Rural Post Offices closing (Orono, Brewer: section 8, home, maintenance)

[gcberry]

Right now the post offices in my area (Western Maine/White Mts.) are all being monitored for the next two weeks. They will count the number of people visiting, the number of pieces of mail that are incoming and outgoing, and the number of transactions conducted at the counter. Those that are found to have too little business will possibly be closed down. The post office is considering the closure of up to 2,000 rural branches throughout the US, due to deficits.

[Maine Writer]

Our post office is a little booth in the back of a mom 'n pop store. We have delivery and there are actual post offices ten miles one way and eight the other. Ours could easily close.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

The Taj Mahal in Topsfield could cover everything from Princeton to Danforth and east to The border.

[Submariner]

I find it interesting that they do not already know exactly how many pieces of mail flow through each P.O. every day.

After all they have all been scanned and counted, before they were sorted.

[Zymer]

Starting about 2 weeks ago, the mail that I process for Milford and Bradley is now going to Orono/Old Town. Mail for Holden, Dedham, Lucerne, Clifton and Eddington is now going to Brewer.

E-mail, instant messengers, Skype and other modern communications are strangling the Postal Service.

[7th generation]

There aren't any 3rd class offices that make money.
Only a small percentage of 2nd class offices are profitible.
Privitize it. Whenever the postal service needs money, they run to Congress.
Yeah, a great business model.....
Home delivery costs the US taxpayer $200/year per box.
An inhouse box costs the taxpayer $1400 a year per box.
....and in our debt full nation the powers to be keep spending and spending....

[Nor'Eastah]

Originally Posted by 7th generation

There aren't any 3rd class offices that make money.
Only a small percentage of 2nd class offices are profitible.

Post offices weren't ever meant to be "profitable". They were always part of the US gubmint, and never ran into trouble until after 1971, when they became a "quasi-gov't agency". Phooooey!

Originally Posted by 7th generation

Privitize it. Whenever the postal service needs money, they run to Congress.

The US Constitution requires "universal mail service"...unless you're one of those folks who consider the Constitution a "living document". Double phooooey!

Originally Posted by 7th generation

Yeah, a great business model.....

Hey -- what do you expect from a bunch of bureaucrats???

Originally Posted by 7th generation

Home delivery costs the US taxpayer $200/year per box.
An inhouse box costs the taxpayer $1400 a year per box.

NOPE. Our tax dollars do not support the post office. It is run exclusively on postage.

Originally Posted by 7th generation

....and in our debt full nation the powers to be keep spending and spending....

YUP, that part's true...

[gcberry]

7th generation, I am curious, how could an inhouse box cost more than home delivery? The home delivery costs money for gas, money for vehicle maintenance, and for the carrier. Surely an inhouse post office box avoids these costs and must be cheaper?

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Nor'Eastah mentions:
"The US Constitution requires "universal mail service""

I happen to carry one in my pocket. I read it while waiting for appointments. In what Article, Section or Amendment do you find this in the Constitution? I see in Article 1, Section 8 that Congress has the power to "establish Post Offices and Post Roads." I see nothing about universal mail service.

[Nor'Eastah]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

I see in Article 1, Section 8 that Congress has the power to "establish Post Offices and Post Roads." I see nothing about universal mail service.

Right you are, NMLM!

I had been told this by our own local postmistress, but upon further investigation, I cannot find it, either. So I looked it up. The Universal Service Obligation is a policy of the postal service, a mandate, and goes hand-in-hand with the delivery monopoly. Apparently, the universal service costs could only be offset by the postal monopoly on first-class mail, which it obviously does not now have, what with email, fax, UPS and FedEx, text messaging, etc.

Perhaps that is why they are in such a pickle financially.