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News about the potential shuttering of post offices across the city is drawing scrutiny from politicians and residents, who are both upset and skeptical about the Postal Service's announcement. After a list of 53 post offices under consideration for closing was released—and then amended to include only 14 locations—the NY Times reports today that many just flat-out don't believe the USPS is cutting back on the cut-backs. Says New York postal union President Clarice Torrence, "On station closings they’ve always been very deceptive...If they amended the list they would let me know." Rep. Anthony Weiner, meanwhile, points to the closings confusion as an example of Newman-style post office ineptitude: "The way the U.S.P.S. has released information in dribs and drabs, it’s no wonder that they have been losing business." That loss of business is the main reason for the $7 billion budget hole facing the USPS this year—with too little mail and too many branches, USPS officials are hoping that enough closings might help the service "become more efficient."
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I'm serviced by one of these in-danger branch locations and even I think it should close. There is literally another post office three blocks away.
What does the Post Office have in common with Payless Shoes?
100,000 loafers.
And people want to let the government run our health care when they can't even manage the postal service.
The postals workers at my branch must take a handful of valium before any shift. Deep sea divers move faster at the bottom of the ocean.
People want the government to save them from everything yet the government and the A-holes that run this country into the ground every damn day. (ex. Albany) can't even run a business that has limited competition if any competition, ie Post Office, Amtrak, MTA right into debt, thus requiring everything to be subsidize with our tax dollars just to keep an outdated, inefficient system running. Welcome to the new world of; Save me Uncle Sam I don't care what the cost is just take whatever you want, just save me from my own stupidity of believing all the bull shit you cram down our throats!
I keep reading Clarice Torrence as Clarence Thomas.
I think they've gotta raise the price of stamps drastically. It's not like UPS or FedEx is going to undercut them, and a (hypothetically) 75-cent first class stamp is still your best, cheapest way to get your envelope (letter, rent check, wedding RSVP card) from point A to point B.
That and they need to make their service better if they want to be at all competitive with private companies on other services. Because as Peter and Ides of March mentioned above, their customer service is piss poor.
I don't know, the raising cost of stamps is making me (and I assume lots of others) use snail mail less. I can pay most of my bills online, and gifts bought online can be routed straight to the recipient. Traditional mail might just be becoming obsolete.
When it comes to customer service, the USPS can't compete with the friendliness and helpfulness of my local 'mailbox plus' storefront. No bulletproof glass, no outrageous lines, and I've come to be on a first name basis with the owner.
Of course it would be foolish for the government to privatize mail delivery, but they should think about closing ALL the retail post offices.
My local Mailboxes place was the greatest, with amazingly attentive personal service. They were closed for a period after a car plowed into the storefront, must have lost goodwill because they didn't stay in business much longer after they reopened. Nobody to bail THEM out.