U.S. Postal Service: Saturday Letter Delivery to End in August

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By CBS News
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Story Created: Feb 6, 2013 at 8:12 AM AKDT

Story Updated: Feb 6, 2013 at 8:13 AM AKDT

The postmaster general announced Wednesday that the U.S. Postal Service intends to halt Saturday delivery of most mailers, letters and catalogs in August, ending a 150-year tradition.

"We are simply not in a financial position where we can continue to make six-day letter delivery," Patrick R. Donahoe, postmaster general and CEO, told reporters during a morning news conference.

As CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes reported on "CBS This Morning" Wednesday, the plan to shrink delivery from six days a week to five would only affect first-class mail while packages, mail-order medicines, priority and express mail would still be delivered on Saturdays.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said the move will save the struggling postal service $2 billion a year.

"It's a proper business decision and (in the) long run, good for the Postal Service and good for Americans," Coburn said.

The Postal Service has lost $41 billion during the past six years as more and more Americans turned to private shippers, email and online banking.

To save money, the Postal Service slashed hours of service at about half the nation's 26,000 post offices and trimmed its workforce by 35 percent.

But it wasn't enough. David Walker, a former government watchdog, is part of a panel looking at possible postal reforms.

Walker told Cordes the new measure "won't come close to solving the Postal Service's problem. It's got to look at more fundamental changes in its infrastructure, its compensation costs, its retirement obligations, and also what it does and who does its business."

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Anonymous said on Wednesday, Feb 6 at 8:03 PM

Can't ship Ammunition, alcohol, and simple chemicals like car waxes and stuff because the workers smoke in the trucks! Can't have them around dangerous flammables.... I choose fed-ex. UPS is just a rip off.

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pawtalker said on Wednesday, Feb 6 at 11:50 AM

I will use USPS over Fed X and UPS any day! It makes more than angry at the charges that those two companies charge us for shipping in or out of Alaska. I refuse to do business that "only" ship via Fed X & UPS

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Anonymous said on Wednesday, Feb 6 at 10:20 AM

If UPS and FEDEX can ship things that the USPS can't..... WHY??? Stop being so silly on your restrictions. You ship things the same methods as the them. Why not ship things like Ammunition, alcohol, and simple chemicals like car waxes and stuff..

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Anonymous said on Wednesday, Feb 6 at 9:16 AM

It's called BEING COMPETETIVE. Obviously you can't compete in today's market with an outdated business model. Charging more and more just drives the customer to a different service.

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