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Everyone will just HAVE to mail items on time to be to the recipient in time for birthdays, anns, etc. When the stores were closed on sundays and only stayed open until 6 pm the rest of the days wayyyyyyyy back when everyone had to make sure they had what they needed in the way of groceries etc.
So I don't think this'll be a big deal in anyway.
In our lobbies here there are self service kiosks where you can buy postage, weigh your packages and mail them. The lobbies are open 24 hours so how could mail workers not working on saturdays be a big deal?
I'll probably get my head chewed off for this one but why should the post office accommodate full time employees by closing on mondays so they can run their errands (when you can mail your mail from your own mailbox) when nothing and no other company accomodates full time employees? If your company wanted you to have mondays off but work every saturday how would you feel about it?
I'll probably get my head chewed off for this one but why should the post office accommodate full time employees by closing on mondays so they can run their errands (when you can mail your mail from your own mailbox) when nothing and no other company accomodates full time employees? If your company wanted you to have mondays off but work every saturday how would you feel about it?
my first real job my days off were sundays and monday... this suited me fine because i could run errands on monday while everyone else was at work..
I'm very spoilied. I live in Los Angeles and the post office near LAX used to be open 24 hours. In the past two or three years they changed the hours to 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. They are opened on Saturdays and Sundays and many holidays.
I love the LAX post office. It's nice to stroll in at 9pm to mail something with no lines. That is the place to be on April 15th as well. Literally thousands of people mail taxes up until midnight from that location.
I'll probably get my head chewed off for this one but why should the post office accommodate full time employees by closing on mondays so they can run their errands (when you can mail your mail from your own mailbox) when nothing and no other company accomodates full time employees? If your company wanted you to have mondays off but work every saturday how would you feel about it?
I'm not going to chew your head off, but I just wanted to say that I can't mail from my own mailbox here in the Bronx. I have to either use a mailbox on the street or go to the Post Office.
They have talked about these changes before and it really sounds like it is going to happen this time. I don't have a real problem with one less delivery day, just a change to get used to. I worry more about the small post office near our cottage in Michigan. It is pretty small but just wonderful. The clerk knows us and even calls us when something arrives for us! If they close that post office it would be a 25 mile trip to the nearest post office - ugh.
__________________ Martha
"When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life." Jean Shinoda Bolen
I think cutting the Sat delivery makes sense. Does anyone remember when we had delivery TWICE a day????? I do. Can you imagine that now? Ten years from now we'll wonder why they EVER had delivery on Sat.
I don't mind not delivering on Sat, but I'm afraid alot of people will be laid off and then they will want to cut it down more. I don't understand why our post office doesn't branch out and do more. It seems to me, then they could hire more people.
Quote:
Originally Posted by courtonstamps
Post Offices in Australia have lots of side business though, banking, mobile phones, registration for vehicles, passports and more,
I had to send a $400 piece of equipment out this week. Checked with the post office and it would have cost $12.95 to send the box plus I would have had to pay for insurance.
Took it to UPS and it only cost $10.35 which included the insurance. That might be why USPS is loosing money. UPS is being more competitive and I didnt have to wait in line. Was in and out of the UPS store in less than 4 minutes. Our local post office usually has one clerk and it's 15 or more minutes to mail a package.
I don't mind not delivering on Sat, but I'm afraid alot of people will be laid off and then they will want to cut it down more. I don't understand why our post office doesn't branch out and do more. It seems to me, then they could hire more people.
I was concerned about lay off too, until I read an article on cnn.com yesterday and it stated that the USPS cannot lay off its employees. I didn't know this until yesterday. I'm glad they can't lay anyone off; the economy is really bad right now. My husband may be losing his job tomorrow :( we’ll have to wait and see. If not tomorrow then it will be pretty soon, his company can barely make payroll.
I was concerned about lay off too, until I read an article on cnn.com yesterday and it stated that the USPS cannot lay off its employees. I didn't know this until yesterday. I'm glad they can't lay anyone off; the economy is really bad right now. My husband may be losing his job tomorrow :( we�ll have to wait and see. If not tomorrow then it will be pretty soon, his company can barely make payroll.
