The United States Postal Service announced plans today to end Saturday mail livery later this year , as part of its flavour pursuit to become something other than a $ 16 billion sinkhole . Good ! But it ’s not enough . In an geezerhood where we ’ve already started to go away electronic mail behind , five twenty-four hour period of bulk catalog and sweepstakes deliveries is vestal , unmitigated excess .
permit ’s go further .
It ’s important to remember two things about forcible mail . First : that it still subsist at all is a will more to exponent of bulk advertising—84.7 billion pieces deliveredby the USPSin 2011 , amount $ 17.8 billion in taxation — than our desire to send Christmas wag . And second , that it derives the bulk of its value from sentiment . Handwritten missive are a pleasure , certain . But they ’re rarely urgent . If they were , they ’d be a phone call .
We live in a world of instant communication and endless option . We email , we twirp , we DM , we Facebook subject matter , we chat , we text . strong-arm mail is a heedful indulgence . It ’s for birthday cards and give thanks you note and parturition announcement and wedding party invitations . It ’ll keep . Outside of miserable preparation , there ’s rarely a rush to broadcast or obtain it .
Meanwhile , in its outmoded pursuance to stuff Restoration Hardware ’s spring aggregation into your postbox , the USPS is submerge . Last twelvemonth aloneit lost $ 15.9 billion . The class before that , it had lost $ 5 billion . It ’s essentially insolvent . Losing Saturday speech will save $ 2 billion a yr ; that ’s a start , but if we want a workable place role at all , we ’re locomote to have to do more . We ’re start to cut as deep as we can . So how about this :
And then , once we get used to that , let ’s cut it again .
There are exceptions , sure ; if you endure paycheck to payroll check , hold off an special day or two for your income can injure . But as long as mail bringing persist consistent , how frequent it is matters far less . And it ’s of import to note also that computer software rescue wo n’t be affected by the current USPS modification . Nor should they be ; a corner can arrest far more sentence - sore material than an gasbag , and its content ca n’t be easily replaced or replicate online . Let ’s keep packages .
In an ideal reality , ring armor deliver every day of the calendar week would be totally executable . In fact , why stop there ? If mail once a day is good , mail twice a day would be even better . Or three times a day . Or , hold back a minute , while we ’re woolgather , what about balance delivered to you in person 24 hours a day , without limit or interruption , at no expense to you or the transmitter ?
Oh , wait . Wehave that .
figure of speech credit rating : Shutterstock / Andrey Bayda
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