Could this be the end of our hobby?

[Jaffer]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/busin ... ef=general

[johnnylightninglives]

It isnt the end yet lol America does need to cut saturday mail delivery though because here in canada we have never had saturday delivery and cutting that alone would save the u.s. post office millions.I noticed it said down 22% in 5 years here i think its about 17% but the reality is snailmail is slowly going the way of the dinosaur and i think it will be around awhile longer but not forever...They will always need some form of mail delivery because there will always be physical packages and documents that need to be sent but i think eventually it will all be privatized and contracted which will make things like autograph collecting too expensive and will be the end of this hobby but that is probably 20 years down the road..

[Tabby]

Wow I didn't know the post office was that badly off. I wouldn't mind going without Saturday mail delivery. I do hope our post office won't close down as it's the only one in town.

[StevenQ]

Well, let's see. It's a government agency, so I guess that sums it up. If you want something frakked up, let the government run it. They could start by cutting salaries, beginning with the Postmaster General and working their way down. Cut most of the vacation time they get, pensions etc. Add to that they can frak up on the job and can't get fired, because the union protects them. Have you ever tried to complain at a PO. They write your complaint on a slip of plain paper, then proceed to stick it in a "round file" as soon as you leave. Maybe the PO should be privatized. Rant off.

[BossC]

Well, let's see. It's a government agency, so I guess that sums it up… They could start by cutting salaries, beginning with the Postmaster General and working their way down. Cut most of the vacation time they get, pensions etc.

I know. The government has to have a finger in EVERY pie and it is getting ridiculous! I’m not advocating cutting all programs but there has got to be some cuts in spending!

Add to that they can frak up on the job and can't get fired, because the union protects them. Have you ever tried to complain at a PO. They write your complaint on a slip of plain paper, then proceed to stick it in a "round file" as soon as you leave. Maybe the PO should be privatized. Rant off.

I don’t know all the details about the not getting fired but that sounds stupid! At least give the job to someone who WANTS it and will work for it not some lazy person.

I like the idea of privatizing it. I do have a friend whose significant other works for the PO and she has always complained about them. From salary to days to work/days off I’ve heard it all. Not sure if it is just our city or nationwide but recently she said that he had to fight for his vacation—they planned an out of town trip and then last minute, the powers that be tried to get him to work over the weekend (when his vacation should have started).

I like getting mail on Saturday but I do know that several countries don’t and if it helps them stay in business I'll gladly give it up.

BossC

[Jaffer]

Hahaha it's clear which part of the political spectrum the penultimate user is on. I would have no issue with privatisation IF the law was kept in place stipulating that the price of postage can raise no higher then inflation. The problem I have with privatisation is that if the company goes bust, it will be the end of mail as we know it. There won't be other revenue to pump into it. Additionally, who would want to buy it? Sure, there are private delivery companies, but they seem to deliver parcels/packages (correct me if I am wrong). It is unfair to blame the government, as email would have wreaked havoc, public or private. Personally, here in Australia, I don't find private sector service any better than government workers (in saying that, our service is known to suck hard)
It seems to me all that needs to happen is that they need to cut service on Saturdays (we don't have Saturday mail here in Australia) and drastically lower their fixed costs. Easier said then done though...

[johnnylightninglives]

I was reading more about it and it looks like a real possibility lol Im not sure if they are just saying that hoping to get more money to keep it going but forsure major layoffs and closed postal offices will be happening in the u.s. they say it could shut down end of this year or next and im not sure anyone besides us autograph collectors would care so it could happen.I mean me personally besides autograph collecting i dont need regular mail so any non collector wouldnt really care at all because what they cant do by email or direct deposit like packages and stuff could be done by private courier. I know the canadian post office isnt in near as much trouble and will be around for awhile so it might just be us canadian collectors getting autographs soon with american actors up here filming vv lol Our post office isnt going anywhere soon but i still cant believe the nerve of canadian postal workers to try a a strike a few months back asking for more money lol the government shut them down and forced them back to work but the fact they even tried shows the arrogance of postal workers and they are just putting another nail in their coffin by striking.My mailman has become a flyer deliver boy mostly nowdays as i get mainly small flyers and coupon books and paying someone 25 bucks an hour to deliver pizza ads is a bit ridculous when you think about it lol So to answer your question again i think yes it soon will be the end to be honest ...might get a few more years in the u.s. maybe 5 or 10 here then who knows.