Some Post Offices Might Close

[Family Ties Forever!]

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9 Houston Post Offices Could Be Closed
Post Office Ponders Closing 1 In 10 Retail Outlets

Posted: Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Updated: 2:11 pm CDT July 26, 2011

Washington -- The Postal Service is considering closing more than 1 in 10 of its retail outlets, including nine in Houston. Texas' Post Offices Up For Closure Review The financially troubled agency announced Tuesday that it will study 3,653 local offices, branches and stations for possible closure. But many of those may be replaced by village post offices in which postal services are offered in local stores, libraries or government offices. "It's no secret that the Postal Service is looking to change the way we do a lot of things," Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said at a briefing. "We do feel that we are still relevant to the American public and the economy, but we have to make some tough choices."

Currently the post office operates 31,871 retail outlets across the country, down from 38,000 a decade ago, but in recent years business has declined sharply as first-class mail moved to the Internet. In addition, the recession resulted in a decline in advertising mail, and the agency lost $8 billion last year. Most of the offices that face review are in rural areas and have low volumes of business. As many as 3,000 post offices have only two hours of business a day even though they are open longer, said postal service Vice President Dean Granholm.

The nine Houston facilities and one Pasadena facility under review include the following locations.
Civic Center, East Houston, Jensen Drive, Two Houston Center, Denver Harbor, Harrisburg, Irvington, Park Place, Martin Luther King, John Foster, Pasadena, Coming under review doesn't necessarily mean an office will close. The Postal Service announced in January it was reviewing 1,400 offices for closing. So far 280 have been closed and 200 have finished the review process and will remain open. Once an office is selected for a review, people served by that office will have 60 days to file their comments. If an office is to be closed, they will be able to appeal to the independent Postal Regulatory Commission.

"Today's announcement is a step in the right direction. There are, however, many difficult decisions ahead that must be made to improve operations, reduce costs, and return the Postal Service to financial solvency," commented Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Postal Service. The Postal Service "must consolidate facilities and streamline operations in the way that countless private sector companies have done to remain viable in the face of new markets, new technology and changing customer needs," said Issa.

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who heads the Senate subcommittee that oversees the post office, added that the "announcement underscores the serious nature of the Postal Service's financial situation ... Closing a significant number of post offices that are losing money or are no longer necessary to meet the current demand for Postal Service products and services is a difficult but necessary step in the broader effort to save the Postal Service from total collapse." Others agreed change is needed.

"This is bitter medicine, but changed times call for a changed Postal Service. With mail volumes declining at a dizzying rate, we need a Postal Service that is leaner, more efficient and less expensive," said Art Sackler, chairman of the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service, a mailing industry group. "The closure of a post office can be difficult, but these avenues must be explored to ensure that the Postal Service and the 8 million private sector jobs that rely on it are able to survive, and that the economy as a whole doesn't take yet another disruptive blow."

The vast majority of sales in post offices are stamp purchases, officials said, and that can easily be handled at the new Village Post Offices. In addition, those offices would accept flat-rate packages and some could provide post office box service. For passports or other more complex services customers would have to go to a remaining regular post office. Already some 70,000 locations such as supermarkets and department stores sell stamps.

Over the last four years the Postal Service, which does not receive tax funds for its operations, has cut its staff by about 130,000 and reduced costs by $12 billion in an effort to cope with the loss of first class mail to the Internet and the decline in advertising mail caused by the recession. For example, about half of all bill payments are made by Internet now, up from 5 percent a decade ago. Postal officials have also sought permission from Congress to reduce mail delivery to five days a week and to ease the requirement that they pay $5.5 billion annually into a fund to pre-pay future retiree medical benefits.

Without the $5.5 billion annual pre-payment -- which is not required of any other government agency -- the Postal Service would have made a profit over the past four years. However, because of the complex way federal finances are structured, the payment is counted as income to the government and eliminating it would make the federal deficit appear to be $5.5 billion larger. The agency has also suspended payments into its pension fund and eliminated bonuses and performance awards for managers and executives. Of the 1,400 offices announced for review in January, 620 are still in the review process and 300 will move to the new review list.

Copyright 2011 by Click2Houston.com.

[Family Ties Forever!]

Closing a significant number of post offices that are losing money or are no longer necessary to meet the current demand for Postal Service products and services is a difficult but necessary step in the broader effort to save the Postal Service from total collapse." Others agreed change is needed.

Hopefully, we won't see a total collapse of the postal service.

[tiredmike59]

That doesnt surprise me.
Not too long ago, I would have to pick a number and wait in line,
now I am usually the only customer.

[catlover79]

I'm not surprised to hear this, either. However, as the granddaughter of a former longtime mailman, it does sadden me.

[MrCleveland]

I believe that the internet is taking our jobs away as well.

My dad worked for the Post Office one winter...he hated it!

[TVFactFan]

I believe it because I mailed my rent payments every monthat the post office from 2000 to April of 2011


Since May of 2011, I have been paying rent online-lol

[Retro4Life]

When I was young, working at the Post Office was like a dream job. Great benefits, including pension and pay and insurance, plus you didn't usually risk injury or do anything too strenuous.

Now it seems like even THAT dream job is going the way of the dodo. Welcome to the "new normal."

[LUNCH]

Originally Posted by MrCleveland

I believe that the internet is taking our jobs away as well.

Absoltely true.The internet and all this modern technology,that some people think is so great, has gotten rid of millions of jobs already.And of course there are other reasons alot of jobs have dissapeared ie: outsourcing etc.

[tiredmike59]

We should have paid more attention to all those 1950s sci-fi shows and movies where the computers take over and run the world.

[LUNCH]

I love those 1950s and 60s sci fi shows and the 1950s sci fi movies!They hardly show them on televison anymore.

[OH Nuts!]

Well with everyone used the Internet so much (and email) snail mail is becoming more a thing of the past. Sad though, that folks will be losing their jobs because of this.

[MickeyMac]

Originally Posted by tiredmike59

We should have paid more attention to all those 1950s sci-fi shows and movies where the computers take over and run the world.

You got that right!!!

[biffbronson]

It becomes sort of an attrition type of thing -- as fewer positions are needed, retiring postal workers are replaced in lower numbers. In other words, it's obvious that young people will have fewer and fewer opportunities with the USPS, especially if the number of delivery days is cut. I hope that current folks aren't facing layoffs in big numbers!

[yankeesrj12]

The Post Office is kind of a joke anyways. The only thing keeping it alive is junk mail and letters from colleges telling you how great they are.

Plus my mail carrier seems to be quite lazy as of late. If a truck is parked in front of my mailbox by the street, he will just drive past and not get out of his truck to stick the mail in the box. It's your job to deliver me the mail and you are getting great benefits, so do your job. It's not my fault someone parked in front of my mailbox.