U.S. Postal Service eliminates Saturday service across country

The United States Postal Service announced on Feb. 6 that it would no longer deliver stamped mail six days a week. Instead, it will deliver mail five days a week and packages six days a week, effective the week of Aug. 5, 2013. 

Some people around UNH are not concerned with how the change will affect them, while others are worried about how it will affect USPS as a business.

“Honestly, it’s not really going to affect our operations too much,” Granite Square Station Supervisor Louisa Morris said during a phone interview Friday. “Far and away, we see a ton more packages than we do stamped mail. We’ll still be open on Saturdays.”

Brandon Schwarzer, a sophomore resident assistant at UNH, said he is not concerned.

“It doesn’t really affect me at my age,” Schwarzer said. “But I could see how some people … involved in business may have issues with that new policy.”

Schwarzer said he receives a piece of stamped mail once a week on average. He receives packages every month and a half. Steve Machuzak, a sophomore electrical engineer student at UNH said he gets “at least one piece of regular mail per week.”

Currently, GSS processes half a tray of mail per week during a regular season. One tray equals 500 pieces of mail. Morris does not anticipate disruption for UNH students. 

“It will certainly impact students in small ways. You’re anticipating when someone sends you something,” Morris said, giving examples such as surprises from home and debit cards delivered through the mail. 

Right now, packages dominate the GSS mailroom. Despite less stamped mail, employees will not lose shifts or hours. 

Because there will not be mail on Saturdays, “Mondays we’ll probably have a tray more of stamped mail,” Morris said. 

Other people have more negative reactions to the USPS’s decision. 

“I don’t feel like this is the right way to go about saving money,” said Amelia Dickinson, an undergraduate dual major in political science and international affairs. “It’s going to make other shipping services look more appealing to consumers.”

Dickinson has family members who have been part of USPS for years. Her uncle works for a private school as postmaster, and her grandfather is a USPS retiree, she said.

“I … understand they’re losing a lot of money, and I think this is a quick fix to save money,” Dickinson said. However, Dickinson said she thinks the USPS would still end up losing money in the future. 

Dickinson is concerned with USPS as an entity but also said the new schedule would affect her.

“I don’t do any online billing, so I get all of my bills through the mail,” Dickinson said. “It would impact me especially since I’m a last-minute kind of person.” 

The USPS website explains the decision to change mail delivery operations, stating the main goal is to save money. The new schedule is projected to save $2 billion annually when fully implemented.

Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe gave oral testimony to a Senate committee about recent USPS concerns.

 “(The USPS) needs legislative changes from Congress to help return the Postal Service to long-term financial stability,” he said to the committee. “We are losing $25 million every day. We are weighed down financially by the increasing burden of our healthcare obligations.”

Dickinson has a melancholic outlook for Congress-related actions. 

“If Congress gets legislation through, they could get more funding,” Dickinson said. “But I also think Congress is more concerned with other economic problems in the U.S., so I don’t see something going through in the near future.”