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With the recent announcement that the United States Postal Service will scale back its Saturday deliveries to exclude letter and flat mail (including magazines and newspapers) while retaining package delivery, rural America seems to be the most affected. Urban and even suburban mailers can receive mail through UPS and FedEx, while rural mailers don’t enjoy the same luxury.
USPS spokesman Rich Watkins demystifies the Post Office’s move.
Initial response focused on the dependence of rural mailers on USPS bringing UPS and FedEx packages the “last mile” into rural communities. Package delivery will remain unaffected by the elimination of letter and flat mail delivery, but Watkins says the “last mile” delivery for other carriers has benefited customers of USPS.
The USPS polled rural, suburban, and urban mailers and found that 80% of respondents preferred a five-day mailing week as opposed to raising the price of postage or closing Post Office locations. An independent study released February 14 revealed that more than three quarters – a full 76% – of rural America support USPS eliminating letter and flat mail delivery on Saturdays.
