Cash-strapped Postal Service revamps priority mail program to raise revenue

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U.S. Postal Service letter carrier of 12 years, Jamesa Euler, delivers mail in the rain in the Cabbagetown neighborhood, Feb. 7, 2013, in Atlanta. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, David Goldman

WASHINGTON – The financially struggling U.S. Postal Service is revamping its priority mail program as part of its efforts to raise revenue and drive new growth in its package delivery business.

The agency is now offering free online tracking for priority mail shipments, free insurance and date-specific delivery so customers know if a package will arrive in one, two or three days.

Postal officials say they expect the changes to generate more than a half-billion dollars in new revenue annually. The changes — including redesigned boxes and envelopes — are effective immediately.

The improvements come as the Postal Service is reeling from losses this year totalling $3.9 billion. The agency has been trying to restructure its retail, delivery and mail-processing operations, but says its financial woes will worsen without help from Congress.

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