U.S. Postal Service to Stop Saturday Deliver: Fridley-area Folks Sound Off

Saturday delivery of letters will be a thing of the past starting next August, the U.S. Postal Service announced Wednesday.

Take a poll on whether you want Saturday delivery of mail.

People in the Fridley area were quick to comment at the Fridley Patch Facebook page.

Jeremy Powers of Fridley said: "Sorry to hear, but understandable considering their operating losses." Indeed, the postal service said in a statement it "expects to generate cost savings of approximately $2 billion annually, once the plan is fully implemented."

Michelle Kretzmann of Columbia Heights said: "I personally like my mail on Saturdays." Letters to street addresses is the category of mail that won't get delivered on Saturdays anymore, the USPS said.

Tracy Marcotte Shaffer of Columbia Heights said: "Packages will still be delivered on Saturdays so it won't affect my eBay business." That's true, according to the postal service statement: "Packages will continue to be delivered six days per week. Mail addressed to PO Boxes will continue to be delivered on Saturdays. Post Offices currently open on Saturdays will remain open on Saturdays."

Kim Johnson DeShaw, who works in Fridley, said: "We don't get Saturday mail delivery at my office now. Our driver sits at our box, puts a rubber band around our mail and delivers it Monday. Obviously this change won't have him on the route at all."

What's your take on no Saturday mail? Leave a comment below.

Kathleen Fuery: "If it keeps the cost of postage from increasing great!"

L.A. Koopman: "Should of done that along time ago. I think they should go down to 3 days a week. Monday, wednesday, and friday."

And Dan Ashlin wondered: "Their hiring and cutting saturday service?"

He's right: The USPS is hiring in the Twin Cities, according to this announcement on Tuesday:

The U.S. Postal Service is hiring approximately 400 city carrier assistants to deliver mail at Post Offices in Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding suburbs.

Starting pay for these non-career positions begins at $15.00 an hour. Benefits include vacation days, salary increases and the eventual opportunity to enroll in a health benefits plan. These positions may also lead to possible future employment as a full time city carrier with career status.

Appointments are for 360 consecutive days and applicants must be available to work a flexible schedule Monday through Saturday. The number of hours worked will depend on mail volume.

Interested parties must apply for these and other positions online at the Postal Service’s website. The deadline to apply for these current openings is Monday, Feb. 11 at 11:59 p.m.

• Go to: https://www.usps.com and click on “Careers” at the bottom of the page.
• Click “Search our latest job openings.”
• In the “Keywords” box, enter the name of the city; In the “Location” box highlight the appropriate state name, then click “Search.”
• Select a listed position and begin the application process.

All applicants must be at least age 18 at the time of hire and be a U.S. citizen or have permanent alien status. Carrier positions require a valid driver’s license and a minimum of two years documented driving experience.

What about hours at the post office in Fridley, now open 7 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturdays? The USPS statement said, "Post Offices currently open on Saturdays will remain open on Saturdays."Pete Nowacki, the USPS spokesman in Minnesota, was more guarded in a comment to Patch: 

"It is too early to determine impacts to individual Post Offices. Customers will only see change in that they won’t get their usual mail on Saturdays. Several national surveys have indicated about 70% support for this action."