Postal Service blames deficit & drop in volume on recession

[manOman]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/business/29postal.html?_r=2

Amid unrelenting bad news, the Postal Service is striving to make the case that mail is here to stay.
About 175 billion pieces of mail will be sent in 2009, down from 202 billion last year.

“We’re very optimistic about the future of mail because mail has great value,” said Susan Plonkey, vice president for sales. “Mail works.”

Top postal officials say the recession is to blame for the agency’s $7 billion deficit and a steep drop in the volume of mail, and they express confidence that mail, particularly advertising, will rebound.

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Whoever these "top postal officials" are, they evidently haven't been talking to DontKnowWho & The Pott-man.

[Vax]

   Or seen the managers bonus money for the first half of the year, between bonus, travel and moveing expences of the big boys, big bucks spent needlessly!

[Vax]

    Steward mentioned we have 4 FSS machines at a cost of 400 million each, and they are on the way to Ohio to set up some more, seems like a lot of money to me, but what the hell, Im just a dumb rural carrier, whose going to take another hoseing in a couple of weeks under the special count!

[Vax]

    Steward mentioned we have 4 FSS machines at a cost of 400 million each, and they are on the way to Ohio to set up some more, seems like a lot of money to me, but what the hell, Im just a dumb rural carrier, whose going to take another hoseing in a couple of weeks under the special count!

[RogerR]

FSS machines don't cost anywhere near $400 million each.  The entire phase I of 100 machines is less than $1 billion dollars.  

[Churchland]

The postal service loses money even when the economy is doing well, should anyone be surprised that they would lose money during a recession? Until mid-management and up is changed, nothing will change at the post office, except for change for the worse.