Will Post Offices Become Obsolete?

A recent family dinner turned into a lively discussion on the future of the post office. The opinions were largely divided along generational lines. My mom, in her 80's had one opinion, my kids, in their 30's and 40's had an altogether different opinion. I was the middle man. I understood what my mom was saying, but sided with my kids about the realistic future of the post office.

The U.S. Postal Service recently reported that they would begin the process of closing 2,000 post offices next month. They are also reviewing 16,000 more for possible closure. All this is due to a record deficit of $8.5 billion. Lawmakers are looking to pass a bill that would make it easier to shut down underperforming branches. In the age of digital communications, online bill paying and Federal Express and UPS are the physical post offices still relevant? True, many people still need the postal service and in rural areas people may rely on their services for purchasing household goods and clothing. But the postal service is a business, and everyone is looking at the bottom line. Closing post offices will hurt many people, but Congress is in a cost-cutting mood, and may mandate these closures for economic reasons.

Our discussion at dinner went something like this. My mom focused on the needs of older people and rural families, who rely heavily on the mail. They receive catalogs and purchase much of what they buy from these catalogs. Older people, who may not have internet access, rely on the postal service to pay and receive bills and maybe even us the mail to receive their medication. On the other side of the discussion were my three sons, who told grandma that this is the digital age, everyone is online, everyone pays their bills on line, the post office is a thing of the past. I see both sides of this. I feel that the post office will be around for a long time, but with a more limited presence. The time is coming when the only way to pay bills will be online, like it or not. As the older population, the ones that don't have internet access die, the post office will become less and less necessary. Rural populations will eventually all have internet access. My mom argues that advertisers use the postal service and they won't want to see it go. My response is that advertisers will find other ways to get their name in front of you. Advertising is always evolving.

So the answer to the question posed at the beginning of this article, is yes and no. No, they probably won't become completely obsolete, but yes, their presence will be greatly reduced. Less post offices and less mail delivery. How many pieces of important mail do you actually get on a given day? I don't get much. Yes, I've got bills, but they're all online, as are bank statements, etc.

The unoffical creed of our founding fathers, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds," may not be relevant in the digital age.