I just heard on the radio about how many billions of dollars the U. S. Postal Service is losing. The amount is staggering. The commentators explained that the losses were due, in large part, to fewer people using “snail mail” favoring e-mail and text messaging instead.
I was then amazed to learn what the Postmaster General’s strategy is for turning the losses around. As I understand it the plan consists of two parts. First is to reduce the number of post offices and curtail mail delivery on Saturdays. In other words provide less to the receivers of mail services. The second part of the strategy is to cater more to users of bulk mail services. Or provide better service to those who mail us the receivers all that annoying junk mail we don’t want.
Based on this it’s clear to me the USPS’s mission is NOT to serve me or you. In addition and as the Internet, email and mobile communication services become better and better at delivering desired messages to target markets their value increases while junk mail can only become less and less effective and valuable. It seems to me that USPS’s strategy to focus on the one thing, bulk mail, which will not increase in value in the marketplace, is the worst possible decision.
Clearly the USPS is focused on those who send mail and not those who get mail. Imagine for a moment if for the past 20 years the Post Office’s mission had been to get the receivers of mail the correspondence and information they wanted rather than delivering what others want us to have. If you’re creative enough you could imagine the U. S. Postal Service, with this new enlightened mission, evolving into Google or something like it. But that would be investing tax payer’s money rather than just spending it.
So, grab your billfolds and purses because with the strategy of reducing services and catering to bulk mailers this is only going to cost us all more. Much more.