Five-Day Delivery Will Not Impact Direct Mail Catalogers
Susan Pinter, Director of Postal Systems
Five-day delivery…it’s been in the news for the past six months and there have been extreme opinions on both sides of the spectrum about how eliminating one day of mail will impact all of us. (Click here for the PROS and here for the CONS of the proposed five-day delivery). At the end of the day, however, most Arandell clients are asking the same question….
How would the change to a five-day delivery affect my retail business and/or mailing program?
The answer is gray at best. Here is what I do know:
The U.S. Postal Service is facing the possibility of losing approximately $7 billion this year alone. It is taking several steps to try to improve its financial situation, including: reducing workforce, consolidating facilities and most importantly improving productivity. But none of this seems to be enough! The USPS will have to make some big changes to achieve big results. Think of it this way; if it does not decrease to a five-day delivery what other “big” changes would it make? The possibility of an additional postal price increase seems a bit too close for my comfort…
If the transition is made to five-day delivery, the general consensus is Saturday will be the day of “no delivery” because according to recent surveys, the American public is willing to accept non-delivery Saturdays. How will you, the cataloger, however, plan your events with no Saturday delivery?
Here is my guess:
With no delivery on Saturday; Monday and Tuesday will be heavy-volume days for the mail carriers. More than likely Wednesday thru Friday will become your preferred in-home days. Because this will be an overall industry change, suppliers and printers (such as Arandell!) will need to adjust quickly and seamlessly.
For retailers, the story is a bit different. Often our retail clients have specific events, with specific in-home date goals. If the USPS does eliminate mail on Saturdays, retailers will also need to change their event days. This is additional work for retailers that will affect their entire marketing strategies.
Overall, I believe that reducing to a five-day delivery schedule will not have a huge impact on the direct mail catalog industry, but it will greatly impact the marketing campaigns for retailers. I predict by next spring we will have an official decision on the five-day delivery. Until then, we should start adjusting to the idea that we will not have to check our mailboxes on the weekends!
Think I am making a mole-hill out of a mountain or a mountain out of a mole-hill? Tell me about it! Post a comment and let me know if you think reducing to a five-day delivery is going to change your catalog program.
You can also take a survey from USPS to share your thoughts with 5-day delivery.
Related posts:
As a Rural carrier I have mixed feelings on this. Honestly, I don’t think cutting Saturdays will be as bad as some people, especially the unions, think. People and mass mailers will adjust their mailing habits and move on. The post office needs to realize that they’re not that important anymore. We’re no longer the only connection rural people have because we now have the internet. Personally, I see us losing more and more letter mail and gaining more parcel service.
In reality, the only ones who are going to get hurt are the employees, subs especially, since they will no longer be needed for regular relief days. Many low level subs will either be laid off or just have little to no work, which would probably lead do them quitting.
I would personally like to see them combine city and rural carrier crafts into one and take the best methods from each side. One good example, use the rural evaluated system instead of the city hourly system. You would save tons by not normally having to deal with OT. There would be no more fights about who’s territory a neighborhood belongs to (this is an issue in a large city with massive suburban growth).
I personally would like to see a crack down on improper addressing formats. I.E. people still using RR box numbers, not using apt/ste numbers, people just using Name and town in small towns, etc. This would improve how much mail is automated. Okay, so that’s mainly just a pet peeve of mine.
Im so sick of the BS about 5 day deliver. I am a 20 year employe of the PO. There will not be 20,000 jobs lost. The first thing they will do is offer an early out, and you still need TE’s and PTF’s to fill in for vactions, sick leave, parcel delivery, Express, pickups, etc….The union is upset because it will lose some of its dues money, but you know what? to freaking bad because I tired of my dues going to support these a-holes in Obamas party…So I say go to 5 days. Then maybe I’ll be able to do things with my family on Saturdays like everyone else does…
Excellent blog, i dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. I need some time to think about this
@cliff
Less management what a joke! We have more management than we ever have had. You know, the non-productives who do not touch a piece of mail.The way to save billions is to get rid of the non-productive management types!!!!!!!!!
@cliff
The points rendered are genuinely excellent.
