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Post by InsomniaQueen on Jan 25, 2021 11:38:53 GMT
"Without help from the federal government, the Postal Service could run out of cash later this year. Such a financial crisis would mean laying off workers, limiting service, and worsening delays — and delays are already so bad that holiday cards mailed in early December are still being delivered in late January. In the long term, Congress could decide to privatize the Postal Service, fulfilling one of the Trump administration’s ambitions but likely denying service to millions of Americans. ... Ideas [to save USPS] include everything from making post offices function more like UPS stores to turning the Postal Service into a broadband provider. Mail carriers could also expand their purview and start delivering groceries and alcohol (a Prohibition-era law makes it illegal for USPS to ship alcohol). And there’s one other thing: Post offices could become banks." Source: Vox: How the Biden administration can save the Postal Service
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Post by Catida on Jan 25, 2021 15:58:05 GMT
Interesting. I guess traditional postal services are in problems everywhere.
Finnish Post has been a limited liability company (I hope it's the right term..) since 2001. But they have an obligation by the law to offer certain services for all citizens. They are constantly complaining financial difficulties, especially after several competitors for package transport have appeared on the market. There have been many reforms, some of which have worked better than others. For example they have been selling mowing service, and home care services for elderly people, on the side of delivering mail. But biggest reform has been that there are no post offices anymore. Instead they are working in cooperation with grocery stores, and now a great amount of grocery stores are acting also as post offices. It has actually improved availability of postal services, because there are grocery stores everywhere, and they have long opening hours. In 2019 there was a big fuss when employer planned to move some of the postal workers to a different collective labor agreement so they could lower their salary. There was a strike and in the end they called the plan off.
How are things in other countries?
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Post by PhotoJim on Jan 25, 2021 20:15:21 GMT
Canada Post is doing okay. They have the autonomy (unlike the USPS) to set rates to cover their costs. Of course, their package delivery business is doing gangbusters.
Postal rates are quite high for lettermail (getting close to $1 Canadian buying stamps in quantity for first-class domestic mail, and even more if you only buy a single stamp; $1.30 to the US, and $2.71 everywhere else).
Like Finland, Canada Post has most of its post offices in businesses (grocery stores and pharmacies most commonly), so services are available every day and well into the evening most days. This has been true for a long time, though. I remember buying stamps at pharmacies in the 1970s and 1980s at the post office counter at the back of the store.
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Post by davidv on Jan 25, 2021 23:21:59 GMT
Canada Post is doing okay. They have the autonomy (unlike the USPS) to set rates to cover their costs. Of course, their package delivery business is doing gangbusters. Postal rates are quite high for lettermail (getting close to $1 Canadian buying stamps in quantity for first-class domestic mail, and even more if you only buy a single stamp; $1.30 to the US, and $2.71 everywhere else). Like Finland, Canada Post has most of its post offices in businesses (grocery stores and pharmacies most commonly), so services are available every day and well into the evening most days. This has been true for a long time, though. I remember buying stamps at pharmacies in the 1970s and 1980s at the post office counter at the back of the store. I do appreciate that mailing to the US is a separate category and not lumped in with the rest of “international.” That would be devastating to the stamp budget. I’ll also add this story: Several years ago, the government tried to save cost by ending door to door delivery and making everyone go to community mailboxes to get their mail. These were to be placed outside at strategic locations in the various neighbourhoods. New neighborhoods have already had this system for some time. They only got partway through the changeover to community mailboxes before an election and public outcry ended the implementation of the community mailboxes for older neighbourhoods. So now there are some older neighbourhoods where you get luxury mail service, but others that were unluckily first on the list for the new mailboxes and you have to walk. To me the community mailboxes seemed like such a reasonable idea, but the people have spoken! We live in one of the luxurious older neighbourhoods, and I’d gladly walk to get my mail in exchange for a bit lower stamp prices.
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Post by Catida on Jan 27, 2021 4:11:43 GMT
davidv, How far away are those community mailboxes usually located?
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Post by davidv on Jan 27, 2021 13:30:15 GMT
davidv, How far away are those community mailboxes usually located? In my experience less than ten minute walk, it’s been about 2-3 blocks when I’ve visited friends that have them.
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Post by InsomniaQueen on Jan 28, 2021 5:34:56 GMT
I've been able to buy stamps at grocery stores/Walmart for quite some time - although you can only get the boring American flag stamps this way. I think it would be great to be able to mail packages that way too. I wouldn't mind going to a nearby location to get my mail as long as it was a reasonable walking distance.
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