The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) really is trying to reinvent itself, but it's hard to do while losing $8.5 billion a year. What the USPS needs, says the Government Accountability Office is a lesson from six foreign postal services that are successfully competing with email, making their customers happy and profiting from it. How are these foreign postal services doing it and what can the USPS learn from them? [Learn more...]
See More About:
Explore US Government Info
Must Reads
- Salaries of Top Government Officials
- States May Have Small Business Grants
- U.S. Citizenship Test
- Money to Start a Small Business
- How to Get a Federal Tax ID Number
Most Popular
See More About:
By Category
©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.
A part of The New York Times Company.
Comments
In response to the USPS and GAO report about learning from foreign postal corporations, there was one really telling statement. The statement that really sums up exactly why the USPS has such trouble in reacting and responding to market conditions and economic issues is this one.
“Seek permission from Congress”.
USPS proposed the one thing I read about in the story about one administration scanning and emailing a person’s mail to them years ago. Congress got involved along with the Postal Rate Commission (now Postal Regulatory Commission) and public outcry about privacy and such. Idea died.
Many postal Administrations also offer other non postal services like Internet access, banking and savings instruments. Of course, heaven forbid that the USPS even consider competing with banks or ISPs.
Heck, people got all up in arms when the USPS started to sell things like neckties and coffee mugs with Looney Toon characters on them to tie in with the release of the Looney Toon stamps.
It was said that the USPS should not stray into areas where there is no postal connection to what is being marketed.