News, Post office posts $1 billion loss. (small business, purchase, unemployment, workers)

[rcarrillo]

Originally Posted by KevK

I agree. In this day of the internet, email and on line billing, they can cut Saturday out. In fact they could probably deliver 4 days a week.

Considering all I get in the mail is junk, with an occasion bill (I do most paperless statements and auto drafts), shouldn't I get Saturday's off from collecting it?

What percentage of mail do people actually care about or find useful? Would getting it M-F and skipping it on weekends really be a problem?

With gas prices alone now, think of the savings of all those carriers driving around 1/6 less of the time.

[revelated]

True story:

I had a PO Box about 4 years ago, because I wanted to control who got my real address without due diligence. I got the smallest size possible, because I figured I should only be getting 2-3 envelopes. Two days pass, I get a note from USPS saying my mailbox is full. I go to get it, there's 3 envelopes and AT LEAST a pound of flyers, ads and other junk material. Err?

I escalated it as far as I cared to, arguing that if they wanted to keep boxes from getting full, stop putting flyers and ads in there and focus only on real mail. They refused to do it because it's a revenue stream for them.

They really need an opt-out provision to all of that junk.

If they want to cut those deficits, instead of rampantly increasing postage rates and Priority Mail rates, why not increase the cost of Caller Service and business class mail handling? I'd also support a reasonable charge for mail forwarding; decrease the free timeframe to 6 months instead of a year, charge for anything more than that.

Also, increase the prices of money orders and adjunct services like Delivery Confirmation and Signature Confirmation.

Basically - the cost to send mail should go down. The cost of everything around that should increase slightly, for each service. Collectively they could make a mint.

[Jaxson]

I am already on a "opt out" plan of junk mail coming in. When you get yet another pre-approved credit card ap take that ap, with a sharpie marker write across the ap "remove from list" and stick it back into the pre-paid envelope addressed to the company that is filling up your mailbox! Works great been doing it for years and my junk mail has almost stopped just local stuff mostly pizza coupons. Now we might get actual mail 3 times per week so it wouldn't bother me if they dropped the Saturday delivery. Getting ready to start this plan on AARP now.

I shared this tip with my neighbors on our road and our mailman said our whole mile receives less mail per week then any others on his route. By sending the companies their junk back I am keeping my mailman in a job too.

[wanderintonc]

Originally Posted by revelated

True story:

I had a PO Box about 4 years ago, because I wanted to control who got my real address without due diligence. I got the smallest size possible, because I figured I should only be getting 2-3 envelopes. Two days pass, I get a note from USPS saying my mailbox is full. I go to get it, there's 3 envelopes and AT LEAST a pound of flyers, ads and other junk material. Err?

I escalated it as far as I cared to, arguing that if they wanted to keep boxes from getting full, stop putting flyers and ads in there and focus only on real mail. They refused to do it because it's a revenue stream for them.

.

That's not the reason. The reason they continue to put junk mail in your box is-it's YOUR mail, addressed to you/your box. The clerk cannot just decide what mail you should or should not get-they have to put it all in your box. Same goes for letter carriers on the street-people complain to me, I don't want this mail, well-I have to deliver it. After I deliver it, do whatever you want!

[MIKEETC]

Originally Posted by Jaxson

I am already on a "opt out" plan of junk mail coming in. When you get yet another pre-approved credit card ap take that ap, with a sharpie marker write across the ap "remove from list" and stick it back into the pre-paid envelope addressed to the company that is filling up your mailbox! Works great been doing it for years and my junk mail has almost stopped just local stuff mostly pizza coupons. Now we might get actual mail 3 times per week so it wouldn't bother me if they dropped the Saturday delivery. Getting ready to start this plan on AARP now.

I shared this tip with my neighbors on our road and our mailman said our whole mile receives less mail per week then any others on his route. By sending the companies their junk back I am keeping my mailman in a job too.

I'll have to give that a try. I get way too many CC solicitations and it always goes straight to the recycle bin.

Eliminating junk mail is more than just stopping a personal nuisance, it is eliminating environmental waste.

[Jaxson]

I am telling you it works you may have to send it back 2-3 times to the same company but they will stop sending you stuff. It works for any junk mail you get with a pre-paid envelope to reply back with. Not only will it stop the company sending you stuff but they remove your address from their data base so they aren't selling it to another junk mailer hopefully.

Now wonder how we combat our elected officials from sending their junk mail out on tax payer's dimes?

[J Arp]

No need to mess with the companies directly. I registered at this page:

https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t

Four months later I don't get a damn thing but bills and legitimate correspondence.

[caligurltotx]

Very true posts on this thread. And yes expect to see an increase in postage and services. I agree with whomever said all you get is ads and a few letters/bills. I too have basically eliminated getting any of my bills by snail mail. The post office has got to start thinking outside the box. I heard today or yesterday that UPS has done this routing thing so their drivers spend less time having to wait at left turn signals. They travel routes to avoid them. It saved the company over a million a yr in fuel costs!!

[KevK]

Another big disadvantage the USPS has is that the law requires any package over 1 pound be mailed at a post office in person. I know this has cost them business because I myself have switched to UPS which has no such requirements. I have to work and I do not have time to go to the Post Office and stand in line.

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by Jaxson

I am telling you it works you may have to send it back 2-3 times to the same company but they will stop sending you stuff. It works for any junk mail you get with a pre-paid envelope to reply back with. Not only will it stop the company sending you stuff but they remove your address from their data base so they aren't selling it to another junk mailer hopefully.

Now wonder how we combat our elected officials from sending their junk mail out on tax payer's dimes?

That sounds like a great idea. These companies have to pay for that return postage.