Thursday, July 30, 2009

Report: Charlotte post offices could close

Five Mecklenburg County post offices are among 677 nationwide marked for possible closure or consolidation, the Washington Post reports.

The Charlotte offices under scrutiny:

CLT-30th St




CLT-Arrowood



CLT-Derita



CLT-Eastway Finance



CLT-Freedom



Click here for the full list.

The Post story quotes Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) expecting the steps to prompt public backlash.

“You better believe that if those post offices have to be closed I’m going to be besieged by people asking, ‘Please don’t close my post office,’” she said.

The story also cites postal and Congressional sources saying "privately that only about 200 of the 677 postal facilities are likely to be closed after a review," after the document was given today to a House subcommittee holding a hearing on the future of American mail delivery.

- Doug Miller

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here is a concept, CLOSE ALL POST OFFICES. They are so POORLY run it is so sad! Most of the people don't care, they don't deliver the mail correctly plus our whole entire neighborhood gets missed some days!!

Let other companies deliver mail like FEDEX or UPS, they are a LOT more reliable. Our company tried to ship items with USPS but was so unreliable we do everything with Fedex Ground and Fedex Express.

Again, gov't fails at trying to run a monopoly!

Oh, all all those signs saying Priority is 2-3 business days, lol... false advertising! I had a package that took 9 days to delivery via Priority, I called their customer support (if that is way you call it) and says it's not guaranteed for 14 days. After 14 days then they can "trace" the package.

WHAT A JOKE!

Anonymous said...

Change one can Believe in.........

Anonymous said...

Hey first poster - by your logic, I guess we should CLOSE ALL BANKS, CLOSE ALL CAR COMPANIES, ETC. Chrysler, GM, B of A, Lehman, and countless others have taken a lot more tax money and paid out huge bonuses to execs who helped get us in this mess. How much tax money has the USPS wasted: $0

Zon said...

To the first commentor. The post office is no longer run by he government. Might want to try reading before making such ignorant comments.

Anonymous said...

I as an Ebayer use the USPS often. To the first poster, That was a very unusual situation. I have always had consistent service with shipping packages and I always use delivery confirmation. Worth the extra .75 cents or .19 cents for online.
Saw the closure list for New York City and I would hate to be an ebayer there. Longer walks and and longer lines. Sad.
Seems like the ones in Charlotte that are closing are in not so red hot areas. Those folks there are going to screwed by having a longer ride to a farther away location. Why don't They just simply close on Tuesdays instead of laying people off and closing facilities and causing inconveniences for people needing window service.
USPS just took out the cash vending machines for stamps and making to where you have to get stamps from the APC with plastic money only when the window is closed or they have a forever long line.
USPS needs to get it together!

Ryan said...

I won't argue with Anonymous's claim that GM, Chrysler, and BofA have taken a good deal of government money (most of which will be paid back, as they are loans), but he/she points out his/her ignorance by including Lehman in his list. Last time I checked, the government decided against helping Lehman and now they're gone and the financial system nearly collapsed, suggesting that financial aid for some other large financial institutions may have some merit.

On the subject of closing some post offices, I don't see how anyone can object. The post office system was established before competitors like FedEx and UPS gained the large market share they enjoy today, and now the USPS needs to adjust its business model to compensate. There are plenty of options people do not take advantage of these days like the Automated Postal Center kiosks or buying postage online, which offer far more convenience than waiting in the long lines the post office is known for. Rather than watch postage rates go up 5% or more per year, I'd rather see 5% of the post office branches closed each year instead.

Anonymous said...

USPS is a non-essential service. You can either send email or go with private (for profit) delivery.

They should offer to sell assets to UPS, Fedex and other firms and dump this waste of taxpayer money. Sending mail may then cost more, but then only the people who use it will have to pay for it, not the folks who have stepped into the 21st century.

Anonymous said...

Sent a 3 lb. insured package via "Priority Mail" to the Chicago suburbs a week ago Tuesday and it was delvered on Thursday before 10:00. That's just ever-so-slightly behind UPS "Next Day Air" at less than 1/4 the price.

greatwhite buffalo said...

Got God Gang

the inflated bubble balloon has busted, the run away train is off the track

we have a new day

it's time to rise yall this iz not a white XflagX i'm not skeered

thank you the usa postal service
for your service

i'm an adv/mktg professional ready to take charge

the charlotte observer knows how to contact me if you need me

fast forward

richmond is not richmond anymore

is charlotte charlotte?

more later....

Anonymous said...

and you wonder why people object to having the govment run health care? What does the govment run efficiently? SS - broke, Medicare - broke, Medicade - broke,
Post office - broke. National Parks - broke

Anonymous said...

The Post Office is awesome. Think about the gigantic number of piece of mail that's moved across the country nearly every day.
Y'all who knock it are spoiled and stupid. And ungrateful.
The Post Office rocks.

Anonymous said...

We sure have a lot of grumblers in this country. Wake up, America, and appreciate all the good things we enjoy here, like dedicated postal workers making your life easier. They deserve more of the money that Congress is sending to foreign countries--money totally wasted--they need to keep it at HOME.

Mary said...

My postman goes out of his way to deliver my mail. Some people want to do a good job, some just want to get paid.

Post offices not doing well get closed like other businesses.

Ura Idjit said...

9:53, do you know how stupid you are? "dump this waste of taxpayer money"? The post office does NOT get tax money, and when you write that a "for profit" service should be used, the post office HAS to make money to support itself, just like FedEx and UPS...hence the reason the P.O. is consolidating offices and looking into other options to save money. Do you really think, while sitting in your mommys basement, that congress would use tax money to pay to deliver love letters and catalogues?

