The US Postal Service plans to stop delivering letter mail on Saturdays in a bid to ease financial struggles, but it will continue delivering packages six days a week as online retail soars.
The government agency said the cut will begin in August and would result in a cost saving of about $2 billion annually.
Package delivery has increased by 14% since 2010, owing much to the rise in online retail.
However, the delivery of letters and other mail has declined with the increasing use of email.
Under the new plan, mail would still be delivered to post office boxes on Saturdays. Post offices now open on Saturdays would remain open on Saturdays.
Operating as an independent agency, the Postal Service gets no tax dollars for its day-to-day operations but is subject to congressional control.
Material prepared for the Wednesday press conference by Patrick R. Donahoe, postmaster general and CEO, says Postal Service market research and other research has indicated that nearly 7 in 10 Americans support the switch to five-day delivery as a way for the Postal Service to reduce costs.