postal Service needs to save money and this is a viable oppurtunity than it should do it. It is a totally different world NOW then it was then. We have been hurt horribly by e-mail, etc. and the Postal Service needs to do something and quick. We can't keep going back to Obama and his czars and ask for money over and over again. Stop the madness and become a business that makes money instead of spend it.

Anonymous said...

Back then we were not self-sufficient as we are now. 5 day delivery has pro and cons. Which one would be the better choice, I'm not sure yet. I think of the Letter Carriers' jobs and the impact on customers. Our competitors will fill the void.

Anonymous said...

Our competition does not want to fill the void on letter mail as there is not now and never was any profit in it. And UPS learned a long time ago that weekend delivery could go by the wayside because most people are out having fun away from home on Saturday. I'll be sorry to see Saturday delivery die but I'm not sorry enough to lose my Monday through Friday Job for it.

Anonymous said...

I believe the decision to reduce delivery days is a bad one, in light of the fact that there are still many other areas where cuts can be made. Again, I go back to real estate deals the USPS has made and the exorbitant rental fees paid for many post offices. I believe millions can be saved by revising current negiotating policies.

Anonymous said...

In 1957 we also had just stopped bi-daily delivery. That alone saved the USPS. The situation then & now are entirely different. The mail was the primary communication (binding the nation). Now it is the computer- just look at this blog. We use our computers and email for most communication between friends and family. For the most part all I receive is Ad mail. To remove Saturday delivery would be no big deal unless they also closed the Post Offices. We must still give those a chance to mail or pick up caller services.

Anonymous said...

I understand the logic, but, being out in the field like I am, I worry about the logistics of it. They are saying that Saturday will be the day cut due to lower mail volume, but that's just not true in my office; Saturday's volume is almost as high as Monday's. If Saturday is cut, Mondays will be a nightmare!!

Not to mention the fact that I will probably lose my sub carrier for lack of hours...and he's just one of thousands who could be out of a job.

Anonymous said...

The main idea of cutting back to 5 days a week and eliminating Saturday delivery is to cut down expenses. You mentioned that you would lose your sub if we went to a 5-day delivery week. That is true, but those subs would not be eliminated from the Post Office. They would be reassigned to other duties and we would still lose more people by attrition due to retirements, early outs, etc. We need the 5-day delivery week to save the Post Office millions over the long run.

Anonymous said...

If we are in such a financial strain eliminating the Sat. delivery would save loads of money and cause the OT in the stations and I believe we would see a change in attendance as well. The plants could still perform at the 7day situation but the stations and AO's could drop down to 5 days and save the USPS time and money. Fuel, wages, electricity and etc.

Anonymous said...

The first comment is part of the reason we are in trouble financially. If our employees do not support the service, how can we expect the rest of the country?

Eliminating Saturday delivery may cause a few rural carrier or Postmaster reliefs to resign, but absorbed by those remaining who would gain additional hours.

The biggest problem would be the volume of mail on Monday and after a holiday - Tuesday. The 48 hour window for standard mail may need to be revised.

Anonymous said...

If the government is going to insist on managing our operations, then we need to stop being a "quasi” governmental activity……..and go back under their control. Our revenue would go to the Treasury and stay there…..no more trying to fight so hard to keep offices open, the government would control that through the law….and that is that! No more debates on costs and operating hours. That will be set by the government and we will all go back to being government service employees.

Anonymous said...

I think it is a great idea! USPS has to change with the times, with reduced volume, and rising delivery points, creating fewer deliveries per stop, this is a smart solution. Yes, some people may lose a job, but USPS will have a chance to stay in business, and many, many will be able to keep a very good job. The alternative is a none or all solution, and the probability that ALL could lose their jobs if USPS isn't able to save $7 billion dollars next year, and the year after that is very high. What would you do if this was your family budget and you were going to lose your home if you didn't cut back on dinner/movie out one night a week?