Amazon Opposes Plan To End Saturday Mail Delivery

theodp writes "Online retailer giant Amazon.com has come out against a US Postal Service proposal to end Saturday service, part of efforts to address the USPS budget deficit. 'Amazon's customers have come to appreciate and expect Saturday delivery,' explained Amazon VP Paul Misener. 'If the five-day delivery proposal is not withdrawn,' he added, 'we ask that Congress ensure that Saturday delivery be maintained.' In the past, Amazon has argued that it should not have to help support public services in states in which it has no physical presence." The article adds, "Interestingly, online DVD service Netflix is backing the plan to end Saturday mail delivery, arguing that a 'well functioning' Postal Service is more important than 'maintaining current delivery frequency.'"

Comments

The difference between Amazon and Netflix

[jmitchel!jmitchel.co]

The difference between Amazon and Netflix is that Netflix product fits comfortably in a mailbox.

Re:The difference between Amazon and Netflix

[Anonymous Coward]

And, for Netflix, it benefits them by slowing down the rate that they receive videos (though it means Monday's will be heavier than they were before).

For Amazon, people want Saturday delivery without paying for it. For Netflix, people certainly want it, but if the USPS doesn't do it, then people will understand. So, Netflix can stop staffing the delivery portion of Saturday's if that goes through, while Amazon still has to do everything as normal and they lose the ability to cheaply send packages that can potentially arrive on Saturday.

Re:The difference between Amazon and Netflix

[Col. Klink (retired)]

Plus, netflix sells you a plan that is limited only by how often you can get mail. If you can't get mail on Saturday, that's one less DVD they have to send you. Amazon, on the other hand, gets paid for every package they send you.

Re:The difference between Amazon and Netflix

[drinkypoo]

Most of the products I buy from Amazon COULD fit comfortably in a mailbox, but they come in a box about three times bigger than it needs to be. I ordered a map update for my Magellan GPS, it was on an SD card. It came in a SD card caddy, in an envelope, in a big fucking cardboard box. You know, kind of like getting software licenses from HP. And it's a $50 product, it's not like it deserves a big box based on value.

Re:The difference between Amazon and Netflix

[Anonymous Coward]

We're one of those quick turnaround people. With a 6-day week, we can get a DVD on Wednesday, stick it in the mail Thursday, and get the next on on Saturday. This gives us the weekend to watch that movie and we put it in the mail on Monday, which then gives us another DVD on Wednesday. It's a great routine -- exactly 2 DVD's a week on the same days and one of them to watch every weekend. Taking out Saturday would certainly change things.

Re:The difference between Amazon and Netflix

[moosesocks]

Go back to your order, and leave packing feedback. Amazon has a nice form letting you vent about ridiculously-sized boxes.

Ever since they began collecting that data, I've noticed that my Amazon orders do seem to come in more appropriately-sized boxes (although they do still occasionally go ridiculously overboard). Their Frustration Free Packaging initiative is also great for consumers and the environment alike.

Jack up the price?

[recoiledsnake]

Why not just have a increased rate for Saturday delivery like Fedex and UPS? I don't see a reason for something to run on a loss. If Amazon's customers appreciate or expect it, either they or Amazon can pay extra for it.

Re:Jack up the price?

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

You must be some kind of pinko, to suggest a market-based solution instead of a (lightly) veiled corporate subsidy.

In all seriousness, though, while there is a compelling public interest argument to be made in favor of the post office doing some un-economic things(and about the best chain of precedent you'll find for any US federal function, outside of war), like providing postal service to podunk towns that would have nothing otherwise; there seems to be no reason why they need to subsidize merely convenient services that have plenty of viable substitutes. If Saturday delivery costs more, offer it at a premium(or not at all, if you don't think you can make money at the new price point). People can either suck it up and wait till monday, or suck it up and pay Fedex/UPS.

It helps Netflix to end Saturday delivery

[h2oliu]

If there are fewer delivery days in a month, then you get fewer movies per month if you turn them around every other day. This would help Netflix's bottom line to cut delivery down to 5 days a week.

I need saturday mail pickup

[Anonymous Coward]

Monday through Friday, I leave for work before our local Post Office opens and leave from work after it closes.

Neflix != Amazon, and postal service == bad

[enigma32]

Netflix benefits from less frequent mail delivery. (Lower costs for them)
Amazon loses big from less frequent delivery (I frequently choose them because I can have a package here before I'd have time to go get the item in Manhattan myself).

As for the postal service, I frequently find myself waiting in 20 minute lines, at any time of day, to pickup a package that they were incapable of delivering correctly to my residence. I'd love to see someone that has a clue about business run the postal service rather than it being run with the competence level of the DMV.

