As we all know, technology is paving the way to an effortless future; where machines will take over jobs that US citizens will have once had. Although we haven't fully reached that height of innovation, the U.S Postal Service has taken it one step closer.
Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe, along with other officials, have decided to close down some 2,000 Postal offices throughout the nation. These offices would be in mostly small, rural and rarely visited retail locations that don't have enough customers.The new technology includes the Postal Service using a computerized system that allows officials to review and determine the future circumstances a location will be in. In other words, this new system shows if and when a certain office will have a good chunk of customers. If they don't have enough customers, then the process of closing down that office will take place.
Now, Federal law prohibits the Postal Service from closing traditional post offices - where most mail processing occurs - for economic reasons. So the branches being targeted include unprofitable sites that employ less than 5 people and are open for less than eight hours a day, and within 15 to 20 miles of a larger location.
Could all these office cuts have to do with the profit the Postal Service is making? Definitely. There was record of $8.5 billion in losses in fiscal year 2010.
A poll was taken last March by Washington Post-ABC News, to test customers reaction to the new plan. 64% opposed the idea of closing postal offices and greatly opposed closing down their local branch.
My question to you is how do you feel about possibly having your nearby nearby Post Office get closed down? And are you suprised to find how huge of losses they have?
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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7 comments:
I know that the internet(e-mail) has been the reason for the decrease in Postal use. I am not surprised about the postal offices loses, because the internet has been so big, and it is much cheaper to send e-mails then to pay to have it shipped somewhere, you don't have to pay for stamps either. You can send an e-mail whenever as long as there is internet connection and most public places have free wifi. But I am also kind of sad that postal offices maybe be shutting down, because I do excited excited and feel a sense of happiness when I recieve letters in the mail.
I think that sometimes these things are necessary, but I definetally hope that the government does not close down all post offices. We need physical letters despite whatever technological advancements there may be. Think about it. If you get an important email from a college or employer that was only sent once and your computer shuts down, you might just find yourself at a huge loss. Plus the flow of traffic of mail is a real and profitable endevour. Machines aren't perfect, and that extra scan by a human worker can mean the difference between efficiency and frustration.
I agree that e-mail has greatly altered the flow of paper mail being sent. The Radicati Group, which is a group that provides research on electronics and messaging, estimates that around 2.4 billion emails sent per second. Around 90% of it is spam, but then that still leaves 240 million emails sent per second that are genuine e-emails. With shocking numbers like these, I'm not very surprised by the huge losses of the post office; it's just a striking truth that we must accept: new technology has surpassed once vital necessities like the post office in terms of written mail. I think it is appropriate for the post office to close down some of its lesser used post offices because it needs to adapt to changes in society. The only thing that the post office is particularly useful for is sending tangible objects, like packages, to other places. I would feel frustrated if a post office closed down near my house and I needed to send a package somewhere far away, but I also feel like it's necessary because the postal office can't run every year and lose $8.5 billion for each year it maintains its post offices. I feel that the government made a tough, yet advisable, decision in this case.
I would be deeply saddened if my local post office was shut down. There is a tiny post office in the Crystal Springs Shopping Center that I go to to mail packages and buy stamps. I love the aura of a small intimate post office and I love how it is so close and easy to get to. I have been to the larger post office on Delaware St. twice this month, and each time I've gone the line has been 15-people-long and all the staff members look completely stressed out and overwhelmed. The Delaware post office has gotten so busy that they now force customers to create appointments to renew their passport. If my local post office were to shut down I would hate to have to drive all the way downtown and have to deal with all the chaos of a large office just to simply mail a package.
Although I'm saddened by the loss of small post offices, I understand why the Postal Service is seeing such large losses in income. Email is free, easy to use, easily accessible, fast, and green. Email has become a way of life. I think when it comes to further supporting the Postal Service, we will have to ask ourselves if we are willing to give up the comforts of email in order to save the tradition of paper mail. -Sandy Frank
Well, the government runs the post office for a reason. Straight outta class: in order to keep pricing affordable, they artificially keep a single flat rate for mail.
There's a reason why it's not profitable, and with the emphasis today to balance the budget... well we're running out of options.
Mailing will never die... well it better not at least.. ha.
a lot of things still need to be in paper, but if they ever shut down the US postal service, large private package and mail carriers such as UPS and FedEx will most likely become the major contributors to delivery. But, chances are with mailing being privatized, shipping and rates will not longer be simple flat rates.
-Raymond Lim
Yes as we are moving towards the future and becoming more technologically advanced, there is not much need more the ever so slow snail mail. Sure we all sometimes have that " I love the small post office in my town" moments, but the reality is, it is much more convenient, time effective, cost effective to send emails. The Postal service MUST downsize it is inevitable, building on what tony said here is a great example of new technology has surpassed once vital necessities like the post office in terms of written mail. Although i do think that US postal should stick around as a competitor to UPS and Fedex etc, To keep shipping rates affordable. Also lets hope they in the far distant future they don't charge to send emails. HAHA
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