If you're so bitter about the post office (for some reason), write your mailman a note saying that you no longer want mail delivery, and then remove your mailbox. It's that simple. Then you can enjoy your email while you wear your spaceman pajamas, while the rest of us enjoy reading magazines, getting REAL love letters, and perusing the L.L. Bean catalogues.

Anonymous said...

8:27 pm. It's been my experience as a letter carrier that it's people just like you, who complain about why it took a package soooooo long to get somewhere...and then when it gets there, it's discovered that you put the wrong zip code on it. Because of YOU, your package took a whirlwind tour of the United States at post office expense, until WE could fix YOUR error and get it to the right place.

I've bought and sold 500+ items on eBay, and the only time an item has EVER been lost was when it had to go through the Canadian post office. I don't know if the rest of you complainers are complete morons and don't know how to address a package, but the 100% success rate I'm getting with the United States Postal Service must mean I'm doing something right, and you're doing something very wrong.

Anonymous said...

I agree that a better solution might be to close all offices one day of the week rather than closing some offices outright. Also, put cash stamp machines back in, run by the PO, not by some 3rd party vendor. BTW, not everyone has a computer on which to pay bills. Not all accounts can be paid on-line; some require checks. And SOME of us still write letters.

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous said...
USPS is a non-essential service. You can either send email or go with private (for profit) delivery.


Really? Try this. Next time you have a letter you want delivered to grandma who lives four miles down a dirt road in Lost Overshoe, Nebraska, take it to FedEx or UPS. Hand them the letter, along with 44 cents. Or maybe 50 cents, or even a dollar. Tell them you want it delivered in three days and see what happens. Hint: It won't happen.

People complain about slow delivery, right? Here's something most people don't know. How do you think your mail gets from Charlotte to, say, Los Angeles? It's put on a plane. But guess what? The postal service has no airplanes. FedEx, USAir, UPS, Jet Blue, and some others fly the mail for the postal service, and guess who pays for that? The postal service, not you. If their flights are late or canceled, that means your mail is late. But who gets the blame? Yep, you guessed it...the post office. If the airlines lose some mail or damages it (which happens more than people know), who gets blamed? Right again...the post office.

Think about this. You complain about high gas prices. Every time the per gallon price goes up a penny, it costs the postal service millions of dollars a month, but you don't pay for that, they do.

Move to Great Britain or Japan and try to get a letter delivered for 44 cents.

Don't like "high" postage rates? After over two hundred years, it still costs only 44 cents to mail a letter. Think about how much a loaf of bread has gone up in just the past five years. Or a can of soup. Or a gallon of gas.

Notice how some companies have added a fuel surcharge for their services when they come to your house? The post office hasn't.

People in the private sector who complain about the postal service don't have the faintest idea of what goes on or how it's run. Not a clue...and that includes you.

Anonymous said...

I would not mind if they closed on Saturday's. I'm not home anyway so I would not miss them.

Keep_The_Service!!! said...

First off, the government started cutting back hours, especially at night. Then they started closing lobbies on Sunday. Now the process has begun to close and eliminate branches. The Postal Service is an important service that is just as useful to citizens as AMTRAK and the interstate highway network. Who says "snail mail" isn't important anymore? Reminds me of the hardy return of the vinyl phonograph disc, which has made a sharp rebound because the sound quality of vinyl is still superior to CD'S and other digital media. Which goes to show that the newest and latest technologies aren't necessarily going to be the best. We need better government stewardship over our national public-sector services, such as postal delivery and passenger train service: They have no legitimate reasons to be in the hands of private companies. When it comes to those snail mail deliveries, I always look forward to seeing a real linen envelope in my metal mailbox from time to time. Every May, letter carriers give back to their communities when they go out to collect food donations for the poor and needy, something that computers can't physically do. It's a brave and scary new world for our mail system, one of the best-run and cheapest worldwide.

rick_b said...

Good lord, what is wrong with you people?

I've comparison-shopped for all my shipping needs, and in general the USPS is the most economical method for average consumers to use. Online postage payment/printing service, convenient drop-off locations located nearly everywhere (AKA "post offices"), and quick service are additional advantages.

To ship by UPS or FedEx means having to go to one of their facilities or a "pack 'n ship" company, both of which are less conveniently located than post offices for most people.

Yes, I use email for much routine correspondence. However, there are plenty of times I want or need to send a hard copy of something, or a personal letter, or a card.

Last time I checked, your precious FedEx and UPS won't deliver such a thing, often by the next day, for anywhere near 44 cents.

Every delivery service has its place, including FedEx, UPS, and the USPS. Instead of bashing one, try using some intelligence and evaluate your shipping needs in order to choose the most appropriate carrier for those needs.

Sheesh.

Anonymous said...

I've worked for the Uited States Postal Service for some twenty-five
years. I've read some of the comments today. There very scary.
Most people who have comments don't have a cue how the USPS operates. First of all, were regulated by the governent. Our company has to get permission from the government. For every penny increase in the price of gas
will cost the USPS a million dollars. The Fedexs and UPS will charge their customers a surcharge. If you ever past a mail
falcity please notice all of the Fedex and UPS trunks. And, if you think a stamp is (high) over priced here( USA), try to purchase one in another country. Make a long story short because I could go on and on. What happens when our country loses apple pie , baseball and the postal service?

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