Mail Drop: Local Businesses React to Proposed 5-Day Mail Delivery

"It's going to be interesting," says George Berkeley. Owner of the UPS Store in South Orange, Berkeley considered the impact of a proposed change from six to five-day day United States Postal Service mail delivery. The Postal Regulatory Commission begins hearings on July 12 on the matter; in addition to eliminating Sat. deliveries, proposed changes include shrinking the work force through attrition and the possibility of raising mail prices above the inflation rate.

Since Sat. delivery is also a chance for many customers to have mail picked up by the carrier, Berkeley expects that such a change would result in a "spillover" of customers. Berkeley offers a post office box business that customers can access when the store is open.  "We would probably see more mail business," he says. "People are out and about on Saturdays."  He predicted that South Orange residents would feel the impact less than those in other communities. "We have options," he said, noting that there are two "1583" businesses in the Village. That designation refers to the USPS program that allows private vendors to sell postage.  

Signal Graphics, which does print work, is unlikely to be affected by the change, according to owner MaryJo DeFranco. While she appreciates Sat. delivery, she "relies heavily" on other carriers, such as UPS and FedEx. Likewise, realtor Maggie Calister, who uses direct mail to market homes and advertise open houses, says, "I don't think I would be adversely affected if Sat. delivery was cancelled." Berkeley, whose wife Jennifer owns The Beaded Path, didn't foresee any impact on that business.

USPS figures put savings from the proposed changes at $3 billion a year, though the Postal Regulatory Commission estimates about $2 billion a year, according to The New York Times.  Should the proposed changes go into effect, it's likely to have little impact on local businesses.

Monday: How do residents of South Orange React to the proposed change?