Surprise Mail Slump Means USPS Facing Shut-Down in 2012

The U.S. Postal Service has been rocked by a surprising slump in mail volumes in the last few months, and is now on track for a full shut-down in 2012—a Presidential election year. The three months up to March 2011 saw a 7.6 percent drop in overall U.S. mail volumes—double the expected drop—with April and May continuing the “disappointing” run.

Speaking to the Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee meeting yesterday at USPS headquarters in Washington DC, USPS Chief Financial Officer Corbett said there was now “no question” that the Postal Service would refuse to pay the federal government a required $5.5B