(MediaBuyerPlanner) The U.S. Postal Service has yet to give a clear answer as to why slower deliveries have resulted from its attempts to reduce costs and become more efficient, Multichannel Merchant writes. Mailers are coming forward with complaints of slow delivers – some in Texas were reportedly up to two weeks late – but wish to remain anonymous as to not draw too much attention to the problem, hoping to see the Postal Service’s consolidation succeed.
While some mailers have said that mail to Texas, New Mexico, and the West Coast has been affected the most, Gary LaBarre – distribution manager for printing and production services provider Banta Catalog Group – argues, “you can’t really define exactly what areas are being affected. It’s like trying to hit a moving target.”
Kris Larson, director of postal affairs for R.R. Donnelley – a Chicago-based printing and delivery services firm – supports the Postal Service’s modernization efforts. He argues that the mailing community should have patience with the USPS’s changes, despite doubts and postal union debates over a mandate to close a third of its postal sorting facilities over the coming years.
Don Landis, vice president of postal affairs for printing company Arandell, agreed, stating, “There is a lot happening right now for catalogers to be nervous about,” pointing to another expected rate increase for 2007. “However, while all of these changes are happening with the USPS, they are doing everything they can to accommodate all catalog deliveries in a timely manner.”
