The US Postal Service is set to make significant changes to mail delivery, which will result in revised wait times for packages and reduced mail pickups, adding to the existing frustration of customers.
Those in the US who have expressed dissatisfaction with the prolonged delivery periods of their packages will encounter fresh obstacles as the USPS introduces a series of new adjustments beginning Tuesday.
The USPS is overhauling service standards in an effort to save money as the agency faces a tough and uncertain future.
According to the USPS, the primary objective of these alterations is to achieve a minimum cost-saving target of $36 billion over the coming decade by cutting down expenses in transportation, mail and package processing, as well as real estate outlays.
But it will come at a cost to some customers.
Service standards for first-class mail, periodicals, marketing mail, package services, USPS ground advantage, priority mail and priority mail express will be adjusted.
Under the new changes, 14% of first-class mail will be adjusted to a faster standard but 11% will be adjusted to a slower standard.
Most first-class mail will maintain its current service standard and all first-class mail will still arrive between one and five days.
USPS workers will be allowed to leave facilities earlier to travel longer distances to deliver mail, which will help improve postal reliability for rural customers.
At the same time, people in rural areas will have to wait longer for mail they dropped off to be delivered.
The USPS plans to end afternoon mail pickups, for the most part, at post offices far from regional hubs.
Cities like Kansas City, St. Louis, Des Moines and Omaha could be affected by this change, per Kansas Public Radio.
Kimberly Karol, president of the American Postal Workers Union’s Iowa chapter, said, “There’s a growing concern amongst the employees all across the state that rural communities are going to be harmed by these changes.”
She added: “We’ve already seen a slow down in delivery in the state, a gross slow down. It’s just mind boggling.”
The USPS will also stop counting Saturdays or the day before holidays as transit days for packages.
Additionally, the Postal service will use 5-digit zip code pairs instead of 3-digit zip code pairs.
CUSTOMERS ANGRY OVER DELIVERY TIMES
Dozens of USPS customers have complained about their packages getting stuck at the USPS Regional Processing Center in Indianapolis.
One person told local NBC affiliate WTHR earlier this year that his package had been shipped to Indianapolis on January 8 before moving to Fort Wayne and then back to Indianapolis on January 19.
He still had not gotten his package at the time that the article was published on January 30.
Another customer said their package was stuck at the processing center for at least nine days.
Four changes needed at USPS
THE head of the US Postal Service issued an urgent warning about changes needed at the agency. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy laid out four big challenges in a letter to Congress in March:
- Retail Leases: DeJoy asked for help reviewing nearly 31,000 retail centers and the challenges of renewing leases due to ownership consolidation, urban development, and rising rental rates as long-term leases expire.
- Counterfeit Postage Crackdown: DeJoy highlighted USPS is combating an estimated $1 billion issue with counterfeit postage and called for “additional innovative solutions” to tackle the problem.
- Federal Law: DeJoy stated unfunded congressional mandates imposed by legislation are costing USPS between $6 billion and $11 billion annually.
- Regulations: DeJoy criticized “burdensome regulatory requirements” that limit USPS’s ability to operate normally, estimating that the Postal Regulatory Commission has caused over $50 billion in damage with defective pricing models.
Source: AXIOS
TOOLS FOR TRACKING PACKAGES
Customers can figure out when their packages are expected to arrive by going on usps.com and looking up the service standards for deliveries from one zip code to another on a given mailing date.
The USPS also has a new interactive map where customers can plug in the zip code they are sending their package out of and its mail class to see an estimated delivery time.
