U.S. Post Office is Still Struggling

[dualstow]

I just posted in this thread, and a few minutes later, in comes an email from cnn alerts:

No more mail on Saturdays.

We are really on the cutting edge of things here.

We discuss events before they even happen.

haha. I wish I hadn't heard this news until August, which is when my next newsmagazine will probably be delivered.
Well, we'll still get packages on Saturday, just not 1st class letters.

Hadn't heard about the tracking numbers.

[clacy]

Has anyone else noticed USPS tracking numbers not working for the last few days?

We just had a very important (certified mail) document that was lost and shipped clear across the country and finally tracked down.  Either way, for the most part the USPS does a pretty good job.

[dragoncar]

From a policy perspective, the original USPS mandate made sense: provide reliable communications at a cheap and predictable price to anyone, anywhere in the US. 

This is no longer necessary.  We have the internet.  It would be far better to remove subsidized physical communication and put the money towards universal internet access and infrastructure.

There's still an argument for subsidized physical good delivery, but that doesn't need to happen every day.  If you are manning the wild frontier, once a week should be OK for packages as long as you have phone/email service.

Just spitballing here.

[Pointedstick]

From a policy perspective, the original USPS mandate made sense: provide reliable communications at a cheap and predictable price to anyone, anywhere in the US. 

This is no longer necessary.  We have the internet.  It would be far better to remove subsidized physical communication and put the money towards universal internet access and infrastructure.

There's still an argument for subsidized physical good delivery, but that doesn't need to happen every day.  If you are manning the wild frontier, once a week should be OK for packages as long as you have phone/email service.

I'll second this. If there's anything that rural areas really need subsidized, it's internet service. Options are few, far between, and very expensive.

[dualstow]

I found this part of the article quite interesting:

But it isn't all about things — there are digital options for a post office that moves beyond paper. The idea would be for the postal service to create authenticated, government-issued e-mail accounts, linked to our physical addresses, that people would keep for life. Americans should be able to compose electronic documents that the postal service would deliver as physical objects, and receive scanned images of incoming mail, along with the option to choose which pieces you actually want delivered to your house and when.

I'm not sure I would need the first service, but the latter one sounds ideal. Keep the catalogs and spam, and yes please send me that letter from Aunt Marcia.

[flyingpylon]

I found this part of the article quite interesting:

But it isn't all about things — there are digital options for a post office that moves beyond paper. The idea would be for the postal service to create authenticated, government-issued e-mail accounts, linked to our physical addresses, that people would keep for life. Americans should be able to compose electronic documents that the postal service would deliver as physical objects, and receive scanned images of incoming mail, along with the option to choose which pieces you actually want delivered to your house and when.

I'm not sure I would need the first service, but the latter one sounds ideal. Keep the catalogs and spam, and yes please send me that letter from Aunt Marcia.

Do you really want the government scanning your mail?  Even if it's just a letter from Aunt Martha?

[dualstow]

I found this part of the article quite interesting:

But it isn't all about things — there are digital options for a post office that moves beyond paper. The idea would be for the postal service to create authenticated, government-issued e-mail accounts, linked to our physical addresses, that people would keep for life. Americans should be able to compose electronic documents that the postal service would deliver as physical objects, and receive scanned images of incoming mail, along with the option to choose which pieces you actually want delivered to your house and when.

I'm not sure I would need the first service, but the latter one sounds ideal. Keep the catalogs and spam, and yes please send me that letter from Aunt Marcia.

Do you really want the government scanning your mail?  Even if it's just a letter from Aunt Martha?

Nah, just the outside w/ the sender information.

[annieB]

Loss was 16 Bil.
This will save 2 Bil.
So,need to cut out service for 8 days per week.
I ain't no Harry Browne but, I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express...

[Pointedstick]

I found this part of the article quite interesting:

But it isn't all about things — there are digital options for a post office that moves beyond paper. The idea would be for the postal service to create authenticated, government-issued e-mail accounts, linked to our physical addresses, that people would keep for life. Americans should be able to compose electronic documents that the postal service would deliver as physical objects, and receive scanned images of incoming mail, along with the option to choose which pieces you actually want delivered to your house and when.

MMM, how comforting.

I'm pretty sure there are private sector companies that already do this. I remember reading an article about some Scandanavian company that already provides this service, and it sounded amazing.

[flyingpylon]

I found this part of the article quite interesting:

But it isn't all about things — there are digital options for a post office that moves beyond paper. The idea would be for the postal service to create authenticated, government-issued e-mail accounts, linked to our physical addresses, that people would keep for life. Americans should be able to compose electronic documents that the postal service would deliver as physical objects, and receive scanned images of incoming mail, along with the option to choose which pieces you actually want delivered to your house and when.

I'm not sure I would need the first service, but the latter one sounds ideal. Keep the catalogs and spam, and yes please send me that letter from Aunt Marcia.

Well, here you go:  https://www.outboxmail.com/

Looks like they do open and scan your first-class mail, however.

[dualstow]

Well, here you go:  https://www.outboxmail.com/

Looks like they do open and scan your first-class mail, however.

That's really cool! Thanks!
For a rented P.O. box that probably would not have personal correspondence anyway, that seems like a good way to cut down on spam.

Similarly, I used to entertain fantasies of ending telemarketer calls by turning my landline over to google voice and marking those calls as spam. But, the service is just too spotty; I don't trust it.

[dualstow]

2013 UPDATE:

Mail carriers will largely be replaced by "cluster boxes".
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/28/opinion/g ... ost-office

[dualstow]

What the heck took them so long to figure out this was an easy way to cut costs without cutting Saturday delivery?

I think they were reluctant to make this move because they know a lot of people will be displeased.
Still, desperate times call for desperate measures.

[dualstow]

Well, as the article mentions, there's also the privacy factor.
And weather.
Not that I disagree with you. I don't mind walking.

[WiseOne]

Well, here you go:  https://www.outboxmail.com/

Looks like they do open and scan your first-class mail, however.

That's really cool! Thanks!
For a rented P.O. box that probably would not have personal correspondence anyway, that seems like a good way to cut down on spam.

Similarly, I used to entertain fantasies of ending telemarketer calls by turning my landline over to google voice and marking those calls as spam. But, the service is just too spotty; I don't trust it.

There are several such online mail handling places.  I'm still waiting for the price to come down, since $30/month isn't worth it.  Physical mail for me is mostly junk anyway, since most transactions now are all online.  USPS should definitely open digital services.  At the very least, I don't understand why post offices don't double as Kinko's like places with fax, copy, and scan services.

Google Voice has been the best spam call reduction scheme EVER.  I said goodbye to landlines a long time ago and have only a cell phone.  The cell phone # remains private (family/friends).  I give out the Google Voice number publicly, so that calls are routed there.  The simple fact that telemarketers and commercial entities go immediately to voicemail almost completely solves the problem, and I don't at all mind getting the message on my phone and then calling back at my leisure if it's a commercial call that I actually wanted.

[dualstow]

WiseOne, I love google voice. Enough robocallers already have my landline # so unfortunately I can't stop them with google voice, but since 2010(?) I usually give out my google voice number if I can.

(off-topic: Thanks for the medical insurance advice in the other thread. I sent you a PM about it rather than posting).

[MachineGhost]

2014 UPDATE:

The U.S. Postal Service Tests Same-Day Delivery

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/20 ... y-delivery