But they can layoff and will layoff carriers.
Once they go to a 5-day week, they won't need additional carriers to cover the extra day each week for each route. basically 1/6th of the carriers will not be needed.
My son is a carrier, he was told if you didn't have 6 years in as a permanent employee, you will be eventually laid off, but it wouldn't start happening until the 5 day week started.
This is from the article at cnn.com
"We are very proud of the fact that we have never had to lay any employees off."
That isn't saying they won't be laying 'em off in the future.
Also, the reason for Saturday being the no mail day..
Originally, the post office wanted no mail delivery on tuesday because it is their slowest mail day of the week. The postal union made them switch to Sat. because if it was tuesday, carriers would never get 2 days off in a row, let alone a full weekend.
Mail your cards ladies, help keep those carriers employed!
__________________ Sue
...no matter where you are, there you are! my gallery
But they can layoff and will layoff carriers.
Once they go to a 5-day week, they won't need additional carriers to cover the extra day each week for each route. basically 1/6th of the carriers will not be needed.
My son is a carrier, he was told if you didn't have 6 years in as a permanent employee, you will be eventually laid off, but it wouldn't start happening until the 5 day week started.
This is from the article at cnn.com
"We are very proud of the fact that we have never had to lay any employees off."
That isn't saying they won't be laying 'em off in the future.
Also, the reason for Saturday being the no mail day..
Originally, the post office wanted no mail delivery on tuesday because it is their slowest mail day of the week. The postal union made them switch to Sat. because if it was tuesday, carriers would never get 2 days off in a row, let alone a full weekend.
Mail your cards ladies, help keep those carriers employed!
I must have read the article wrong....I swore that it said they won't be laying off any employees, but I did find this quote from another article, which basically says the same thing- (I must have missed the 'six years' part).
The standby practice has most directly affected the 220,000 members of the American Postal Workers Union, a union made up mainly of clerks and maintenance workers at post offices and processing centers, whose contract with the USPS forbids employees with more than six years experience to be laid off. The same contract also contains a clause guaranteeing "eight hours' pay for eight hours' work."
I must have read the article wrong....I swore that it said they won't be laying off any employees, but I did find this quote from another article, which basically says the same thing- (I must have missed the 'six years' part).
The standby practice has most directly affected the 220,000 members of the American Postal Workers Union, a union made up mainly of clerks and maintenance workers at post offices and processing centers, whose contract with the USPS forbids employees with more than six years experience to be laid off. The same contract also contains a clause guaranteeing "eight hours' pay for eight hours' work."
I think every few years the contract expires and the union has to negotiate a new one with postal management. The non-layoff clause might be a temporary thing, depending on the terms of the new contract.
I think right now they are trying very hard not to lay anyone off - they have gotten rid of their "casuals" (temporary workers), and recently offered $15000 to everyone who wanted to retire by Oct 2009, prompting some workers to retire early.
Regarding some earlier posts - I think the post office is not allowed to branch out to some areas because Congress doesn't allow it. My (vague) impression only.
I am fortunate as I can ship from my house. But there is a PO Outlet at the local grocery store that use a lot. THey are very limited on what they can do though -no international mail
can only mail letters/packages but they do have delivery confirmation and insurance options.
I like it.
Losing Saturday delivery will not really bother me. It will tkae a bit to get use to but I think we will all adjust to it.
Didn't the USPS "talk" about this last year?? If it must happen then I wil work with it.
I have noticed change in operation hours though. At Hickam AFB in Hawaii, the PO on base, changed thier hours to 8:30am to 4pm and they closed one hour for lunch and closed Sat. On base here at Scott in Illinois PO is opened from 8:30am to 4pm , but do not close for lunch, and closed Sat.
Just remember "when" PO was open to 5pm weekly and opened on Saturdays!! Showing my age!!!
I'm showing my age, too -- I remember getting several deliveries a day during the Christmas holidays -- when more people sent lots and lots of Christmas cards.
