Do we need the U.S. Postal Service? Today's Washington Post editorial offers a well-researched and thoughtful wake-up call suggesting the answer may be no unless USPS can "reinvent itself for the 21st Century." The Post estimates the USPS will lose between $6 and $12 b. this fiscal year, and cutting back deliveries to five days a week seems inevitable. Mail volume has declined for seven years in a row, and it plummeted 14.9% in the first quarter alone.
If you're like me, you wonder why you have to sift through so much junk mail to find the few pieces of mail you want. I rarely mail anything anymore. Most of my payments are made electronically. On the rare occasions when I need postal service, I usually stand in line for 10 minutes or more despite all of USPS's efforts to improve customer service. When I want to mail a package, I go to the United Parcel Service (UPS) store.
