WASHINGTON -
The Postal Service is cutting their Saturday mail delivery service to trim costs.
A press release says during the week of August 5, 2013 they will transition to the new delivery schedule for mail delivery. This means mail will be delivered Monday through Friday. The exception is package delivery which will still have Saturday service.
The changes are expected to save the post office $2 billion annually once the plan is fully implemented.
"Our customers see strong value in the national delivery platform we provide and maintaining a six-day delivery schedule for packages is an important part of that platform," said Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General and CEO. "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."
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
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Update 11:13 p.m.
The official an noun cement has been made; no more Saturday mail as of August.
It's an idea that's been long in the works as the postal service tries to stop losing billions of dollars every year. This is the latest change to hopefully send it in the right direction.
78 year old Jackie Klein braves the Vermont cold for a trip to the post office, "Thank goodness the temperature was over 20 because that's my cut off."
She was disappointed when she heard the U.S. Postal Service is canceling most Saturday service.
"It's too bad it's been a wonderful tradition and it's been very convenient," said Klein.
Revenue for the postal service has plummeted in recent years with a loss of 16 billion dollars last year alone.
"We are striving to raise revenue, reduce cost and gain efficiencies throughout the entire organization," said Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe.
This cutback will save 2 billion dollars a year, but that doesn't mean all Saturday day deliveries are done. The postal service says it will stop delivering mail Saturdays but you'll still see the cars out on the roads but they will only be delivering packages. In fact, package delivery has increased 14 percent since 2010.
And while grandmothers like Peggy Breen still send a lot of letters, "I just sent Valentine's to my grand kids in college."
Older folks know that old fashioned letters don't move fast enough for the younger generations.
"With those ipods and those…their fingers work very well," said Klein.
"They do facebook like all the others," said Breen.
The post office admits it can't keep pace and the Saturday cutback is a sign of the changing times.
"It's not the worst thing in the world and of course we'll have to understand," said Klein.
