Checking the mail is something people do every day. Anybody who has ever went and checked a mailbox has probably received many things in the mail that could be considered ‘non-essential.’ ‘Non-essential’ mail can be things such as flyers for advertising events or credit card offers from a number of companies. The Trump administration is trying to stop this from happening as much. To fix this, they want companies, such as UPS and FedEx, to pay money for access to a certain mailbox. Paying for access would allow them to continue sending the ‘non-essential’ mail. The Trump administration thinks that doing this will revive the U.S. Postal Service.
The U.S. Postal Service has gone downhill and they are losing more and more money every year. This year is their 12th straight year of losing money. According to President Trump, the U.S. Postal Service loses about $1.50 per package they deliver from Amazon. Amazon is a huge company that people are using 24/7, so the USPS is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars every single day. Charging for mailbox access could help the USPS start gaining money and stop losing money.
What do you think about this? Do you think selling access to mailboxes will really help the USPS?
I think this is a very smart initiative to help increase revenue for the US Postal service. I also think this will help to cut down on paper waste, as companies will not send out as much spam mail. I think this was a very smart business move on Trump's part and will help to keep the Postal service running.
ReplyDeleteI don't really know how to feel about this issue, mostly because I know next to nothing about the topic. On one hand, this idea presents a way for the USPS to sustain itself; on another, I would find it hard to believe if someone were to suggest that this proposition would have no downsides.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, the CBS News article refers to Robert Atkinson of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, who notes that the USPS may actually lose money from this policy. How?
This policy involves monetizing USPS mailboxes, which currently can only be used by USPS services--not third parties like Fed-Ex or UPS. According to Atkinson, USPS is perhaps best at doing delivery to consumers' homes because their mailboxes guarantee a monopoly on mail delivery (and the article bolsters this claim when it adds that "package delivery remains one of the few lines of business that's growing for the USPS"). This policy would allow third-party companies to bypass this monopoly system and use the mailboxes, which in turn may compromise USPS's monopoly and cause them to gain even less revenue. Although Atkinson says that "nobody knows what the economics of that are," it is something worth noting for sure.
I'm not saying this is a bad policy (because I really don't know enough about this topic at all), but I think it would be a good idea to look into the positive and negative effects of this policy before assuming that it's a good proposition.
If we can cut down the amount of junk we get in the mail I am all for it! This is definitely a benefit for us and a great idea from President Trump.
ReplyDeleteI think it is great idea from President Trump. I hate getting junk in the mail. If this will put a stop to all the pointless junk mail and potentially help the USPS, I am all about it.
ReplyDeleteI think this sounds like a great idea. I believe it will help the postal service because it will give them a way to support themselves.
ReplyDeleteReviving the US Postal serivces is a great idea. I think selling access will help bring back US Postal, but I think the cost to send something will increase as well.
ReplyDeleteAny way of decreasing paper waste is a great way. Although that isnt their intention, it’s still a good side effect.
ReplyDeleteI think that this could potentially be a good idea if planned well. Charging big companies like Amazon and others to put packages in your mailbox would help bring money in for the USPS. However, I think that the companies could find many ways around the charges such as leaving the packages on the doorsteps to avoid the charges. I think it is a good idea but needs better planning.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great idea. If a business is delivering packages, they should not be harmed by the retailer of those items. This could also stop the mass amounts of junk mail, which in turn would stop the amount of paper waste. This could help the people, environment, and mail carriers which sounds great to me.
ReplyDeleteI think that it will definitely help the USPS! I agree that people do use it 24/7 and so that will more than likely be a constant flow of money
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a plausible solution for USPS to begin curating revenue. I also like that the idea does not punish consumers directly and will probably defer spam/junk mail senders from harassing people. There is a threat of companies like UPS and FedEx charging consumers to make up for this added charge. Either way, this seems like an inventive way for the USPS to stop losing money.
ReplyDeleteI believe paying for mailboxes will help increase the income of the USPS. As long as the owner of the mailbox doesn't have to pay anything.
ReplyDeleteIt does not seem like it would be an awful idea to charge for mailbox access. It would positively benefit the Unites States Postal Service and put some responsibility on companies such as Amazon. However, there is a better solution to the issue. Instead, companies that send non- essential mail and junk mail should be charged for the mailboxes. Nobody likes getting junk or spam mail and it often clutters up mail boxes. The mailbox charges might create an incentive for companies to reduce their distribution of junk mail.
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ReplyDeleteI think this is a great idea to help boost the United States Postal Service, at least theoretically. Something else I could imagine happening that would bypass these foreseen benefits would be Amazon making their own delivery service. Since there is no way for the government to regulate this - they cannot ban a business just because it is competing with a federal business - it is a solution that Amazon likely attempt. The business tycoon has already piloted a delivery system using drones, called Prime Air, and they’re working on developing their own grassroots delivery system. For more detailed information: https://www.google.com/search?safe=active&ei=NNETXMOMEI6-ggfRoIuoDQ&q=amazon+drone+delivery+service+&oq=amazon+drone+delivery+service+&gs_l=mobile-gws-wiz-serp.3..0i30l2j0i8i30l3.2852.8494..8827...0.0..0.1169.6317.2-6j3j0j2j2j1......0....1.........0j41j0i71.mfRXoMgC1ws
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