I have noticed a decrease in junk mail, which is not a bad thing. We can live with mail delivery one less day a week. There are some days now when I get only two pieces of mail -- one junk and one bill.
I'm fine with dropping a day as I don't pick-up my mail everyday anyway. It's one of those neighborhood mailboxes at the end of my street. I order my stamps online and if I need to actually visit the post office for mailing heavy items, I use the grocery store close to my house,
I do agree that if they charged full price for junk mail I'd have a lot less. I get so tired of having to shred all that cr@p. I know I could register to stop junk mail, but every now and then I get stamping info and I don't want it to stop -- I like specific junk mail
I'll probably get my head chewed off for this one but why should the post office accommodate full time employees by closing on mondays so they can run their errands (when you can mail your mail from your own mailbox) when nothing and no other company accomodates full time employees? If your company wanted you to have mondays off but work every saturday how would you feel about it?
Without a postal scale, you can't mail your packages from your mail box and some of us don't have mail boxes. We pay every year for postal boxes. I wouldn't mind if we had a kiosk, but we don't. I think if the post office does this, UPS and Fedex will get a lot more business, from me anyway. Also, if the post office cuts back too much, you might even see UPS and Fedex starting a letter carrying service. It's not so far fetched. Fedex and UPS already do small packages, envelope size.
I just want to jump in here and say that the PO is not all to blame for the finances. Here's some interesting facts.
The post office is a quasi-private business. They receive no tax dollars and are completely self-supporting.
But it is totally controlled by a board that is made up mostly of congresspeople, and congress controls their function.
One thing that the congress has demanded is that each mail class has to be self-supporting. In other words, first class has to pay for itself, priority mail pay for itself, parcel post and bulk mail the same, etc.
Another thing that congress has demanded is that the USPS completely fund their benefits packages (in the bank, in other words). There is not a single other business that they require that of, and no business does it.
The post office has tried many times to act like a private business and cut costs where there is a drain on their finances. There are post offices with only a few customers (the least is 2 patrons) that are open full hours, and with other post offices nearby. Cutting Saturday delivery (NOT PO hours) would save a massive amount of money.
BUT congress has its agenda and has passed bills that prevent any cuts in services several times in the past.
I don't imagine that congress will allow this cut in Saturday delivery either, and we will see even more price increases.
I just want to jump in here and say that the PO is not all to blame for the finances. Here's some interesting facts.
The post office is a quasi-private business. They receive no tax dollars and are completely self-supporting.
But it is totally controlled by a board that is made up mostly of congresspeople, and congress controls their function.
One thing that the congress has demanded is that each mail class has to be self-supporting. In other words, first class has to pay for itself, priority mail pay for itself, parcel post and bulk mail the same, etc.
Another thing that congress has demanded is that the USPS completely fund their benefits packages (in the bank, in other words). There is not a single other business that they require that of, and no business does it.
The post office has tried many times to act like a private business and cut costs where there is a drain on their finances. There are post offices with only a few customers (the least is 2 patrons) that are open full hours, and with other post offices nearby. Cutting Saturday delivery (NOT PO hours) would save a massive amount of money.
BUT congress has its agenda and has passed bills that prevent any cuts in services several times in the past.
I don't imagine that congress will allow this cut in Saturday delivery either, and we will see even more price increases.
Don't you luuuuvvvv our congress people - sometimes I wonder what we were drinking when we elected them and what they are smoking when they make up some of the stupid rulings.
Just a reminder.....There are many places you can take letters/packages to be weighed to determine postage. Most office supply stores, supermarkets, many gift shops that sell cards (just don't purchase your cards from those stores), anywhere that ships FedEx, UPS or that red and yellow truck (can't remember the name). They all have scales you can use to weigh for postage.
I used to work Tuesday thru Sunday....not having weekends off was difficult at best. I am sure the postal workers would appreciate the weekend off...and to staff the Post Office for a few hours, I am sure they could work out a fair system for everyone to work a few hours each month but still retain the bulk of their weekend off.
