Post Offices Closing

[wim2]

I just heard on the news tonight that thousands of Post Offices will be closing over the next few years.  I say good riddance!  Most everything that the mailman delivers, could be done via computer.  Bills are paid online, checks are  deposited into online checking accounts, companies that send out magazines and catalogs can be viewed online....I don't see why we need a post office except to mail or receive a package, and UPS and FedEx can handle that.  And think of all the trees we'd save, not using paper mail.

[winuxchrosh]

It might be true that we would save a lot of trees with the closing of post offices but it would also mean that a lot of people will lose their jobs. Now where do these jobless people find work where there are already many jobless people waiting for new jobs to arise.

Anyway, I guess in every event or story, there is always the bad and the good news.

[Perfect7]

While letter writing is nearly a lost art, it is not yet completely gone. I, for one, would miss the occasional real handwritten snail-mail letter. How do you recommend handling those, if the post offices close, wim?

[wim2]

It might be true that we would save a lot of trees with the closing of post offices but it would also mean that a lot of people will lose their jobs. Now where do these jobless people find work where there are already many jobless people waiting for new jobs to arise.

Anyway, I guess in every event or story, there is always the bad and the good news.

You're right, Win.  I hate for anyone to lose their job, but I also hate spending $0.44 (the current price of a first class stamp in the U.S.) to mail a letter, when I can send an email for free.  And, I have no doubt that the price of a stamp will continue to rise, as it has in past years.  No, I don't want anyone to lose their job, but sometimes, it can't be helped.

[wim2]

While letter writing is nearly a lost art, it is not yet completely gone. I, for one, would miss the occasional real handwritten snail-mail letter. How do you recommend handling those, if the post offices close, wim?

I don't know, Perfect.  I guess every good thing must come to an end eventually.  I'm old enough to remember going to drug store soda shops (there was one right around the corner from where we lived) and Woolworth's lunch counters.  I missed those terribly when they all closed, and I still miss them, but it's not something I can't live without.  I guess if snail mail becomes something of the past, it would remain a memory.

[winuxchrosh]

You're right, Win.  I hate for anyone to lose their job, but I also hate spending $0.44 (the current price of a first class stamp in the U.S.) to mail a letter, when I can send an email for free.  And, I have no doubt that the price of a stamp will continue to rise, as it has in past years.  No, I don't want anyone to lose their job, but sometimes, it can't be helped.

You have the option to either send your message through email or through snail mail. There are also some websites that offers free virtual cards for special events. It will surely save you a lot of money using these services rather than buying stamps. But in the end, it is your choice.

What I like with post offices is that I can send my hand written messages to the person I value most.

[Klicky]

I like my post office and I like sending letters.  There is a huge difference in typing a few words and hitting send, and hand-writing a personal letter then sending it through the mail.   As for packages, UPS has already partnered with the postal service.  About 1/3 of the smaller UPS packages I receive are delivered to the post office who then deliver it to my mailbox.

I don't think the US Postal Service is looking to go out of business.  I believe they are looking to consolidate some of their smaller, under-used offices together into larger, more efficient offices.  We have so many post offices in our county it's ridiculous.  One is nothing but a counter and about 2 dozen PO Boxes.  If they consolidate offices and cut back to 5-day service they could save a lot of money.

[wim2]

Exactly.  I don't think they're looking to close, just consolidate, which they're already in the process of doing.  There have been several post offices within 50 miles of me that have closed, and more are scheduled for the chopping block.  The post office just doesn't do the business it used to, therefore it's having to consolidate.

[Burton]

I think there's another side to the closures, which is that many people will be losing a service to some extent, meaning they probably will have to travel further to receive their mail. And of course there will be lost jobs as mentioned above.

I think this ties into the legal debt ceiling being reached in a few weeks, and I think that simply raising the ceiling doesn't really address the issue effectively.