@j story
UPS and fedex don’t deliver on Saturdays (unless you pay $25 extra fee to fedes.
why aren’t they mandated. Also, our po delivers about 200 ups and 300 fedex parcels every week and we are a small office. You are paying double for this
I just know TEs and PTFs will be eliminated first, but most of them are hard working, not like some senior carriers. Five days delivery will cut off about 15% carrier positions, and since USPS starts to use new flat solting system to instead of old system, at least 20% routes will be merger, this would cut off another 20% positions.
2010 would be the worst year for some city carriers and NALC.
@R Van Buren
that is the most ridiculous thing ever printed!
@City Carrier
@marty
Are you not aware of the MANY management jobs that are gone?!? Typical reaction to the problem…blame others and take no ownership to the “slackers” that you know exist. Management has been drastically reduced and changes do need to happen. Bussiness as usual will not help, but maintain that attitude and you to will be unemployed. Last time I noticed management and craft were both USPS employees. Talking salaries, there are carriers making the same you quoted AND more. Management does work many hours “off the clock”, do you?
In the city where I deliver, management has a strategy of not running letter mail on Saturday anyway. They want the mail as light as possible so that they can give us “pivot” time (i.e., unpaid overtime) on routes they are splitting, or are vacant (unfilled).
Then on Monday we get several days’ worth of bulk/advertising mail, it’s ridiculous.
They also hold pallets of parcels on Saturdays, leaving them in the plastic wrap until after we are on the street…then they spread them, for Monday delivery. They give us as few parcels as possible on Saturdays.
It seems to the carriers that this is all part of a strategy to end Saturday deliveries. Mailers (and customers) are not getting good service as it is, really, on Saturdays. Not full service, anyway.
Let’s face it, the only real people against 5 day delivery is the unions. They will have less dues coming in. They are already thinking up what benefits they can give up to make a deal to continue delivering 6 days.
@baker
I agree with your comments, Baker.
a huge part of the post offices revenue generators are businesses.closing on saturday is no big deal.close on a weekday and watch them go to the nearest competitor.
Cutting to a 5 day delivery puts the t-6 out of a job. How will the USPS refix this mess?
How about start by cutting supervisor salary’s in half, their making about 65K a year. A postmaster makes 90K a year.
I think the Postal Service should go to 5 days. It will be helping many people like you and me. I predict the gasoline should drop at least .75cent to 1 dollar a gallon. People will be having more buy power. Once the Economy picks up, the mailer will be doing more advertising. Then the routes that is over burden will get a cut. The USPS needs to cut Overtime. As a result the post office will hire more employees. No loss no gain.
I agree withms pinter, But at the same time see so many things out of sorts. The Postal service needs to charge for all the other services it wants to give away. Hold mail, forwarding. special sevices, they don’t charge enough or at all. People in this day and time expect to pay more don’t broadcast it, just charge more. Too much free stuff, start with the direct mailers and go from there. But most important don’t let S1507 pass it will end the postal service we all know, write to DC, whats it cost .44… hey no cents key on my keyboard. So whats that tell you. All & all I think the postal service needs new management from the top to the bottom, less supers, less check offs more effort made to serve the public. Please write or as I hate to say EMAIL your sentor from your state, its your job and mine. When you write here try to have an open mind, they say that theres 650,000 of us and that 300,000 need to go. How we go is our own choice, but its a great job and I love mine and all the things that go with it. I would think either go with the flow or get out.
thanks for your time MikeMail
how many supervisors/management positions will be eliminated if the postal service goes to five days?
how many city letter carrier and rural jobs will be eliminated if the usps goes to a five day delivery?
the first questions answer is ZERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the second questions answer is over 20,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
not cutting the fat form the top again !!!! do you see a pattern!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have listened to it all and am in the thick of it. Five day delivery will do a whole host of things, with those units that will not be open on saturday they also will not fire up the trucks, less fuel used. And if they decide to still do the po box mail the time that will take will not be much at least not 8 hours worth of time, more reduction in work hours. Although I do not think they should even do this but perhaps they feel that it will ease the pain of no delivery on saturday. The overtime issue is pretty much taken out of the picture, except of course the city carriers who gobble it up at an alarming rate. All of the folks that I have encounted including employees of the postal service think this is good idea. On a personel side many of them will be happy to be with their families on the weekends like most folks are and are willing to do whatever it takes to help the postal service to survive.
