Washington, DC – The United States in 2013 readied for a new postal distribution schedule designed to generate billions of dollars in savings, according to plans announced on February 6 by the United States Postal Service (USPS).
Explaining they will transition to a new delivery schedule during the week of August 5, 2013, which will include package delivery Monday through Saturday, but mail delivery only Monday through Friday, the USPS projected a cost savings of approximately $2 billion annually once the plan is fully implemented.
“The Postal Service is advancing an important new approach to delivery that reflects the strong growth of our package business and responds to the financial realities resulting from America’s changing mailing habits,” said Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General and CEO. “We developed this approach by working with our customers to understand their delivery needs and by identifying creative ways to generate significant cost savings.”
Citing the market research conducted by the Postal Service and independent research by major news organizations indicating that nearly seven out of ten Americans (70 percent) supported the switch to five day delivery, Donahoe said, “The American public understands the financial challenges of the Postal Service and supports these steps as a responsible and reasonable approach to improving our financial situation,” adding, “The Postal Service has a responsibility to take the steps necessary to return to long-term financial stability and ensure the continued affordability of the US mail.”
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 the revised approach to maintain package delivery six days per week, according to the USPS.
“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 Donahoe. “As consumers increasingly use and rely on delivery services — especially due to the rise of e-commerce — we can play an increasingly vital role as a delivery provider of choice, and as a driver of growth opportunities for America’s businesses.”
Once implemented, mail delivery to street addresses will occur Monday through Friday. Packages will continue to be delivered six days per week. Mail addressed to PO Boxes will continue to be delivered on Saturday and Post Offices currently open on Saturday will remain open.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies exclusively on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.