The Catablog
Five-Day Delivery Will Not Impact Direct Mail Catalogers
Five-day delivery…it’s been in the news for the past six months and there have been extreme opinions on both sides of the spectrum about how eliminating one day of mail will impact all of us. (Click here for the PROS and here for the CONS of the proposed five-day delivery). At the end of the day, however, most Arandell clients are asking the same question….
How would the change to a five-day delivery affect my retail business and/or mailing program?
The answer is gray at best. Here is what I do know:
The U.S. Postal Service is facing the possibility of losing approximately $7 billion this year alone. It is taking several steps to try to improve its financial situation, including: reducing workforce, consolidating facilities and most importantly improving productivity. But none of this seems to be enough! The USPS will have to make some big changes to achieve big results. Think of it this way; if it does not decrease to a five-day delivery what other “big” changes would it make? The possibility of an additional postal price increase seems a bit too close for my comfort…
If the transition is made to five-day delivery, the general consensus is Saturday will be the day of “no delivery” because according to recent surveys, the American public is willing to accept non-delivery Saturdays. How will you, the cataloger, however, plan your events with no Saturday delivery?
Here is my guess:
With no delivery on Saturday; Monday and Tuesday will be heavy-volume days for the mail carriers. More than likely Wednesday thru Friday will become your preferred in-home days. Because this will be an overall industry change, suppliers and printers (such as Arandell!) will need to adjust quickly and seamlessly.
For retailers, the story is a bit different. Often our retail clients have specific events, with specific in-home date goals. If the USPS does eliminate mail on Saturdays, retailers will also need to change their event days. This is additional work for retailers that will affect their entire marketing strategies.
Overall, I believe that reducing to a five-day delivery schedule will not have a huge impact on the direct mail catalog industry, but it will greatly impact the marketing campaigns for retailers. I predict by next spring we will have an official decision on the five-day delivery. Until then, we should start adjusting to the idea that we will not have to check our mailboxes on the weekends!
Think I am making a mole-hill out of a mountain or a mountain out of a mole-hill? Tell me about it! Post a comment and let me know if you think reducing to a five-day delivery is going to change your catalog program.
You can also take a survey from USPS to share your thoughts with 5-day delivery.
19 Responses to “Five-Day Delivery Will Not Impact Direct Mail Catalogers”
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@baker
Thanks Brian, I was not aware of this. I learn something new everyday!
yes you are right the postal service does do this now thats how alot of fedx packages are delivered on saturday and also ups packages are done the same so when we cut service we are also cutting there service so they will drop usps from this and they fedx and ups will find a way to cut in to the usps and cut there bussiness futher it is a no win game cuttin service
Mailers always have a Sunday date for delivery and if 5 days is the new service and it’s a Monday holiday(always a retail sale for a holiday), mail will be dated for delivery Sunday and Monday and yet no deilvery occurs. Your retail mail is late becasue it’s processed late or late from the printer.
@KRalph
This was a topic discussed at MTAC, it is in the list of 13 items being reviewed before decreasing to a five day delivery. Thank you for your comment KRalph.
@Big Lou
Yes, that is true Big Lou. Most countries are 5-day delivery and are very successful.
when you go to 5 day delivery you open up one day a week for the advertisement flyers and direct mailers to bundle all together and deliver them at one time further cutting us out of revenue red plumb is doing it already
Who said the PO won’t deliver packages on Saturday? I think 5 Day Delivery means no paper mail on Saturdays. Part Timers can do parcels on Saturday.
Thank you for your comments Brian. I just returned from MTAC in Washington DC, and this was one of the topics. Currently there is a list of 13 itmes that are under review.
Stop Saturday delivery life goes on. No big Wup!
I have listened to it all and am in the thick of it. Five day delivery will do a whole host of things, with those units that will not be open on saturday they also will not fire up the trucks, less fuel used. And if they decide to still do the po box mail the time that will take will not be much at least not 8 hours worth of time, more reduction in work hours. Although I do not think they should even do this but perhaps they feel that it will ease the pain of no delivery on saturday. The overtime issue is pretty much taken out of the picture, except of course the city carriers who gobble it up at an alarming rate. All of the folks that I have encounted including employees of the postal service think this is good idea. On a personel side many of them will be happy to be with their families on the weekends like most folks are and are willing to do whatever it takes to help the postal service to survive.
how many supervisors/management positions will be eliminated if the postal service goes to five days?
how many city letter carrier and rural jobs will be eliminated if the usps goes to a five day delivery?
the first questions answer is ZERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the second questions answer is over 20,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
not cutting the fat form the top again !!!! do you see a pattern!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I agree withms pinter, But at the same time see so many things out of sorts. The Postal service needs to charge for all the other services it wants to give away. Hold mail, forwarding. special sevices, they don’t charge enough or at all. People in this day and time expect to pay more don’t broadcast it, just charge more. Too much free stuff, start with the direct mailers and go from there. But most important don’t let S1507 pass it will end the postal service we all know, write to DC, whats it cost .44… hey no cents key on my keyboard. So whats that tell you. All & all I think the postal service needs new management from the top to the bottom, less supers, less check offs more effort made to serve the public. Please write or as I hate to say EMAIL your sentor from your state, its your job and mine. When you write here try to have an open mind, they say that theres 650,000 of us and that 300,000 need to go. How we go is our own choice, but its a great job and I love mine and all the things that go with it. I would think either go with the flow or get out.
thanks for your time MikeMail
I think the Postal Service should go to 5 days. It will be helping many people like you and me. I predict the gasoline should drop at least .75cent to 1 dollar a gallon. People will be having more buy power. Once the Economy picks up, the mailer will be doing more advertising. Then the routes that is over burden will get a cut. The USPS needs to cut Overtime. As a result the post office will hire more employees. No loss no gain.
@baker
I agree with your comments, Baker.
Let’s face it, the only real people against 5 day delivery is the unions. They will have less dues coming in. They are already thinking up what benefits they can give up to make a deal to continue delivering 6 days.
In the city where I deliver, management has a strategy of not running letter mail on Saturday anyway. They want the mail as light as possible so that they can give us “pivot” time (i.e., unpaid overtime) on routes they are splitting, or are vacant (unfilled).
Then on Monday we get several days’ worth of bulk/advertising mail, it’s ridiculous.
They also hold pallets of parcels on Saturdays, leaving them in the plastic wrap until after we are on the street…then they spread them, for Monday delivery. They give us as few parcels as possible on Saturdays.
It seems to the carriers that this is all part of a strategy to end Saturday deliveries. Mailers (and customers) are not getting good service as it is, really, on Saturdays. Not full service, anyway.
@R Van Buren
that is the most ridiculous thing ever printed!