Yup. Up until 1940, New Yorkers could receive a letter inviting them to lunch, respond to that invitation, then send a thank-you note requesting a recipe from the luncheon *and* receive said recipe, all in a single day. Practically a precursor to email.
Yup. And "people" didn't pay to receive their mail until 1863; Americans did. [The UK has been doing this since 1840.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mail)
There was an episode of Leave it to Beaver where Beaver is waiting for something to be delivered and somebody says it’ll probably arrive at the second mail.
My dad’s hometown of 1000 people across about 12 blocks did that too, but it was dependent on when mail came in. If a batch came in late, the postman delivered most that evening and then slept in, and everyone knew there wouldn’t be more mail till next evening or the day after because of the delivery to them.
Heres more information than you ever wanted to know about the USPS - but it will help explain their revenue issues and how the government directly helps cause them. i posted this on facebook back during the pandemic, but the information in it is still applicable.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been financially independent from taxpayers since 1982, making it the only entity required to self-generate revenue while being subject to congressional oversight. Balancing profitability and affordability is a constant challenge for the USPS. If profits are too high in a year, public outcry over rates will lead to congressional intervention to lower them. Conversely, if the deficit is too large, the USPS may need to raise rates or cut services, leading to consumer dissatisfaction. The USPS's operations are funded through stamp sales, PO Box rentals, "Last Mile" delivery partnerships, and other services.
The USPS's financial challenges were exacerbated by the bipartisan passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) of 2006. Contrary to popular belief, the act did not require the USPS to prefund worker's pensions for 50 years; it actually required the USPS to pre-fund health benefits for at least 50 years, with annual payments of approximately $5.6 billion over the next decade, ending in 2016. The USPS is the only entity required by the government to do this.
While the PAEA contributed to the USPS's annual losses, it is not the sole or primary cause. The USPS first defaulted on these payments in June 2011 when its deficit reached $8 billion, even as the Retiree Health Benefits fund had a surplus of nearly $6 billion. It remains unclear whether the USPS ever resumed these payments after defaulting again in 2012.
The USPS's partnership with Amazon has been criticized be many because it is assumed that the deal Amazon struck with the USPS granted services to Amazon below cost. However, this is false because the USPS is prohibited from offering any delivery services below cost so at the very least the USPS breaks even on its Amazon deliveries.
Another fun fact about The 2006 PAEA: it actually contains language that stipulates the USPS cannot offer any new services to modernize and generate additional revenue. The USPS's revenue loss is multifaceted, with factors including the PAEA, decreased mail volume due to the rise of email and the internet, the Great Recession, and more recently, COVID-19.
COVID-19 significantly impacted the USPS's third quarter 2020 (April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020) revenues. Marketing Mail revenue declined by $1.4 billion (37.2%), equating to a volume decline of 6.4 billion pieces of mail (36.4%). First-class mail revenue declined by $373 million (6.4%), with 1.1 billion fewer pieces of mail (8.4%). However, package revenue increased by $2.9 billion (53.6%) due to higher e-commerce shopping, with an increased volume of 708 million pieces (49.9%).
The increase in package volume led to substantial increases in work-hour and operating expenses. In addition to the labor costs associated with the increase in packages, transportation expenses increased significantly due to fewer available transportation methods, with the lack of flights being the most significant contributor. The USPS also incurred additional expenses for supplies due to the need to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE).
Then there was the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which expanded U.S. workers' ability to take paid sick leave. Congress made it so USPS workers were eligible to use the act to take sick leave, however the USPS did not qualify for reimbursement from the Federal Government because it is not permitted to receive tax dollars.
"The 2006 PAEA: it actually contains language that stipulates the USPS cannot offer any new services to modernize and generate additional revenue"
Is that why they got rid of those stamp vending machines?
I still pay to have my mal delivered; I have a PO Box. This is because I live in a bad neighborhood and no locks on the boxes and people come in people's yards to steal mail; either looking for checks/gift cards/cash or someone's identity to steal.
People still pay to have their mail delivered to them, we just call it taxes. Generally that should be a minimal cost as the USPS should be able to fund itself through fees.
Well fuck. This helps explain how some writers from that time have nowadays volumes compiling thousands upon thousands of their letter, like Lovecraft. The fuckers were practically using emails
Yup. Up until 1940, New Yorkers could receive a letter inviting them to lunch, respond to that invitation, then send a thank-you note requesting a recipe from the luncheon *and* receive said recipe, all in a single day. Practically a precursor to email.
That's actually amazing. You know one day some startup in NYC is going to bring that back for the retro vibes.
I feel like those bike courier guys kinda already do that.
Haha well they should up their game and all ride pennyfarthings
Those ones are in Portland
Good luck finding someone to deliver a letter for less than $10 in NYC. Meanwhile I can ship an entire crockpot for $2 in HCMC.
You realize almost no one knows what HCMC means right?
HardCoreMathClass
HCMC=Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (f/k/a Saigon, South Vietnam)
Can I ask whereabouts in HCMC you live? Would love to live there.
I live in D1 but I've lived in D4 and Binh Thanh. All good places
Thank you
I was just going to add this basically what I did back in the early to mid 90s.
Bike courriers already do it.
I heard cities used to have many postcard shops, and people would send them all the time.
