The U.S. Postal Service has not been a thriving business for a while, and the recession has worsened its condition. In order to save $7 billion, the government is evaluating about 3,200 offices out of the total of 32,741, and 700 of these are currently marked for closure.

Personally, I am a fan of the U.S. Postal Service. I’ve found their services to be less expensive than other shipping options and just as reliable. The biggest drawback I have experienced is when visiting the facilities. The lines are often too long and the hours are inconvenient. Post office employees, those that I have seen, often seem disgruntled, frustrated and overworked. There are never enough works available to assist customers, and from what I understand, my experiences are not unique.

The U.S. Postal Service is disadvantaged against the capital available for their competitors like UPS and FedEx. They have no competition for the millions of people who first began communicating my phone rather than letter, and later, by email and text messaging. There are many people, possibly even a majority, who would be happy to see the U.S. Postal Service disappear.

People living in the areas served by the 700 offices slated for closing might be the first to experience life without USPS. If not, they will have to travel farther to the post office, make use of more expensive mailing options, and possibly receive mail less often. But the complete disappearance of the U.S. Postal Service would have a devastating effect. Households receive mail every day. Much of it is unwanted marketing, but it’s unlikely that will stop. Without the Postal Services, other companies will have to fill the void with standard daily mail delivery. And the great pricing that the U.S. Postal Service offers customers for this mail — and the even better pricing offered for bulk mail and non-profit organizations (and religious organizations) — would disappear as well.

If the website is available, you should be able to download the list of the 700 stations to be closed here. More information is available at the Postal Regulatory Commission’s website.

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