Canada Postal Service to stop individual home delivery

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

Cluster boxes instead:

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-businesses-to-take-a-big-hit-from-canada-posts-delivery-change/article15891186/

[Nanker]

But, but, but... how can this be?

Canada is a nirvana of social justice and erudite single-bourgeois-class society. They are high and mighty! They are haughty and smug in their feelings of superiority.

Why, they've got a mayor up there that's bigger than Chris Christie and tokes more blow than Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston did.

[UConn James]

They're looking to offset a $109M loss by a mix of cutting service/personnel and increasing prices to save $900M?

 

Filthy stinking capitalists!!! Eh, comrades? Eh?

 

[eyeroll]

 

(It may have to do with making up for multi-year losses.)

 

Not that drastic changes aren't on the horizon for the USPS. The trial balloon of ending Saturday delivery was just a start. As my father said, they should end Wednesday delivery. Mondays are ALWAYS the heaviest flow, as it backlogs from the Saturday mail . Actually ADDING a day for weekend accumulation for even heavier Mondays is beyond stupid. Add in that cutting Saturdays would be getting rid of the time when most people are free and finally have a day to run to the PO and send that package, buy stamps, sign for certifieds, etc. Again, BEYOND stupid to cut Saturdays. Cut Wednesdays! At least there's delivery both days around that so there isn't as much backlog.

 

Because... well... they have to do something. Carrier salaries, gasoline use and vehicle fleet to maintain, reduction in use of standard first-class mail. An uneven flow (they get absolutely hammered this time of year, and it starts in October). It's a crazy system of how your mail gets delivered --- it's like a daily miracle. Despite it all, as much as people might pooh-pooh a stamp raise, we have the best post and, IIRC, the lowest cost post in the world.

 

On edit: Oops, I meant to qualify that my father is a rural carrier substitute for ~15 years, most of that falling under post-retirement. He did industrial warehouse shipping for 30 years before this. He does all routes in multiple towns (try learning and sorting ONE case, people!), and often does them in less time than the full-time carrier. It's good for him. Keeps him engaged. It's a good supplement income. And it's good for the PO. He does the unofficial training for new people. He knows every road. Literally. We have always called him "Rand McNally" and so the PO was a good fit, I guess.

Edited December 12, 2013 by UConn James

[B-Large]

"There are few electronic payment systems in Canada that are affordable and widely used, he said, and billing and receiving payments in the mail remains the lifeblood of many small businesses."

 

 

My landscaper sends me his invoices for services electronically with a payment system link. It can't be that expensive if a guy who drives a 25 years old truck that smells like fresh cut kentucky blue can do it. I assume as Candian Post prices rise, the electronic systems will become more attractive cost wise.

 

I honestly question any business I deal with that doesn't have any kind of electronic bill pay. Come to think of it, they guy who services our furnace does estimates on his ipad while he is on site, send them, schedules repairs and invoices all paperless..

Edited December 12, 2013 by B-Large

[meazza]

"We are cutting service and doubling prices."

 

Brilliant!

[Dante]

"There are few electronic payment systems in Canada that are affordable and widely used, he said, and billing and receiving payments in the mail remains the lifeblood of many small businesses."

 

 

My landscaper sends me his invoices for services electronically with a payment system link. It can't be that expensive if a guy who drives a 25 years old truck that smells like fresh cut kentucky blue can do it. I assume as Candian Post prices rise, the electronic systems will become more attractive cost wise.

 

I honestly question any business I deal with that doesn't have any kind of electronic bill pay. Come to think of it, they guy who services our furnace does estimates on his ipad while he is on site, send them, schedules repairs and invoices all paperless..

I'm calling bs on this one. I lived in Canada until 2000 and at the time I left I was able to pay everything online. Going through my bank every payment was processed immediately. When I moved to California I was surprised that US Bank electronic payment system was only electronic in the sense that you clicked to pay a bill online at their site. All they did was send a check. Thus it took a few days to process. It gave me the impression that the US was pretty archaic as far as electronic bill paying goes. I thought, since we are close to Silicon Valley that big business's would be on the cutting edge of this stuff.

Edited December 12, 2013 by Dante

[Bronc24]

"There are few electronic payment systems in Canada that are affordable and widely used, he said, and billing and receiving payments in the mail remains the lifeblood of many small businesses."

 

 

My landscaper sends me his invoices for services electronically with a payment system link. It can't be that expensive if a guy who drives a 25 years old truck that smells like fresh cut kentucky blue can do it. I assume as Candian Post prices rise, the electronic systems will become more attractive cost wise.

 

I honestly question any business I deal with that doesn't have any kind of electronic bill pay. Come to think of it, they guy who services our furnace does estimates on his ipad while he is on site, send them, schedules repairs and invoices all paperless..

 

That quote is a load of crap. All this means is business owners have to get their mail at a central location rather than have it delivered straight to their door.