USPS "you're fired"

According to the Associated Press this afternoon: "The U.S. Post Service did not escape the effects of the economic meltdown (http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing) and suffered a net loss of $3.8 billion for fiscal 2009. After $6 billion in cost savings and $4 billion in reduced payments for retiree health benefits, the agency still employs more than 712,000 people."

What clear headed individual would think that the Postal Service SHOULD escape the meltdown?  When George Washington established the Postal Department in 1792 I wonder if he actually envisioned it as the second largest civilian employer in the good old U. S. of A.  Yep, only Wal-Mart employs more people than our beloved postal service.  And maybe, just maybe Wal-Mart is a tiny bit more strategic and thus actually profitable.  Hmmm, carry the goods that customers want, treat those same customers as though they matter to you, marginalize the competition by beating them on price and selection.  What a concept!

Or you could go with the USPS model: "career" employees who behave as though every customer is a pain-in-the-butt to be sneered at or ignored, prices continuing to rise unabated while the so-called service declines, hours of operation designed by the union bosses with disregard to customer preference.  But if my job was described as "career employee" perhaps I'd be inclined to ignore the people who pay my salary too.  Oh okay, probably not.

Today's news about the United States Postal Service cannot come as a surprise if you've given it even a whit of thought. Aside from the tedious issue of a quasi-government job, don't get me started on either privatization or technology.  And yes, I'm sure the next step will be the elimination of Saturday delivery  http://blog.uspsoig.gov/   which comes on the heels of the current steady removal of the trusty blue drop off mailboxes.

Hellooooooo, anybody home?  When was the last time you wrote & snail-mailed a letter?  And god knows I am as change averse as the next baby boomer but I managed to leave the stone age and start paying bills on-line.  We really need to ask ourselves if we still need a United States Postal Service.  Do we?  Really?  Hasn't technology all but eliminated the need for it?   And if not now, then surely soon.  The framers of the consitution used the pony express and the telegraph too, but like the covered wagon some services simply outlive their usefulness.

If though, we need to look at the postal service as a contestant on Survivor, and give it a fighting chance to make it through to the next reality round,  the configuration must change.  Competitor Fed Ex has also had a tough year (http://news.fedex.com/) and has responded with a plan to save another billion dollars in 2010 by reducing personnel and work hours, streamlining technology and finding greater economies of scale.  In their own words, "We remain focused on providing outstanding service, and will ensure that our actions do not impede our industry-leading customer experience.”  Service and customers...sounds slightly like WalMart meets mailing and shipping!  Could it be?


As far as I'm concerned, we are rapidly approaching the lightening round for the USPS.  Either the union bends, technology is embraced, and customers are valued or it should go away.  The United States Postal Service may be a memory as fond as milk-men, gas station attendants and drive-in movies.