How to save poor people billions, and make the USPS solvent

[The dane]

[Winchester]

The service at the local PO is already terrible, all we need is another damn line for payday loans. IMO it would do nothing but exacerbate the USPS red ink, gonna be no or little profit to providing these loans vs the paperwork required.

The postal service does an amazing job at delivering mail, they really do. If they want to stop the red ink continue to shut down small town post offices (other than drop off to PO boxes and pick up outgoing) and drop Saturday service. Then raise rates to what they need to be.

[Mr.Bill]

Most of the USPS red ink isn't even their fault.. It a Congressional Mandate that was put in place mostly to punish them, I guess.. I'm not sure but I do know it's an idiotic mandate..

But yeah, they do need to consolidate, and work smarter and more efficient.

[The dane]

[gla22]

I think it is incredibly stupid for the Postal Service to operate their own small offices, they should have booths in supermarkets (like banks do) or share commercial retail space with banks, copy shops, ect. It is a really inefficient model currently.

[jimmyz]

[Winchester]

[The dane]

[Winchester]

[Gandhi]

This is a great idea

The Post Office claims it can get almost there. Financially underserved Americans spent $89 billion in financial fees in 2012, so the Postal Service says it could make $8.9 billion just by capturing 10 percent of that sum. But that number is somewhat problematic: Post Offices would have to charge lower fees than the standards in an industry that is pretty universally seen as scammy, so it would have to capture a much bigger chunk of the market to make nearly $9 billion.

Even if we slash the numbers and assume half of that amount, 5 billion a year is nothing to shrug at and would go a long way to making the post official finically viable. It would also do quite a bit of good in these communities that get screwed by payday and predatory lenders.

The USPS also needs to start shipping amazon packages and the like. I'm young. I've sent maybe 10 letters in my entire life. I get all my statements electronically and rarely receive actual mail. But I do shop online and I do get 2-3 packages a week shipped, all by UPS or FEDEX. USPS should partner with Amazon and other online retailers to grab part of that expanding market.