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Discussion post

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Course code: Name

Professor's name:

Date:
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Response Post

Thank you, Harley, for your informative post on the difficulties the USPS has had in

adapting to shifting customer needs and competition in the delivery service sector. Being a

government organization, USPS finds it challenging to compete with for-profit businesses,

particularly regarding employee benefits and customer service. However, USPS plays a unique

role in providing mail services to all areas of the nation, even rural and less costly ones that

private enterprises might not provide with the same level of dedication (Provencher, 2020). In its

recruitment efforts, USPS should highlight its commitment to universal service and its long-

standing relationships with consumers as strengths (Tompkins, 2020). USPS needs help

forecasting demand and capacity. Operating costs are unpredictable and may cost more than they

produce because of the inconsistency in matching labor capacity with consumer demand (Schad,

2021). USPS needs effective capacity planning and cost management by adjusting to shifting

demand patterns to stay profitable.

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References

Provencher, D. (2020, August 17). What is the Role of the US Postal Service in the Lives of Our

Citizens? LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-role-us-postal-service-lives-

our-citizens-provencher-he-his-/

Schad, B. (2021, October 25). US Postal Service increasing capacity nationwide to meet holiday

demand. abc27. https://www.abc27.com/national/us-postal-service-increasing-capacity-

nationwide-to-meet-holiday-demand/

Tompkins, J. (2020, September 10). The United States Postal Service: Challenges, Problems and

Opportunities. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/united-states-postal-service-

challenges-problems-jim-tompkins/

Responding to;

Harley Dalton

During the Covid era, citizens mostly stayed at home or limited the number of trips they made
outside of the household. “Products purchased online and delivered directly to your door
substantially increased when the coronavirus forced many Americans to stay at home.”
(Gallaghervar, J. H., 2022). Among these, companies like UPS, Amazon, and FedEx became a
necessity in many economies in the U.S. Even so, companies like DoorDash and GrubHub were
created and quickly shot to the charts in popularity as well. While this is our current normal,
there is one delivery service not mentioned, the United States Postal Service, one of the country's
oldest and still operating services. Since the end of the pandemic, consumers become
comfortable using these other delivery companies creating a dramatic demand for more
employees. With the USPS still reaching their normal and even higher rate of service, they have
a high demand for workers “Overall employment of postal service workers is projected to
decline 8 percent from 2022 to 2032. Despite declining employment, about 34,400 openings for
postal service workers” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). Unfortunately, due to competitor
benefits for employees, the USPS is having major issues hiring new employees to execute these
high demands for service.
It is unsure how much longer the USPS will last because of the system not being able to reach
employee capacity and the displeasure consumers are having regarding the service that is
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presented. With competitor companies becoming more popular with consumers and in the hiring
world, the USPS is getting left in the dust. While the organization is struggling to find eligible
workers, employees are facing higher amounts of overtime and consumers are getting mail at all
hours of the day and with a variety of faces. Many individuals complain that they never know
when they may get their mail or who may bring it. A decade ago, residents had an exact time
they got their mail and knew the friendly face that was delivered. This relationship has crumbled
into chaos and is quickly losing the almost 250 years’ worth of trust Americans have with the
USPS.
What USPS lacks the most is its ability to plan and act on its plans. The textbook states “capacity
and demand requirements will be matched, which will tend to minimize operating cost.”
(Stevenson, W. J., 2021). Because USPS does not have a consistent operation output, they cannot
match their labor capacity with consumer demand. Therefore, their operating cost is not
consistent and is costing them more than they are making.