The short answer is Yes.
Because the United States Postal Service was created by Benjamin Franklin in 1775 and is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the US government, it would be unrealistic to think that the USPS would ever be shut down completely. It’s the second-largest civilian employer in the US (behind Wal-Mart) with over 596,000 employees and around 218,000 vehicles.
It’s probably one of those agencies, like banks, that are simply too big to fail. The USPS also has too much importance in American history to not exist. After all, there is a governmental decree stating that the USPS is obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality.
According to recent USPS figures, however, mail volume is down nearly 20 percent since 2007. The decreased activity has landed USPS in a situation where the cost of operating its processing and delivering network exceed the revenue brought in by the price of postage and products. USPS also reported that collection mail was down nearly 50 percent over the last decade.
“Even when the economy recovers, mail volume is not expected to return to previous peak levels,” writes Robert Cavinder, USPS Appalachian District Manager in an opinion piece for a local newspaper. “The decline has left the Postal Service with a mail processing network that is too large for the amount of mail it now processes.”
USPS is currently undergoing an improvement strategy to try and cut costs anywhere it can along the expansive processing and delivery network. It is threatening that branches will have to consolidate into one. See the full list of branches undergoing the continuous improvement study here: Area Processing Mail study: AMP Study.
So if I had to answer the hypothetical again, I would still say "Yes," because I do believe that the USPS will be around well into the future. But I also wouldn't be surprised if I saw the USPS disband because there simply wasn't mail to be carried anymore.
Don't forget to check out these other top stories: The Boeing 787 Dreamliner: A Tale of TERRIBLE Supply Chain Management and Accenture's New Boss for India Outsourcing.
Because the United States Postal Service was created by Benjamin Franklin in 1775 and is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the US government, it would be unrealistic to think that the USPS would ever be shut down completely. It’s the second-largest civilian employer in the US (behind Wal-Mart) with over 596,000 employees and around 218,000 vehicles.
It’s probably one of those agencies, like banks, that are simply too big to fail. The USPS also has too much importance in American history to not exist. After all, there is a governmental decree stating that the USPS is obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality.
According to recent USPS figures, however, mail volume is down nearly 20 percent since 2007. The decreased activity has landed USPS in a situation where the cost of operating its processing and delivering network exceed the revenue brought in by the price of postage and products. USPS also reported that collection mail was down nearly 50 percent over the last decade.
“Even when the economy recovers, mail volume is not expected to return to previous peak levels,” writes Robert Cavinder, USPS Appalachian District Manager in an opinion piece for a local newspaper. “The decline has left the Postal Service with a mail processing network that is too large for the amount of mail it now processes.”
USPS is currently undergoing an improvement strategy to try and cut costs anywhere it can along the expansive processing and delivery network. It is threatening that branches will have to consolidate into one. See the full list of branches undergoing the continuous improvement study here: Area Processing Mail study: AMP Study.
So if I had to answer the hypothetical again, I would still say "Yes," because I do believe that the USPS will be around well into the future. But I also wouldn't be surprised if I saw the USPS disband because there simply wasn't mail to be carried anymore.
Don't forget to check out these other top stories: The Boeing 787 Dreamliner: A Tale of TERRIBLE Supply Chain Management and Accenture's New Boss for India Outsourcing.
