Just wanted to get this information out, directly from USPS HQ. You will probably be hearing a lot of mis-information elsewhere.
Six days per week package delivery, five days for mail begins next August...
USPS has announced plans to transition during the week of Aug. 5 to a new delivery schedule that includes package delivery Monday through Saturday and mail delivery Monday through Friday. The Postal Service expects to generate 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 PMG Pat Donahoe. “We developed this approach by working with our customers to understand their delivery needs and by identifying creative ways to generate significant cost savings.â€
During the past several years, the Postal Service has advocated shifting to a five-day delivery schedule for mail and packages. Strong recent growth in package delivery (14 percent volume increase since 2010) and projections of continued strong growth throughout the coming decade led to the revised approach to maintain package delivery six days per week.
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 Saturdays. Post Offices currently open on Saturdays will not be affected by this decision and will remain open on Saturdays. Express Mail, delivered seven days per week, also will not be affected.
USPS is making the announcement more than six months in advance of implementing a five-day mail delivery schedule to give residential and business customers time to plan for the new schedule. The Postal Service plans to publish specific guidance for customers about the new delivery schedule soon.
The operational plan for the new delivery schedule anticipates a combination of employee reassignment and attrition. The Postal Service is currently implementing major restructuring efforts throughout its retail, delivery and mail processing operations. Since 2006, the Postal Service has reduced its annual cost base by approximately $15 billion, reduced the size of its career workforce by 193,000, or 28 percent, and has consolidated more than 200 mail-processing locations. During these unprecedented cost-cutting initiatives, USPS and its employees have continued to deliver record-high levels of service to customers.
“Our customers see strong value in the national delivery platform we provide. 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.â€
Market research conducted by the Postal Service and major news outlets indicates that almost seven out of 10 Americans (70 percent) supported the switch to five-day delivery as a way for the Postal Service to reduce costs in efforts to return the organization to financial stability.
Given ongoing financial challenges, the Board of Governors last month directed postal management to accelerate the restructuring of Postal Service operations to further reduce costs in order to strengthen Postal Service finances.
“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,†said Donahoe. “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 U.S. Mail.â€
While the change in the delivery schedule announced today is one of the actions needed to restore the financial health of USPS, legislative change is urgently needed to address matters outside the Postal Service’s control. USPS continues to seek legislation to provide it with greater flexibility to control costs and generate new revenue and encourages the 113th Congress to make postal reform legislation an urgent priority.
Six days per week package delivery, five days for mail begins next August...
USPS has announced plans to transition during the week of Aug. 5 to a new delivery schedule that includes package delivery Monday through Saturday and mail delivery Monday through Friday. The Postal Service expects to generate 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 PMG Pat Donahoe. “We developed this approach by working with our customers to understand their delivery needs and by identifying creative ways to generate significant cost savings.â€
During the past several years, the Postal Service has advocated shifting to a five-day delivery schedule for mail and packages. Strong recent growth in package delivery (14 percent volume increase since 2010) and projections of continued strong growth throughout the coming decade led to the revised approach to maintain package delivery six days per week.
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 Saturdays. Post Offices currently open on Saturdays will not be affected by this decision and will remain open on Saturdays. Express Mail, delivered seven days per week, also will not be affected.
USPS is making the announcement more than six months in advance of implementing a five-day mail delivery schedule to give residential and business customers time to plan for the new schedule. The Postal Service plans to publish specific guidance for customers about the new delivery schedule soon.
The operational plan for the new delivery schedule anticipates a combination of employee reassignment and attrition. The Postal Service is currently implementing major restructuring efforts throughout its retail, delivery and mail processing operations. Since 2006, the Postal Service has reduced its annual cost base by approximately $15 billion, reduced the size of its career workforce by 193,000, or 28 percent, and has consolidated more than 200 mail-processing locations. During these unprecedented cost-cutting initiatives, USPS and its employees have continued to deliver record-high levels of service to customers.
“Our customers see strong value in the national delivery platform we provide. 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.â€
Market research conducted by the Postal Service and major news outlets indicates that almost seven out of 10 Americans (70 percent) supported the switch to five-day delivery as a way for the Postal Service to reduce costs in efforts to return the organization to financial stability.
Given ongoing financial challenges, the Board of Governors last month directed postal management to accelerate the restructuring of Postal Service operations to further reduce costs in order to strengthen Postal Service finances.
“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,†said Donahoe. “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 U.S. Mail.â€
While the change in the delivery schedule announced today is one of the actions needed to restore the financial health of USPS, legislative change is urgently needed to address matters outside the Postal Service’s control. USPS continues to seek legislation to provide it with greater flexibility to control costs and generate new revenue and encourages the 113th Congress to make postal reform legislation an urgent priority.
