[Hot Air] The term ‘snail mail' is coming true in a very real way, effective today. As of October 1, the U.S. Postal Service will slow first-class mail delivery. The move is one that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is implementing in hopes of cutting costs.
The postal service will slow mail delivery for 4 of 10 pieces of first-class mail. Mail delivery will be at its slowest pace since the 1970s. Paul Steidler, a senior fellow at the Lexington Institute and an expert on the postal service, is critical of the cost-cutting gesture. He calls DeJoy's USPS overhaul plan "disastrous". The slowdown means that mail delivery of first-class items like letters, bills, and tax documents will take up to five days to arrive in your mailbox. It currently takes up to three days for first-class mail to arrive.
You can be assured political mailers will be right on time, though
This may not sound like a big deal but for some snail mail users it will be an unexpected adjustment. Many people handle personal financial matters like paying bills online but not everyone does that. Older people and anyone mailing in important documents with deadlines like tax forms or passport renewals will have to plan accordingly for the long mail time. Bills that are paid by mail may incur late fees with the slower travel time. It can add up.
Steider said that while everything in today's society is getting faster, the postal service is getting slower. |