The U.S. Postal Service has finally decided to stop delivering mail on Saturdays.  On August 1st, mail delivery will go to five days a week. The cut affects first-class mail, like letters and catalogs.  But packages will continue to be delivered on Saturdays.

The Post Office has been delivering mail on Saturdays for 150 years.  It started during the Civil War, in 1863.  By cutting it out, they’ll save $2 billion a year.

That sounds like a lot . . . but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not.  The USPS lost $16 billion last year.  And that’s after they cut hours at about half of their 26,000 post offices, and laid off 35% of their employees.

Cutting Saturday mail is the first step toward keeping the USPS alive.  It looks like they’re going to need a total reboot to streamline the system, and restructure salaries and retirement benefits.