U.S. Postal Service to End Saturday Mail Delivery

The U.S. Postal Service Wednesday morning announced it will eliminate Saturday delivery of mail by Aug. 1.

The current six-days-per-week mail delivery business model is “no longer sustainable,” according to the U.S. Postal Service. Continued economic struggles and the increasing use of the Internet for communications and bill paying by consumers are among the key factors that lead to the decision. Saturday is also the lightest mail day of the week.

“We must change in order to remain an integral part of the American community for decades to come,” reads a message on the U.S. Postal Service website.

The good news is, the majority American’s don’t seem to mind whether they get Saturday mail delivered or not.

A Rasmussen poll on mail delivery in 2012 showed “Three-out-of-four Americans (75 percent) would prefer the U.S. Postal Service cut mail delivery to five days a week rather than receive government subsidies to cover ongoing losses.” And a USA Today/Gallup poll in 2010 found the majority of U.S. residents surveyed were ok with eliminating Saturday delivery.

The March 2010 telephone survey of 999 adults revealed people age 55 and older were more likely than younger people to have used the mail to pay a bill or send a letter in the past two weeks.

Speak out: Are you among the 25% still in favor of Saturday delivery? How will this change affect you?