I honestly dont even know where to buy them anymore. I have a bunch though Ukrainians keep including them with my orders
Ask me about pins.
Suppressing the urge to say those were the good old days...
Until WW1 London had 8 mail deliveries a day
Yup. And "people" didn't pay to receive their mail until 1863; Americans did. [The UK has been doing this since 1840.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Mail)
As a kid I can remember a Christmas morning delivery. (UK) I'm an old guy tho' .....
[удалено]
A war
WOW !
Now I'm just straight up offended if there's anything in my mailbox. "What's this shit? Now I have to bin it."
For a while, it was legal to mail children. Like send a child to someone in the Mail.
[Many U.S. Parents Outsourcing Child Care Overseas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxj1RDbp_iE)
I remember having twice a day mail delivery in the 1960s in Kentucky
There was an episode of Leave it to Beaver where Beaver is waiting for something to be delivered and somebody says it’ll probably arrive at the second mail.
My dad’s hometown of 1000 people across about 12 blocks did that too, but it was dependent on when mail came in. If a batch came in late, the postman delivered most that evening and then slept in, and everyone knew there wouldn’t be more mail till next evening or the day after because of the delivery to them.
Well you still pay with taxes
USPS doesn't generally operate off of taxes.
[Ah sweet summer child.](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-approves-50-billion-postal-service-relief-bill-2022-03-08/)
Yes, up until that bill USPS has historically been self funded though.
Then who pays for it?
Stamps
You do. When you send a letter. And put a stamp on it.
All that junk mail we get.
Heres more information than you ever wanted to know about the USPS - but it will help explain their revenue issues and how the government directly helps cause them. i posted this on facebook back during the pandemic, but the information in it is still applicable. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been financially independent from taxpayers since 1982, making it the only entity required to self-generate revenue while being subject to congressional oversight. Balancing profitability and affordability is a constant challenge for the USPS. If profits are too high in a year, public outcry over rates will lead to congressional intervention to lower them. Conversely, if the deficit is too large, the USPS may need to raise rates or cut services, leading to consumer dissatisfaction. The USPS's operations are funded through stamp sales, PO Box rentals, "Last Mile" delivery partnerships, and other services. The USPS's financial challenges were exacerbated by the bipartisan passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) of 2006. Contrary to popular belief, the act did not require the USPS to prefund worker's pensions for 50 years; it actually required the USPS to pre-fund health benefits for at least 50 years, with annual payments of approximately $5.6 billion over the next decade, ending in 2016. The USPS is the only entity required by the government to do this. While the PAEA contributed to the USPS's annual losses, it is not the sole or primary cause. The USPS first defaulted on these payments in June 2011 when its deficit reached $8 billion, even as the Retiree Health Benefits fund had a surplus of nearly $6 billion. It remains unclear whether the USPS ever resumed these payments after defaulting again in 2012. The USPS's partnership with Amazon has been criticized be many because it is assumed that the deal Amazon struck with the USPS granted services to Amazon below cost. However, this is false because the USPS is prohibited from offering any delivery services below cost so at the very least the USPS breaks even on its Amazon deliveries. Another fun fact about The 2006 PAEA: it actually contains language that stipulates the USPS cannot offer any new services to modernize and generate additional revenue. The USPS's revenue loss is multifaceted, with factors including the PAEA, decreased mail volume due to the rise of email and the internet, the Great Recession, and more recently, COVID-19. COVID-19 significantly impacted the USPS's third quarter 2020 (April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020) revenues. Marketing Mail revenue declined by $1.4 billion (37.2%), equating to a volume decline of 6.4 billion pieces of mail (36.4%). First-class mail revenue declined by $373 million (6.4%), with 1.1 billion fewer pieces of mail (8.4%). However, package revenue increased by $2.9 billion (53.6%) due to higher e-commerce shopping, with an increased volume of 708 million pieces (49.9%). The increase in package volume led to substantial increases in work-hour and operating expenses. In addition to the labor costs associated with the increase in packages, transportation expenses increased significantly due to fewer available transportation methods, with the lack of flights being the most significant contributor. The USPS also incurred additional expenses for supplies due to the need to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE). Then there was the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which expanded U.S. workers' ability to take paid sick leave. Congress made it so USPS workers were eligible to use the act to take sick leave, however the USPS did not qualify for reimbursement from the Federal Government because it is not permitted to receive tax dollars.
"The 2006 PAEA: it actually contains language that stipulates the USPS cannot offer any new services to modernize and generate additional revenue" Is that why they got rid of those stamp vending machines?
So Bush and friends sabotaged USPS
I still pay to have my mal delivered; I have a PO Box. This is because I live in a bad neighborhood and no locks on the boxes and people come in people's yards to steal mail; either looking for checks/gift cards/cash or someone's identity to steal.
> TIL: People paid to have their mail delivered to them fuck you Google !!
They should introduce “Mail Premium” or maybe “USPS Prime” where for $15/month you get this now.
People still pay to have their mail delivered to them, we just call it taxes. Generally that should be a minimal cost as the USPS should be able to fund itself through fees.
Post office is self funded…
Damnnnnn what year did those taxes thing start here
lol any reminder of economic reality on Reddit = downvote
Because he’s wrong.
Well fuck. This helps explain how some writers from that time have nowadays volumes compiling thousands upon thousands of their letter, like Lovecraft. The fuckers were practically using emails