US Post Office Mail Slow Down 2011: How Long For Letter Delivery?

The US Postal Service Has Announced a Slow Down For First-Class Mail Delivery? How Long Will It Take For First-Class Mail To Arrive?

The US Postal Service announced that they plan to slow delivery of letter in an effort to cut costs.

The USPS says they will lower their delivery standards for first-class letters so they can cut back on the number of mail processing plants. 

Earlier this year, the US Postal Service announced that they are considering the idea of closing thousands of post offices around the US.

• Complete List of Possible 2011 US Postal Service Closures
• New US Post Office Closures 2011
  

On top of that, the cost of sending a first-class letter will rise to 45 cents on Jan. 22, 2012, an increase of one-cent.

How Long Will It Take For a First Class Letter To Be Delivered?

That depends. Current USPS guidelines state that first-class mail should be delivered within the continental US in one to three days. Now a first-class letter will take two to three days to be delivered, essentially meaning that next-day delivery is pretty much off the table.

The USPS expects roughly half of their first-class mail will be delivered within two days, with the other half arriving in three days.

If these changes go through, they should go into effect in the springs of 2012.

The San Jose Mercury News has a good Q&A about the changes to US Postal Service delivery times.

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