I used to bid my shift according to NOT having weekends off, I think Postal employees will HATE having weekends cuz shoot, EVERYONE is shopping the same day, banks are closed and now WHEN will they mail their bills off with it being closed on the weekends??? LOL
I LOVE middle of the week days off, more "me" time!!! ;)
I just want to jump in here and say that the PO is not all to blame for the finances. Here's some interesting facts.
The post office is a quasi-private business. They receive no tax dollars and are completely self-supporting.
But it is totally controlled by a board that is made up mostly of congresspeople, and congress controls their function.
One thing that the congress has demanded is that each mail class has to be self-supporting. In other words, first class has to pay for itself, priority mail pay for itself, parcel post and bulk mail the same, etc.
Another thing that congress has demanded is that the USPS completely fund their benefits packages (in the bank, in other words). There is not a single other business that they require that of, and no business does it.
The post office has tried many times to act like a private business and cut costs where there is a drain on their finances. There are post offices with only a few customers (the least is 2 patrons) that are open full hours, and with other post offices nearby. Cutting Saturday delivery (NOT PO hours) would save a massive amount of money.
BUT congress has its agenda and has passed bills that prevent any cuts in services several times in the past.
I don't imagine that congress will allow this cut in Saturday delivery either, and we will see even more price increases.
I'm glad you posted this, so many people think the USPS is funded by the gov't. They aren't but ARE controlled by it.
__________________ Sue
...no matter where you are, there you are! my gallery
Stopping Saturday delivery service is a sound business decision. I'm glad to see the PO waking up and smelling the coffee instead of continuing to run in deficit.
Actually, the decision isn't even in the PO's hands, unfortunately. It will take Congressional approval to end Saturday mail. I hope Congress makes the responsible choice.
Without drastic action the agency could face a cumulative loss of $238 billion over 10 years, Postmaster General John Potter said in releasing a series of consultant reports on agency operations and its outlook.
"The projections going forward are not bright," Potter told reporters in a briefing. But, he added, "all is not lost ... we can right this ship."
Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., chairman of the Senate subcommittee with oversight authority over the Postal Service, called on Congress to give the post office the flexibility to deal with its future needs.
"In light of the serious financial challenges facing the Postal Service, postal management must be allowed to make the business decisions they need to stay competitive and viable in the years to come. As we have seen, it is not productive for Congress to act like a 535-member board of directors and constantly second-guess these necessary changes," Carper said in a statement.
__________________ Hi! I'm ISO the Fun Stampers Journey stamp "Say Cheese" AT-0167. Thank you!
I don't think it means the end of handmade cards, even eventually.
My brother is a mail carrier, and we were discussing this topic, and I asked why the USPS hadn't considered simply going to a M-F delivery schedule. He rarely ever gets a "weekend" (2 days sequentially) off due to the current system.
He agreed it would be a logical move, but of course, it's not his call. ;)
The most significant reduction in mail volume he's seen is the bulk mailing of things like credit card offers, etc. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing--less junk mail makes me happy, that's for sure.
I have not yet seen much of a reduction in the junk mail category.....I sure wish AARP would save themselves some money and quit mailing to the "potential" senior citizen starting at 40 years old. I bet since I have turned 40 (and I am WAY past that) I have received over a 1000 mailings from them and they are still coming.
I think not delivering on a Saturday would be a good thing all the way around, especially for the poor mail carriers.
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I live in a small town and if the delivery of mail stops on Saturday I am ok with it. But our hours are so odd. I could not make it to the PO in time if I had to mail something before they close at 4:45 pm on the weekdays. I hope they don't close the PO on Saturdays.
I sure wish AARP would save themselves some money and quit mailing to the "potential" senior citizen starting at 40 years old. I bet since I have turned 40 (and I am WAY past that) I have received over a 1000 mailings from them and they are still coming.
Lol, I received one at age 22. I became disable then and qualified for Medicare. You think they would check those kinds of things- it said I was guaranteed accepted!
