Future of the USPS

[graficworx]

We've all heard the media's "talking head" opinion in the impending USPS "crisis", but I wanted to see what my fellow printers thought. It could be disastrous for envelope manufacturers, and of course direct mail shops. What's your thoughts?

I'll start out by saying it can't be allowed to fail, it's in the constitution. I do think it's time for a major overhaul. They can stop Saturday delivery for businesses, but for residential it's hit or miss. Saturday post office hours should be extended for picking up packages for residential customers if Saturday delivery is stopped all together. They need to close small municipal post offices in favor of "drug store branches", like how it used to be. They should increase first class stamped postage, but not bulk metered mail. If anything they should lower machinable mail a little bit to encourage more mailings.

[gordo]

They need to close small municipal post offices in favor of "drug store branches", like how it used to be.

That's how it is in Canaduh.

gordo

[PrintIT]

Maybe if Congress stopped driving it into the ground....


Prepaid health benefits to blame for problems at post office

[PrintTriks]

They need to be able to close non profitable offices(consolidate) as well a deal with the union.

[chevalier]

Consolidation and downsizing is inevitable. I think massive price hikes are also coming very soon. It will continue to evolve and it will never go away - it is the official courier/parcel service of the government itself. The postal service actually predates the establishment of the United States. On a zanier note, I only see it disappearing completely if somebody figures out teleportation. Of course that would unleash a paradigm shift that would make the internet, electricity and even steam power look like a little blip in human achievement and the fate of the USPS would be the last thing on peoples' mind.

Back to reality, if I were working for a direct mail or envelope company I think I would be looking/hedging for a new job somewhere else. Of course I just got done working on a >1 million piece sampling carton job that will almost definitely end up going through USPS but jobs like this are extremely few and far between these days.

[Printdog]

I think the just need to adapt to the changing times people are emailing because it is cheaper and easier. That is never coming back. Raising the prices is only going to drive more people away from it. They stop at most addresses in the U.S. of course its not effiecient to drop one letter off, But if they drop off 25 letters they might be better off. So lower bulk mail rate and fill the box again. Pretty simple if you ask me. They also need to work on health care and early retirement. I wish I had a great pension after 20 years.

[Keith]

They need to become Marketing Service Providers.

[gordo]

They need to become Marketing Service Providers.

ROTFL !!!

That was an excellent answer.

gordo