Post Office Blues: Snail Mail Volume Won't Return to Pre-Recession Level

One can almost imagine the Norman Rockwell painting: A sad-looking letter carrier with a nearly empty leather mail bag.

Hard times for the Post Office. The U.S. Postal Service is expected to release projections on Tuesday showing that the amount of traditional mail it handles will likely never return to pre-recession levels, The Washington Post reports.

Its customers are increasingly using the Internet and other less-costly mail options to communicate, leaving the Postal Service's signature brand, first class mail, behind. Mail volume fell off 13 percent in the 2009 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, and it is only going to get worse. The Postal Service lost $3.8 billion last year and saw mail volume drop 13 percent, the newspaper said, even with stamps at 44 cents.

In response, Postmaster General John E. Potter wants more flexibility on delivery schedules, prices and payrolls. A cancellation of Saturday deliveries, longer delivery times for letters and packages and, yes, another increase in the cost of stamps -- even above inflationary increases -- are among other options that could be considered. Without changes, Potter estimates the Postal Service could lose $238 billion over the next decade.