82% of Consumers Say Post Office Closings Would be inconvenient; 76% Say They Would Pay More to Prevent Planned Cuts
WASHINGTON, DC (November 17, 2011) – A national consumer survey conducted by the American Consumer Institute (ACI) finds that the vast majority of consumers do not support the United States Post Office’s planned closing of 4,000 post offices. According to the survey of 1,500 consumers, 82% of consumers say that it would be inconvenient if their local post office closed, with only 17% saying that it would not be inconvenient. While the survey of 1,500 consumers found 68% live within three miles to the nearest post office, nearly half indicated that they would have to travel more than seven miles to the next nearest post office, and 48% saying that this would take “a lot more time.” Overall, 72% are opposed to the planned closing of 4,000 post offices across the country, including over half (54%) being strongly opposed to the closures.
The survey found that most consumers visit post offices frequently. For example, 83% of consumers go to the post office at least one time per month, with the average person visiting their post office more than four times per month. In the course of a year, these visits include purchasing stamps (83%), mailing letters (83%), sending packages (68%), sending priority or express mail (53%), and weighing packages or envelopes (50%), as well as other purposes specified in the survey.
The survey found substantial opposition to cutting delivery from 6 to 5 days per week, though less opposition when compared to closing post offices. According to the survey, 53% said it would be inconvenient to lose a delivery day. However, 59% said it would not make them think twice about having time sensitive materials sent to their home. Overall, when asked if they favored or opposed the cutbacks in mail delivery, a majority (52%) are opposed versus 40% who support delivery cutbacks.
Would consumers pay more to prevent postal cutbacks? According to the survey, 76% saying they would support a small price increase in postage, if it meant keeping post offices open and maintaining delivery. In fact, over half (51%) strongly support a price increase.
lion to the animals is the same as the eagle(usps) for the birds. dont rely hawks can never become a eagle, golden eagle! that should be the pride for the usps pride. Let the eagle serve US.
if restructuring has to be done it should be done inthe right way, quickly ( no delay from congress) and in a straight forward manner. no games please.
if you look at the losses and the borrowing limits, restructuring has be constantly one year late. loosing billions (not to mention the onset of onslaught of the ret.benifits prepayment coinsiding with the profit period)
it looks like they want to time the help in such a way that help comes but late, by that time the lion is already hurt by the scanvenging nocturnals. “make the lion self reliant at least”
2006 – H.R. 6407 the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) includes “pay for performance” language that enhances Potter’s retirement package (Super-size me, please), while saddling the USPS with 5.5 Billion dollar prefunding leading to present day fiscal insolvency.
So if we refund the pre payment for future health care benefits thats about 33 billion. Post Office lost between 4 and 8 billion, depending which article you read, prior to this years payment so lets just say 5 billion lost this year. If that number stays the same then we could get 5 or 6 more years out of that the post office befor the losses reappear. Then what? No one whats to close post offices or cut services. Plus when there isn’t enough money to cover the ever increasing health care costs of the retiree’s who will pay for that. Make the hard decisions to ensure the post office’s survival.
Maybe it does need to be privatized.
The solution is simple, Charge anything more going to rural areas. Easy just enter the zip code to where envelope or package is going and the price for a letter might be $1.00 or $1.50 or more based on the zip code, same for packages. Now to set these rates, simply look at the last year’s lost for each post office zip code service area and estimate the number of envelopes and the number of packages handle and set logical cost to charge per zip code.
It is quite the can of worms. Given the mass exodus for competitor mailing concerns, maybe the post office has been used as a parasitic host. They place the virus of privatization in 2001, they negotiate a new Contract in 2006 – and they make sure the 5.5 Billion dollar debacle will topple the USPS in time. Meanwhile they’re positioning their new companies, readying for the privatization of the Postal Service.
Ask 100,000 people in rural American not just in NY City. You see its just not about the (numbers and the data) its about THE PEOPLE the post office is suppose to serve which so many have forgotten in their thinking which is why they should be removed from office, they no longer serve the pubic.
Facts are Facts
Its has been going on far to long in our Government.
2001 – Potter Creates the Mail Industry Task Force (MITF) with DPM Nolan and Pitney Bowes CEO Critelli co-chairs creating a platform for Postal Reform (Privatization).
2002-Critelli becomes Council President of the Mail Industry CEO Council (MICEO), allowing MICEO to lobby MITF which is championing Postal Reform (Privatization).
2002 – Nolan praises the work of the MICEO giving tacit USPS approval to Postal Reform (Privatization) ideas submitted therein.
2002 – Potter submits USPS Transformation Plan to Congress which was chock full of short- and long-term options for change in USPS operations and delivery practices, and was a partial basis for the landmark Postal Reform and Accountability Act (H.R. 6407) passed in late 2006.
2005 – Mail Express, Inc. a startup business-to-consumer lightweight package delivery company is created. (In 2010 renamed Streamlite, Inc.)
2005 – USPS Board of Governors Attacks Union Pay and Benefits.
2006 – Nolan and Critelli tout the importance of their Postal Reform (Privatization) plans.
2006 – Nearly dead H.R. 6407 rises, Lazarus-like, and somehow crawls onto the desk of Pres. Bush to be signed into law on Dec. 20.
2006 – H.R. 6407 the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) includes “pay for performance” language that enhances Potter’s retirement package (Super-size me, please), while saddling the USPS with 5.5 Billion dollar prefunding leading to present day fiscal insolvency.
2007 – Nolan who co-chaired the MITF from 2001 to 2006 leaves the USPS for Mail Express just three months after passage of H. R. 6407. Gail Sonnenberg also leaves USPS for Mail Express (According to Streamlite, Inc. Sonnenberg is credited with establishing “pay for performance” during her tenure as Vice President of Human Resources at USPS). 2010 – Dec. 3, Potter retires with a 5.5 Million retirement package, enhanced by the PAEA, and “Pay for Performance” bonuses.
2010 – Pitney Bowes spends one million lobbying the Post Office and another million lobbying the Postal Regulatory Commission.
a billion customers and this survey could only find 1500 to respond, get some real data. ask 100,000 then give me a real report.
“Would consumers pay more to prevent postal cutbacks? According to the survey, 76% saying they would support a small price increase in postage, if it meant keeping post offices open and maintaining delivery. In fact, over half (51%) strongly support a price increase.”
Maintaining Delivery? Does this mean Saturdays too?
Some Yes Some No i dont know if im a boy or a girl HQ sindrome?