USPS Announces First Class Mail Will Take Longer to Deliver This Fall
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” is the official motto of the U.S. Postal Service.
That motto still stands today, although getting your mail in a timely manner is about to slow down. If you think mail service is slow now, just wait 'til this fall.
According to a report from KWTX, changes are coming this fall as the United States Postal Service. USPS, is changing its standard timeframe for first class letter delivery as a way to help save money.
USPS released some numbers that showed a quarterly $3 billion net loss, which is more than the $2.2 billion for the same quarter in 2020.
Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Louis DeJoy, says, “We are transitioning from an outdated network and operational posture that was ill-equipped to handle the effects of the pandemic on the mix of mail and packages we process – and we expect this volume shift to continue into the foreseeable future. As we establish our new network design and deploy our operating initiatives, we will operate with much greater efficiency and precision, become financially self-sustaining, and deliver greater value to the American public we serve.”
The delivery changes coming this fall will also see first-class stamp prices go up from 55 cents to 58 cents starting on August 29. A notice by the USPS in the federal register. says, “Under the new service standards, the delivery day ranged for First-Class Mail within the contiguous United States will expand from the current 1-3 days to 1-5 days."
So the new Mail Class Standard service range will look like this:
First-Class Mail 1-5 days
Periodicals 3-9 days
USPS Marketing Mail 3-10 days
Package Services 2-8 days
First-Class Mail originating or being sent to areas in Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico will see a 4-day standard.
Reuters reports that since 2007, the USPS has seen net losses of about $90 billion. DeJoy released his plan to cut predicted losses by $160 billion over the next 10 years with changes in service standards being a big part.
Is it time to go paperless for good?