Actually, I have the impression that the post office wanted to cut Tuesday deliveries, so no delivery on Sunday and Tuesdays. But it was the union who fought against that, so some carriers could have two days off in a row.
But postal workers get paid extra for working on Sundays. Also, if they are graveyard-shift employees, they get paid extra for working Saturday nights (which become Sunday morning) AND Sunday nights.
Also, they can't change prices just like that - I think it has to be approved by Congress?? I don't exactly know how much control Congress has over the post office - it is enough though. Also, I have the vague impression that UPS and FedEx are actually not allowed to go into the letters portion? Not sure - these (the Congress sentences) are all just my impressions.
Pollybear is right in that if there is no delivery on Saturday AND Sunday, there will be a huge backlog (three days worth) of mail on Monday. This happens every time that a federal holiday falls in conjunction with a weekend - there's massive amounts of mail the very next business day, especially if it's a holiday for which most normal businesses stay open (like Labor Day).
Just wanted to chime in here to say one thing: I know junk mail is annoying, but just remember: that's someone's job too. My husband works for a mailing house where they print, fold, stuff, put postage on, and haul all of that mail to the post office. With a decrease in junk mail, he and alot of other employees are sweating losing their jobs. So, whereas it's annoying on the receiving end, it's kept many families fed and clothed on the beginning end! And about the discounted postage on the junk mail, yes they are given a discount. The discount is based on how much preliminary work is done-is it in zip code order, already sorted and bundled to specs, does it have barcode info that can be read by the computer and not have to be handled by hand, etc. Remember, they're mailing thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of pieces of mail at a time. And for every preliminary action they take before it gets to the po that eliminates how much the po actually has to 'handle' the mail, the bigger the discount. And if someone else is doing all the work, why not give the discount? And have you ever read a postal regulation packet on mass mailing and how to get these discounts? It's thick, it's like trying to read a foreign language, and my husband has to go twice a year to a class to keep his certification in order to get those discounts for their customers. So, yes, I think if they are willing to put THAT much work into it, they should get the discount!
As far as the Sat thing goes, I wouldn't care if they stopped delivery on Sat as long as they were still open at the po for a few hours. Ours in our little town is only open 9 to noon, like the small local bank. So, if there was still that, then I could get used to the no delivery thing with no problems. (Although it'd be hard to get out of the habit of looking in the mailbox anyway, I still do that on holidays and think "A-duh, holiday!!")
And isn't it sad that the USPS is not a government backed business but yet has the government telling them what they can or cannot do and controlling their every move? And with the Congress we have these days, that's sounds disastrous! I don't think they can agree on anything these days!
__________________ Tish, a/k/a GaMtnScrap Be who you are. Those that matter don't mind, and those that mind don't matter.
Junk mail dealers will end up going the way of other professions that have fallen behind the times and disappeared. It's an unfortunate fact of life that some jobs do fall by the wayside due to new technology, leaving many families in the lurch until a new job appears. In this job market, especially, it's a tough situation.
I'm very sympathetic toward mail carriers, junk mail handlers, and others who will lose their jobs due to new technology and new habits. The writing has been on the wall for at least a decade, though. There never was going to be any putting the internet genie back into the bottle, IMO.
Additionally, people are more conscious of the resources involved in shipping (mailing) literally tons of paper to millions and millions of people who do not want it. Not that I'm thrilled about it, but just as the internet is forcing major changes in the postal service, it's beginning to bring changes in the way companies advertise to potential customers (and they see every one of us as a potential customer). Many junk mail houses will become spam houses or something similar, if they haven't branched out into that area already.
Jobs or no, I'll be happy when the junk mail houses stop shipping tons of paper back and forth across the country to people who do not want it. I fully realize companies will find new ways to annoy me with their advertising, but I feel it's time to stop paper mass-marketing programs or, at least, make them so expensive and/or inconvenient that companies will stop of their own accord and move on to a new (and paperless) system.
__________________ Hi! I'm ISO the Fun Stampers Journey stamp "Say Cheese" AT-0167. Thank you!
