MARSHFIELD (WAOW) -
This summer, changes are coming for the U.S. Postal Service.
It will no longer deliver mail on Saturdays. Officials said finances are to
blame.
"Financially, our current model is unsustainable. This is
one of the changes we're recommending to help us get back on our footing. By
making this change, we're looking at saving about $2 billion per year," said
Sean Hargadon, U.S. Postal Service spokesperson.
But what will this mean for businesses?
Marshfield Clinic sends out 200,000 pieces of mail each
month, but officials there said they don't anticipate the change being a
problem.
"I don't see it having a major impact with our patients in
many cases. For instance, our appointment reminder letters that are still being
mailed are mailed well in advance," said Dan Jalinski, mail services manager at
Marshfield Clinic.
It's the same story for smaller, local businesses.
Kim Hartley owns Thimbleberry Books in Marshfield. She said
she's much more dependent on package delivery on Saturdays than actual mail.
"What comes in an envelope is not going to affect my
business, but getting, you know, special orders in on time is very important,"
said Hartley.
U.S. Postal Service officials said they've done their
research.
"We've actually been doing a lot of surveys and working with
customers to see what their thoughts would be on a change like this, and what
we found out is more than 70 percent would agree with the change," said
Hargadon.
But not every is happy with the decision.
"I don't do a lot of banking online, and I rely on my bills
to get where they need to be in a timely fashion," said Linda Beibert of
Neillsville.
U.S. Postal Service officials said they're working to make
sure the changes go as smoothly as possible.