Keep the Saturday delivery or go the way of the dodo, guys. (add Sunday delivery and be super-cool)

Re:Neflix != Amazon, and postal service == bad

[raddan]

I agree, as someone who has to ship a lot of stuff around as a part of my job, we've tried a number of couriers, and I think we have a pretty good fell for the quality (timeliness, damage, convenience) of many of them. Here's what we found:

1. FedEx, far and away the best, but expensive
2. USPS, not always on time, but mostly reliable; premium services don't compare with FedEx; tracking isn't great
3. UPS, usually on time, and has lots of premium services, but theft and damage are MAJOR problems. They will happily deliver a package to a wrong address (i.e., THEY got it wrong), and when that package is stolen, they will disclaim all responsibity. Their "insurance" is a fucking joke-- they have weaseled out of paying every claim we've filed.
4. DHL is pathetic. They once cheerfully delivered a package to me that had a hole straight through the package and the contents inside. We had to request one our suppliers never use them again.

Re:Neflix != Amazon, and postal service == bad

[TooMuchToDo]

You do know the USPS is given a monopoly on first class mail deliver to ensure rural service is as good as urban service, correct? Otherwise, you'd end up with what we have for broadband: Some options in urban/suburban areas, no options in rural areas due to the unprovability of servicing said areas.

Skip Wednesday instead

[Anonymous Coward]

It's generally their junk mail drop with just flyers and other non-addressed answers.

BP to pay for Saturday delivery, loss in postcards

[Orga]

USPS filed suit against BP last Saturday in an attempt to get BP to pay for USPS Saturday delivery. The reasoning proposed is with the decrease in tourism in the gulf states fewer vacationers are sending postcards north. BREAKING NEWS: Consortium of postcard manufacturers expresses interest in joining suit.

Minus one, just plain wrong

[stomv]

The United States Post Office is self-sufficient

Canada doesn't have any saturday deliveries

[Anonymous Coward]

Not Canada Post, not FedEx, not UPS, not DHL, not Purolator. Nobody delivers on saturday except pizzerias.

Re:USPS isn't a State Function

[Enry]

I'll add for you that Amazon is paying the USPS for delivery. In that respect, they are paying to support services. Why should Amazon pay for police or firefighters in states where they don't have a business presence?

They don't need to.

[AnonymousClown]

That's 17% fewer movies sent and received by Netflix every week. I would expect them to also want more public holidays in a year as well

They don't need to. From their current Terms and Conditions:

We reserve the right to process orders and otherwise allocate and ship DVDs among our members in any manner that we, in our sole and absolute discretion, determine. In addition, we will, in our sole and absolute discretion, determine the quantity of DVDs we purchase for any particular movie, their location within our distribution network and the level of staffing and number of shipments to be processed at each distribution center.

Every new Terms and Conditions, they're putting things in their agreement that allows them not to give you "unlimited" whatever ....

There's verbiage in it that limits your "unlimited" online viewing too now.

Re:Be careful what you ask for?

[cob666]

Q. Amazon, can you pay some taxes here? A. No way, we don't want to operate this way. Q. Amazon, what should be we do about the spending problem and the deficit? A. Cut your services. Q. Amazon, we are going to cut the services, happy? A. NOOOOOO!

The USPS is funded solely by the sale of postage, not tax dollars and thus has NO impact on the deficit. .

Re:End mail delivery on Monday, Wednesday, or Frid

[Idarubicin]

Many USicans only have Saturdays free to run errands. Ending services on Saturday is a burden to them.

How does a lack of Saturday delivery interfere with running errands? I find your comment confusing.

For comparison, I offer the Canadian system. While delivery only occurs on Monday through Friday, postal services are often available on an extended schedule. Canada Post maintains a network of service counters (often in drug, convenience, and grocery stores) which provide parcel services, sell money orders, and supply copies of frequently-used government documents (passport applications, tax forms). These local outlets also act as pickup points for parcels which are too large for home delivery (the stuff that didn't fit in your mailbox while you were out).

Many of these counters have extended weeknight hours (beyond typical nine-to-five business hours) and offer Saturday hours; some are even open on Sunday afternoons. (The retailers hosting the counters have probably realized that extended postal hours can attract customers.) In other words, Canadian Saturday-errand-runners have no trouble obtaining postal services, even in the absence of Saturday delivery.

Letters and smaller parcels can, of course, be sent at any time simply by dropping in a post box.

Bullshit argument

[copponex]

Did you miss the first day of economics? There's always downward pressure on prices. Any increased costs may be passed on to the consumer, but not always. The business that finds ways to absorb the tax increase without passing it on is the one that will probably sell more product.

But since a quarter of large corporations - $50m in sales or $250m in assets - don't pay any income taxes at all due to loopholes and offshore sheltering schemes, you're right: if they ever started to pay taxes, prices might go up.

And if corporations had to pay taxes for the infrastructure that enables them to be in business, I don't think that would be unfair. And if a business can't afford the burden of the infrastructure, guess what: they shouldn't be in business unless they serve to lower costs of vital services for the rest of the economy. And even then, since they exist entirely at the grace of tax payers, they should have no right to any amount of privacy.