by BRIANNA SICILIANO Photo/Video Editor
Starting in the Los Angeles and New York areas, the United Postal Service will open on Sundays in order to deliver Amazon packages.
The U.S. Postal Service and Amazon have partnered up to make Sunday shipping possible. In 2014, more cities will be able to take advantage of this service, including New Orleans, Dallas, and other markets.
Every Amazon customer will be eligible for Sunday package delivery, including Amazon Prime members, who receive free two-day shipping. The Prime members will not be charged extra for the new service.
“This service will be handy for those last-minute shoppers, especially with the holidays coming up. This is probably the best option for the U.S. Postal Service right now. Holidays are their strongest season, and with Holiday gifts being sent through their carriers, the postal service will hopefully be able to get back onto their feet soon,” says junior Alexandra Uhrig.
For non-Prime members, who can get free five to eight-day shipping on orders of at least $35, the service will be included as well. Before the new service was offered, the free shipping for non-Prime members was for orders with a minimum price of $25.
In hopes that the company can deliver products more quickly, Amazon has spent billions of dollars to build new warehouses all around the world. Amazon hopes that adding Sunday deliveries as an option will generate more sales.
The deal between the two entities is a new source of revenue for the U.S. Postal Service, which has been struggling financially while trying to become involved with growth of online shopping.
“Years ago, before I was born, Sundays were important to families. Hardly any businesses were open, allowing families to spend time together and bond. With Sunday shipping as an option, workers will not be able to spend time with their families, but will instead ship packages to customer’s homes. This will affect many families who rely on the postal service to make a living,” says junior Corinne Franchette.
The postal service expects to deliver 420 million packages this holiday season, an increase of 12 percent over last year.
This past September, the postal service hinted that on January 26, the price of a First-Class stamp will raise from 46 cents to 49 cents, which will hopefully allow the service to generate more money.
Although Amazon is increasingly delivering its own packages, including its online grocery business in AmazonFresh, the company still needs carriers such as USPS, United Parcel Service, and FedEx to help deliver packages to people’s doorsteps. The USPS is the only delivery service that is able to reach every address in the nation, including at least 152 million homes, businesses, and post office boxes.
“The future of package delivery is a seven-day-a-week schedule. We’ve got the capacity to do it,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe.
The postal service opening up on Sundays is a very controversial topic right now, even though the service has already started. What’s your opinion on this new service? Will it be a good effect for Americans?