Although Aberdeen residents will not receive mail on Saturdays anymore starting in August, they will still be able to send mail, buy stamps and ship packages on Saturday.
The U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday it plans to stop mail delivery on Saturdays beginning the week of Aug. 5. Hours and other services aren't expected to change for the Aberdeen post office, or other post offices across the nation, once the change is implemented.
"You'll still be able to buy stamps, still be able to mail packages and still be able to get mail out of your P.O. box," said Pete Nowacki, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service based in Minneapolis. "You'll drop it off, and it'll be sent out the same as always."
The change is not expected to affect packages, which will still be delivered on Saturdays, Nowacki said.
The estimated savings from ending Saturday delivery is $2 billion, which is in addition to the $1.2 billion in estimated savings from the plan to consolidate some of the mail processing centers across the country, he said. In surveying the public, about 70 percent say it is a reasonable plan and should be something to use going forward, he said.
Aberdeen resident Nancy Oliver's first reaction to the postal service's announcement of mail not being delivered on Saturday was to roll her eyes.
"I guess we'll just have to get used to it," said Oliver, 53, as she stood outside the Aberdeen post office.
She said she uses the post office instead of other companies because it's the cheaper option.
Pete Pulfrey, 69, of Aberdeen isn't sure how it's going to help the postal service.
"I don't know how they're going to save a lot of money unless they cut a lot of wages," Pulfrey said.
He joked that it might not be a bad thing because he gets only bills on Saturdays.
A spokesman for NorthWestern Energy, which sends bills and receives payments through the post office, doesn't anticipate much of a change in how staff processes payments.
"As far as customer payments coming in over the weekend, that wouldn't make a difference anywhere because obviously we won't work on those payments until the following Monday," said Tom Glanzer, a spokesman for NorthWestern.
Of the customers served in Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota, 49.9 percent pay by mail, he said. He added it's likely that NorthWestern will, when the change takes place, monitor how it affects customer payments.
He added that the move might be a good opportunity for customers to start using automated payments, which takes away from worrying about forgetting to pay a bill.
South Dakota newspapers, including the American News, rely on the post office to deliver papers on Saturday and could face adverse effects, said David Bordewyk, general manager for the South Dakota Newspaper Association.
"Regardless of the day of the week you publish, it affects newspapers because it's backing up the mail stream and delaying the mail delivery by a day," he said.
He said newspapers that send out editions by mail on Saturday might look into using their own delivery systems, which could be costly and difficult given South Dakota's geography.
Changes to Aberdeen post office
• Dec. 15, 2010: U.S. Postal Service announces closing of Downtown Finance Station.
• May 17, 2012: Plans announced to consolidate some of the 461 mail processing centers throughout the country, including Aberdeen's.
• October 2012: Saturday hours reduced by 30 minutes.
• Feb. 23: Mail processing operations will cease in Aberdeen.
Lawmakers' thoughts
• "The elimination of Saturday delivery does not take effect until Aug. 1, so there is still time for Congress to come together and pass comprehensive postal reform." — U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D.
• "I understand that serious changes need to take place to make the USPS financially viable, but I do not support eliminating Saturday delivery. Coming from such a rural state, our postal service is critical to the way families and businesses operate." — U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D.
