USPS Delivery Changes Could Hurt Industry

http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/USPS-5-Day-Delivery-Week-Could-Hurt-E-Commerce-66022.html

Something my generation never really thinks about is the problems technology makes for the way our country is used to doing things. Email has completely changed the way American's communicate, using the process for everything from formal letters to simple chit chat. This change in communication has seriously affected the United States Postal Service and the number of employees needed to handle the reduced amount of paper mail. This reduction in employees has the Postal Service contemplating cutting the delivery week to five days due to the reduction of traffic and the bleak economic conditions. The way that this effects ecommerce is that with a reduced delivery schedule, online retailers may be forced to use higher priced delivery channels such as FedEx and UPS, increasing shipping costs for consumers. The news of the possible shorter delivery week has unaffected industry giants such as eBay and Amazon, however the change in schedule could hurt a lot smaller players in the industry. Such a major issue for these companies has begun simply because of the communications shift, from paper mail to email. This is something I would have never really thought would effect such a large industry. Email and the continued technological shift is something I just have taken for granted and never thought about the consequences.