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The United States Postal Service announced Wednesday plans to halt Saturday mail delivery to residences and businesses beginning in August. The Postal Service expects to generate savings of $2 billion annually once the plan is fully implemented.
Several Lewisboro residents responding to a Daily Voice poll on Facebook said they have no problem with losing their Saturday mail service.
“Yes, it’s a good idea,” wrote Rob Kingston. “I personally won’t miss it, but I do smell an opportunity for UPS.” “It’s a good idea, but I see a [price] increase coming again for stamps to offset revenue,” Tom Dieck added. Lewisboro Supervisor Peter Parsons said he won't mind going without Saturday mail delivery. "It will be great because the only mail I get on Saturday is junk mail," he said."I mean, when was the last time you got a letter? There is one magazine that I usually get on Saturday that I enjoy, but I can wait until Monday for it."
Although the plans aren’t completely finalized, most post offices will likely maintain regular business on Saturdays so post office box holders can pick up mail and customers can mail packages and buy stamps at the counter. Additionally, Express Mail and packages will continue to be delivered on Saturdays.
Over the past several years, the Postal Service has advocated shifting to a five-day delivery schedule for both mail and packages. However, according to the Postal Service, recent strong growth in package delivery (14 percent volume increase since 2010) and projections of continued strong package growth throughout the coming decade led to a revised approach to maintain package delivery six days per week.
“Our customers see strong value in the national delivery platform we provide and maintaining a six-day delivery schedule for packages is an important part of that platform,” said Patrick R. Donahoe, postmaster general and CEO. “As consumers increasingly use and rely on delivery services – especially due to the rise of e-commerce – we can play an increasingly vital role.”
Market research conducted by the Postal Service and independent research by major news organizations indicate that nearly seven out of 10 Americans supported the switch to five-day delivery as a way for the Postal Service to reduce costs in its effort to return the organization to financial stability, Donahoe said.
The Postal Service made the announcement more than six months in advance to give its customers time to plan and adjust. It plans to publish guidelines for residential and business customers about its new delivery schedule.
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