Survey of the Day: Will You Miss Mail Delivery On Saturday?

When I heard the news that the United State Postal Service was cutting out Saturday delivery of mail, I yawned and went on to the next part of my day. This is not news. Now, had they announced that they were going to start charging homeowners a fee in order to receive mail, that would have gotten my attention. By the way, please don’t mention that idea to anyone. I’d hate for that thought to get back to the Postmaster General. I don't want to have to start paying for all that junk mail I get that I never wanted in the first place.

The USPS has been struggling for years to make ends meet. Advances in technology have rendered much of what would be considered traditional mail, obsolete. The decline in the need for the services of the USPS undoubtedly began with the advent of the Internet. Email messages that can be typed and sent in mere minutes have all but replaced traditional handwritten letters that used to be so common. The ability to scan documents and send them across the country electronically and to transact practically any kind of business via the Internet has taken a huge chunk out of the postal service’s profits. On-line banking has grown in popularity and many people  rarely ever send a check in the mail anymore.

So I totally understand the problem the USPS is having. They have talked about cutting Saturday delivery for years, and I’m not sure why it has taken so long to finally make it happen. Of course, I wonder how it will affect the livelihood of the postal workers who suddenly won’t be delivering mail on the weekends, and taking a cut in pay. But, beyond that, it certainly makes sense to me. Will not receiving mail on that one day significantly affect the average American? I highly doubt it. And, for me personally, I would be quite okay with receiving my mail only 2-3 days a week,honestly. I don't even like getting mail. Seems that 90% of it is junk or bills. Shoot, it’s not uncommon for me to go to my mail box down the street every two or three days anyway.

And I must take my share of the blame for the downfall of the USPS. In recent years, about my only contribution to them has been on April 15th when I put my completed tax return in the mail.

The USPS expects to save around $2 billion a year by making this move, which should take effect August 1. And, although we just recently saw another increase in the price of a first class stamp, we can expect that price to steadily increase as the USPS struggles to survive. The cost of doing business just keeps going up- and so does the cost of just getting up in the morning. I know the USPS is struggling. So am I. They will figure it out. And so will I.