GOSHEN —
Jason Bryant of Goshen struggled to keep a flat package on top of a tall box as he walked into the Goshen post office Wednesday afternoon.
He was aware of the announcement made earlier in the day by the U.S. Postal Service it would stop delivering mail on Saturdays beginning in August.
“It’s about time they save some money instead of wasting it,” Bryant said. “They need to be more efficient. They have a bloated system. FedEx has got it right and they (Postal Service) need to get it right.”
Bryant waited a short time in line to mail five or six packages he had placed inside the large box to carry inside the post office. Those packages and millions of others from postal customers across the nation mailed during the past few years are helping to drive the changes at the Postal Service.
Package delivery has increased by 14 percent since 2010 while the delivery of letters and other mail has declined since 2006, said Mary Dando, spokesperson for Postal Service in the Greater Indiana District.
“There was a huge decline. Our bread and butter was the first class mail. You sent letters to family, paid bills and now that’s been diverted,” Dando said. “We are diversifying. Our growth is packages and that’s what we will be delivering on Saturdays.”
Standing outside the post office on Pike Street, Sharon Eger of Goshen said she wasn’t surprised at the announcement.
“I appreciate getting mail on Saturday but it’s out of my hands. It would be nice if they continue,” Eger said. “So many things are different and I’m getting older. Changes are so frustrating.”
Under the new plan, postal workers would deliver mail to homes and businesses five days a week, and only deliver mail to post office boxes on Saturdays as well as packages. Post offices that are now open on Saturday would remain open on Saturdays, Dando added.
Customer Becky Arnold was “a little surprised” at the news and then considered what it meant to the postal workers.
“My thought was the postman won’t have to work on Saturday and that’s good for them,” Arnold said.
The Goshen resident also praised the local post office.
“We have a good postal system here,” Arnold said.
With the Saturday mail cutback, the Postal Service expects to save about $2 billion annually, Dando said.
“It’s part of the overall plan of the Postal Service to get back to financial stability. It’s a start on the road to financial stability,” Dando said. “We are giving six months notice to businesses who deliver mail and will have the opportunity to reschedule their deliveries. People get used to change.”
Mary Noltz of Goshen won’t have to get used to the change because she has a postal box.
“It’s good and if people have a postal box and they work during the week, they can come on Saturday,” Noltz said. “It’ll be good for the post office to not be open on Saturday. It will lower costs and it’d be nice to not have rates go up.”
Breaking News
Related Photos
-
Jason Bryant carries two packages into the Goshen post office Wednesday afternoon. The Postal Service announced Wednesday it would stop delivering mail on Saturdays beginning in August. Roger Schneider
Postal Service to end Saturday mail delivery
- Breaking News
-
-
'Experience Michiana' segments to be taped in Goshen
The crew with WNIT program “Experience Michiana” is set to tape segments in Goshen this week. The segments will be broadcast June 27 and 28.
-
State officials warn people to be alert at fairs, festivals
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security and state police are reminding state residents to be alert for safety concerns when attending county fairs and other local festivals.
-
Goshen officials donate former Hawks Building to LaCasa
An agreement between Goshen city government and LaCasa Inc. allowing for the donation of the former Hawks Building to the local non-profit was approved Monday.
-
How to monitor a Facebook Page while out of the office
With the popularity of social media soaring by the day, it is important for online marketers to keep their Facebook page updated regularly, and monitor it daily to answer comments and questions that fans post.
-
GROUNDS FOR INSANITY: In need of a support group — or several
It’s an idea whose time has come. Actually, the country’s been ripe for it since the oil crisis of the Carter administration, but I was young then and hadn’t twigged to it yet.
-
Rocket Science gains some national exposure
NAPPANEE — Things were buzzing at Rocket Science Ice Cream Shop on a recent Friday when camera crews from The Food Network and The Cooking Channel arrived at the shop inside Coppes Commons.
-
Fabric repurposed for medical uses at local nursing home
NAPPANEE - One person’s trash is another’s treasure, the old saying goes. For a group of women at a nursing home in Nappanee, that saying has never been more true.
-
Welcome back, Inn: Oakwood Reopens
SYRACUSE — After five years of uncertainty, the Oakwood Resort on Lake Wawasee checked in its first guests under new ownership last week.
-
Christian music festival returns to Nappanee
NAPPANEE — For the second year in a row, Amish Acres is the host site for WFRN Radio’s Friend Fest, scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
-
Car dealers’ delight
GOSHEN - Auto sales are going up nationwide and Elkhart County dealers are part of that rebound.
- More Breaking News Headlines
-
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Raw: Obama Arrives in Berlin
3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter
Obama Seeks G-8 Support on Syria
Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City
Kid Couture: Spending Big Bucks on Babies
Suicide Bombs Target Baghdad Mosque, Killing 29
Military Plans to Put Women in Combat Jobs
Solar Power Chargers in NYC Parks
Civil Rights Groups Sue NYPD Over Muslim Spying
Raw: First Lady, Daughters Enjoy Irish Sights
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Boeing, Airbus Battle for Sales Supremacy
NYC 911 Call Lasts for 8 Hours
