Maybe No One Will Notice
Something’s got to give. Let’s just hope it’s not the U.S. Postal Service.
As everyone no doubt knows by now, the USPS lost $2.8 billion during fiscal year 2008, which ended Sept. 30. This happened though it cut $2 billion of expenses, including 50 million work hours from the year before.
Those results were a little worse than some industry predictions, but hardly surprising.
Of course, the USPS cited as reasons the usual demons of lower mail volume, growing electronic communications, the sputtering economy and its obligations to pay retiree health benefits.
But here’s a new twist: According to reports, the USPS is cutting back on some delivery routes and hopes people don’t notice.
Unlike DHL, which last week had the luxury of ditching the domestic market, the USPS was compelled to deliver everywhere in the country six days a week.
That could easily change if the Postal Regulatory Commission recommends to Congress next month that the USPS trim its delivery hours from current levels.
Of course, trying to cut mail delivery might be about a popular with the people and by extension, Congress—as closing military bases or Amtrak routes.
