The Low-Tech Times

On a recent trip to the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va, I took a picture of the mail chute. Those staying at the hotel can drop their letters and postcards in a slot from the upper floors to transport them to a collection point on the main level.

In these days of electronic correspondence, it is really nice to get a real postcard in the mail. There’s something special about a handwritten note on the back of a picture you can hold.

Unfortunately, the U.S. postal service is in a bit of a financial jam. Tri-CityHerald.com reports:

The U.S. Postal Service lost $2.4 billion in the last quarter and estimates it will lose $7 billion this fiscal year, in part because of a congressionally mandated $5.4 billion annual payment for retiree benefits…

Another alternative being considered by Potter is to close down many branch post offices, mostly in urban areas…

The digital age has drastically changed the way Americans communicate and conduct business. People just don’t need the post office the way they once did…

The Postal Service had $75 billion in revenue in 2008, processed 203 billion pieces of mail and handled 46 percent of the world’s cards and letters.

Wrestling down the costs is a monumental job.

I had thought that eCommerce (online ordering of packages through Amazon
and such) might make up for the losses in mail from people paying bills online. I hope the post office will be able to continue its invaluable service for a long time to come. I also hope convenient branch offices can stay open. Twenty-eight cents for a domestic postcard and forty-four cents for a domestic letter still seems like a good deal to me.