Postal Service Cuts Saturday Mail

The United States Postal Service announced Wednesday that it will stop delivering mail on Saturdays in an attempt to save roughly $2 billion per year.

The change will go into effect on Aug. 1 and only impacts first-class mail, while packages, mail-order medicines, priority and express mail would still get delivered on Saturdays, according to CBS News.

Post offices would still remain open on Saturdays, reports the Huffington Post.

Although the Postal Service "receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations," as stated on its Web site, it is governed by Congress, and had been hoping members would pass legislation to help lessen its financial burdens.

"It's unclear at the moment how the Postal Service has the authority to quit delivering letters on Saturdays. Previously, they've said they need Congress to change current law to do so," reports CNN Money. But according to CBS News, lawyers for the Postal Service think that they have "figured out a way around the law."

Various news reports say the Postal Service needs tens of billions of dollars to be saved. In July 2011, the Postal Service announced the closure of 3,600 post offices across the country in an effort to save money. While locations in the Town of Huntington were not affected at the time, the Post Office has since been mulling a plan to close its Northport location and move operations to East Northport.

Last month, the USPS also increased stamp prices once again, from 45 cents to 46 cents, to mail one-ounce letters.

The majority of people polled at the Huntington Station Post Office and on Northport Patch Facebook say they won't miss Saturday deliveries.

"Ninety five percent of my mail is junk," Louise Fadness wrote. "All important stuff is handled electronically -- bills, checks, etc. And most of the time I get other people's stuff. USPS is very inefficient and suffering from a lack of morale."

Another reader even suggested the Post Office cut down deliveries to four days a week.

What do you think of the plan? Will you miss having Saturday mail delivery?