Saturday mail delivery could be axed

Saturday mail delivery could soon be history as more letters are delivered electronically and the Postal Service continues to rack up multibillion-dollar losses.

Postmaster General John Potter has asked Congress to allow the USPS to go from six-day delivery to five in the face of falling revenue and a drastic drop in mail coming through the system.

Mail volume is down 20 billion pieces this fiscal year compared to last, according to the U.S. Postal Service; the previous fiscal year saw a drop of 9.5 billion pieces compared to the year before.

The recession and more people communicating and paying bills online have also hit the Postal Service in the pocketbook. On top of that, the public appears put off by the rising cost of a first-class stamp, which went up another two cents this year.

Potter told the Senate this month that reducing delivery by one day could “restore fiscal health to the Postal Service.” Congress must approve the reduction in service.

“They make the final decision,” said Rob Soler, customer service coordinator for the USPS in Tucson. “If mail delivery does go to five days, it would be Saturday that is cut.”

Soler noted that the USPS doesn’t receive tax dollars and is funded by retail sales, “and right now no revenue streams are stable,” he said. “We’re looking at a $7 billion loss this year.”

The USPS reported a $2.8 billion loss last year.

Soler said the average number of pieces of mail delivered daily to each home is four and a half, down from six.

The Postal Service has cut jobs, overtime and has frozen top-level salaries, but it hasn’t been enough. Potter has noted that some countries are pursuing other sources of income, such as renewing driver’s licenses or offering banking services. It also is considering closing hundreds of the nation’s 37,000 post offices and retail outlets.

However, the USPS’s Arizona District announced Wednesday that no changes will be made at seven of eight Arizona postal facilities that have been under study for possible consolidation. These included post offices in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Prescott, Bullhead City, Bisbee and Sedona.

Still being considered for consolidation is Tucson’s Midtown Station. A final decision won’t be made until at least Oct. 1.

If Saturday home delivery ends, not everybody would be out of luck. Post offices now open on Saturday would remain open, and customers who receive mail at a post office box would still get delivery that day.

In Green Valley, postmistress Sandy Rios said for the week ending Aug. 14, retail transactions were down 33 percent and that 260 routes across Arizona have been reduced because of decreased mail volume.

As for Green Valley, “This post office has always been a seasonal post office but has been less seasonal this summer,” she said. “Many people may not have left this summer due to the economy.”

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.