Neither Rain, Snow, Nor Hail But a Failed Business Model Prevents Swift Completion
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Another ossified government agency proves it should be taken out of existence
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Recently, the U.S. Postal Service announced that Saturday mail may soon be eliminated for everything except packages to stem its financial losses in a world radically changed by the internet.
“Our financial condition is urgent,” declared Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe.
The Postal Service, which suffered a $15.9 billion loss in the past budget year, said it expected to save $2 billion annually with the Saturday cutback. The bulk of the reason for its financial woes is rich wages and benefits that are in-congruent with what they charge and can charge, the fruits of having unionized labor.
The plan accentuates one of the agency’s strong points: Package delivery has increased by 14 percent since 2010, officials say, while the delivery of letters and other mail has plummeted. Email has decreased the mailing of paper letters, but online purchases have increased package shipping, forcing the Postal Service to adjust to customers’ new habits.
“Things change,” Donahoe said. Indeed they do.
Since this vehicle doesn’t make the post office money delivering mail, how about converting it into a mobile food truck? Taxi? Roving billboard?
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The main reason that the U.S. post office was established in the constitution was to connect a very fragmented nation with poor to non-existent infrastructure. That has clearly changed since the 1780s with the telephone and internet. Thus in the 20th century did the postal service became more of a patronage institution that gave constituents jobs which provided services that became less and less needed by the public. The various ideas to change the post office’s core mission from letter delivery to landlord or other unrelated activities underscores the fact that this is about jobs and not delivery of a vital service to the public.
And a failure to keep up with “a-changin’ times” is why revenues are decreasing, resulting from the service’s arcane business model and widespread lousy customer service.
The post office would have done itself well if it got more involved in electronic communications as opposed to assuming that the same technology to communicate in a non-face-to-face manner 200 years ago (letters) would be around forever.
As to customer service, 2 (of many) negative events stick out in this writer’s mind regarding the postal services’ legendary approach to customer service.
One occurred in the late 1980s while working a summer job in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey during college. Having been delegated to get more postage for the meter in the office, the bad decision was made to go there 15 minutes before the office closed. There was a bearded, professorial sage who worked the counter and had no qualms about holding up people on line to finish his highly unimportant and numerous soliloquies with customers he yapped with (probably also had the coffee mug that had “Ask me if I give a damn” like any government worker who is just taking space). Approaching the counter with the machine, he had an irritated look and manner and sternly said “never bring this machine in after 4:30.” This transaction was going to make him end his work day and walk out of the office a few minutes later than he thought he should, perhaps at the risk of his body parts falling off (a fear many salaried government workers have).
The other occurrences have been snow days. Despite the Norman Rockwell impressions that mail carriers will go the extra distance, most will not get out of their truck to place mail in mailboxes if there is snow by it that prevents them from pulling the truck up. This despite the fact that many are in sore need of some exercise.
With the customer-first approach of private delivery services, and the convenience of communicating over the internet, why should anyone consider the postal service.
Perhaps “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” but definitely a well and hard negotiated union contract will prevent “the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
-I.M. Windee
