The U.S. Postal Service said Friday it is proposing to merge three ground delivery products into a new brand known as USPS Ground Advantage, which will offer two- to five-day transit times with pound, ounce-based and cubic pricing options for parcels weighing up to 70 pounds.
The three products being merged are First-Class Package Service, targeted at merchants shipping parcels under 1 pound, Parcel Select Ground, targeted at shippers weighing between 1 and 70 pounds, and a new service called Parcel Select Ground Cubic, which sets prices based on the parcel’s cubic dimensions and handles weights between 1 and 70 pounds.
Goods will be shipped across the Postal Service’s massive ground network.
The product is aimed at shippers willing to sacrifice speed for price. It is also intended for users of the Postal Service’s Priority Mail service, who need two- to three-day transit times but don’t want to pay Priority Mail’s pound-based prices.
In a statement, the Postal Service said it plans to unveil the offering after it is approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, the independent agency that must sign off on product rollouts and pricing changes, among other duties.
Gordon Glazer, head of the postal practice at consultancy Shipware, said the new offering responds to merchants whose customers don’t require two-day deliveries. Consumers keeping a close eye on their discretionary spending in an inflationary environment will also benefit from the lower-priced service, according to Glazer.
The new service “touts the benefits of a less-expensive (shipping) alternative, one that is more climate-friendly and reflects the changing values of urgency in the supply chain,” Glazer said.
Anwar Jarrad
The proposed change will have long-lasting effects for those involved in the shipping industry, as well as the public at large to varying degrees.
For those whose bread and butter is shipping, USPS has transitioned into a much more uniform carrier with this new Ground Advantage service and would now have a very similar service to UPS Ground/FedEx Ground services. It will offer a good alternative to Priority Mail which has been stated in this article.
It remains to be seen if the USPS can take a larger share of the market and begin to more effectively manage its operations so as to offset any costs associated with this new Ground Advantage service.
Andre Leonard
There really is no hope for this delivery service of junk-mail. I have noted the only people who seem to like it are the people who work there. Delivering junk-mail six days a week is just not sustainable nor will it ever be.
The route I’m on has rural carriers who drive marked postal service vehicle yet the rural carriers do not wear a regular postal service uniform which makes for another discussion. I can see why the debate goes on and on.
The country is 30 trillion in debt and will remain in debt until Congress stops funding these branches of government that will never make a profit and will always be useless.
Terry
The recent price increases for package services have not been justified. The service has declined terribly. The handling equipment is destroying more than ever. Insurance denials are the norm. Time to get adult leadership.
James
Know your market…good idea be the low cost leader to be the go to for those shipments without thinking about UPS and FedEx for cost decisions.
Rickie D McKillip
With the Issue of FedEx UPS DHL Expo And Amazon Prime And Online Sales Hitting the Delivery System is Putting the Hurt on the Postal Service losing Millions of Delivery Dollars and Raising Postal Rates Whatever you Need to Do to Stay Competitive Go for The Gold
Brian
The Post Office in a recent record year shipped a 176 billion pieces of mail there’s always gonna be one sore loser that complains about poor service or a slow delivery but most of the time it’s factors that are beyond the postal services control but they are the ones that put it in your mailbox or on your doorstep so they are the ones that get the blame. They working hard and trying to deliver billions of pieces every single day And love what they do. I should know I am one of those relentless warriors who take what I do personally.
Gregory Delehanty
Oh just great! Another way to slow down the parcel system even more
I sent a small parcel from Florida to Ohio 9 days ago and it still is MIA. Last year it took 17 days for a package to reach it’s destination. That’s why a lot of people call it snail mail.