How about cutting the size of management we dont need. 1 postmaster for every 2 post offices could be a start. district managers also could be cut.
Be honest J Story, you’re a union rep worried about losing precious union dues. Newsflash to all those that don’t know. The USPS delivers parcels cheaper than UPS and FEDEX. Play games, argue the facts. If congress didn’t mandate our prefunding of our retirement we’d be making a profit. I’m pretty sure neither UPS or FEDEX can say the same. Both are good companies, but here’s the kicker and read slowly, they are for profit, read for profit. The USPS is here to service (the S in USPS represents service) the country. We, are only to break even. To those who don’t know, when gas prices increase by just one cent, it cost the PO 8 million additional dollars. Think about that. Maybe, like UPS we can charge a surcharge. Going from the east coast to the west coast sir/madam, that first class stamp will cost you .72 cents. Hello, wake up. Private companies make money for their shareholders and CEO’s who make millions. Be careful what you ask for. When was the last time you purchased something for .44 cents. WE CAN STILL DELIVER PACKAGES CHEAPER ON THAN OTHERS ON SATURDAYS. The gas savings alone would be enough to warrant this plus you’re cutting a potential overtime day, though there shouldn’t be any anyway. The alternative is to raise the price in line with UPS and charge .50 cent for first class delivery.
Stop Saturday delivery life goes on. No big Wup!
Thank you for your comments Brian. I just returned from MTAC in Washington DC, and this was one of the topics. Currently there is a list of 13 itmes that are under review.
Just saw the proposal for 5 day. We will OFFICIALLY be delivering priority parcels on Saturdays to PO boxs. Study is currently under way for delivery of priority mail on Saturdays to residents. We will continue to deliver priority parcels on Sat. Dont worry about fedex and ups. It will not play a factor.
Who said the PO won’t deliver packages on Saturday? I think 5 Day Delivery means no paper mail on Saturdays. Part Timers can do parcels on Saturday.
when you go to 5 day delivery you open up one day a week for the advertisement flyers and direct mailers to bundle all together and deliver them at one time further cutting us out of revenue red plumb is doing it already
@Big Lou
Yes, that is true Big Lou. Most countries are 5-day delivery and are very successful.
They deliver mail Monday - Friday up in Canada for years. Last time I checked, Canada PO is still around.
@KRalph
This was a topic discussed at MTAC, it is in the list of 13 items being reviewed before decreasing to a five day delivery. Thank you for your comment KRalph.
Mailers always have a Sunday date for delivery and if 5 days is the new service and it’s a Monday holiday(always a retail sale for a holiday), mail will be dated for delivery Sunday and Monday and yet no deilvery occurs. Your retail mail is late becasue it’s processed late or late from the printer.
yes you are right the postal service does do this now thats how alot of fedx packages are delivered on saturday and also ups packages are done the same so when we cut service we are also cutting there service so they will drop usps from this and they fedx and ups will find a way to cut in to the usps and cut there bussiness futher it is a no win game cuttin service
I agree with j story, cutting 5 day delivery will only make things worse, it needs to stay 6 day delivery.
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@baker
Thanks Brian, I was not aware of this. I learn something new everyday!
php thumbnailer. you use Fedex only? Funny because fedex uses the Postal Service. You pay then 30 Bucks they then turn around and pay the Post Office 5 bucks to deliver it. The US mail goes on the same Fedex Plane. UPS does the exact same thing. Go to Fedex website and click on Fedex Smartpost. Why pay them $30 when you can cut the middle man and just pay the $4.95
i use fedx only!
ups and fedx are waiting for you to make the mistake of cutting service and they will increase there service on saturday and futher cut your own necks best to leave things alone for now economy comes back so will the mail ! cutting a day service will be the biggest mistake you could make, cutt the payments to fund future heatlh care is all that should be done and we would be near breakeven even with mail at lower volumes now