A closer look at these numbers reveals a marked generation gap, with only 41 percent of U.S. residents under the age of 35 using the mail to pay their bills.
How about you? After all, electronic commerce is all the rage right now and it's convenient. But it does affect the volume of the Postal Service.
The fine people over at Your Postal Podcast asked a number of employees if they used electronic billing and payment. The responses were varied. I also asked that question last month and quite a few of you had something to say.
Do you pay your bills online? Or by check? Or a little of both? Go to the poll on the upper right hand corner and weigh in then leave a comment here.
Do you use electronic billing and payments?
- Never. I only use stamps.
- Rarely. Only when I have to.
- Sometimes. With just a few of my bills.
- Almost exclusively. It's convenient.
Posted near the timeclock at the Reno, NV, Plant
18 comments:
I only pay bills on line when I forget to mail them on time. I believe in supporting the company that employs me.
I only pay bills on line when I forget to mail them on time. I believe in supporting the company that employs me.
If I think my payment won't make it on time with a stamp then I pay on line. Otherwise, how can I expect to stay here if I don't support the business.
I use the Postal Service only.
I support the Company I work for.
I pay all my bills with a stamp. I had a customer come in this week and ask for "one lousy stamp," and then tell me she paid most of her bills online.
I use only the Postal Service. When customers tell me that electronic is cheaper, I ask them how much their internet service costs them each month? And how much the computer they are using cost them, it usually surprises them at how much they are spending and not realizing it. 44 cents doesn't seem so bad then.
I use only the Postal Serive. Always have, Always will.
I always use the mail. Sometimes I even use Express or Priority so I can confirm delivery. Not all creditors are honest as to when they actually received payment so they can make extra money with false charges. Some I just don't trust further than I can spit because of past experience with them.
I pay one bill online regularly, because it is easier and there is no charge to do so. Otherwise, I pay by mail, unless I delayed payment too long, and a mailed payment might arrive late. I think people are swimming against the tide when they urge people to pay by mail in situations when it is easier to do it online; people will do what's easiest and makes most sense. Instead, we should encourage people to mail more letters and cards, use USPS for their packages and ask companies to mail our purchases to us. I do resist the constant urging by creditors to receive only online statements. I want a hardcopy.
We pay some bills on line. The point about how much the internet and a computer costs is moot since most folks have the internet and a computer anyway, so the electronic is really not costing extra.
I always use the mail. I have had my identity stolen 3 different times because of online transactions. As postal employees, how can we not use our own service?
You need to really think how much the internet and a computer will cost you when you no longer have a job to pay for it.You say most folks have the internet and a computer anyway, so the electronic is really not costing extra but it is generally because they are employeed. It is hard to convince everyone to continue to use the Postal Service when our own employees don't and this does include managers at all levels!
You are so right when you say managers at all levels are going electronic! We had a plant manager before the USPS was so hard hit that told us in a town hall meeting that we should start paying all of our bills online! I know a lot of employees that chose to do this because they thought they were helping the PO by starting this and they still do it because it is what they are used to now!
I agree with all those who say we need to use stamps and support the Post Office and our jobs and I DO!
I have some of my utilitiy bills automatically deducted from my checking account. I use the internet to transfer money between accounts and to pay the credit card bill with that bank. All other bills are paid by check and mailed.
I have some of my utilitiy bills automatically deducted from my checking account. I use the internet to transfer money between accounts and to pay the credit card bill with that bank. All other bills are paid by check and mailed.
The same can be said with where our own business is going. Management's goal for last year was to have 33%, or 1/3 of all revenue from "alernate" sources. That includes clip & ship, stamps by mail, APC, ect. So our own HQ is asking our customers to go on line...constantly adversting the USPS.COM! If every postal employee bought one stamp every pay day and tossed it in the trash, that would generate 3.4 million a year in sales, without the cost of processing that letter. That would go a long way in "saving our jobs".
I pay my bills by mail.
OK so here's the thing. I've been paying bills online through my bank because I thought it was faster but then I found out the day I've schedule a bill pay is only the day they suck the money out of my account. My bills were not being credited with being paid for several days. I may as well go back to mailing them that way the money stays in my account and I get credit for the bill being paid.
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