Hudson locals weren't pleased this afternoon with the U.S. Postal Service's announcement that it will be ending mail delivery on Saturdays come August.
"I think it sucks," said Jersey City resident Nelson Viera, whose brother works for the Post Office. "I get a lot of mail on Saturdays. It hurts, but what are you going to do?"

Postal Service officials said today the money-losing agency would save $2 billion annually by stopping Saturday delivery.

Under the plan, mail would be delivered normally Monday through Friday, but only packages would be delivered Saturday.

"It is unfortunate that the U.S. Postal Service has made a unilateral decision to move to five-day delivery in a matter of months when serious questions remain as to whether piecemeal efforts like this one will do anything to secure the Postal Service's long term viability," New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg said in a statement.

"There is a real need for comprehensive postal reform and I have supported such efforts in the past."

Jersey City resident Prashanth JR said he's willing to forgo Saturday delivery.

"I think it will help (the Postal Service) save some money," Prashanth said outside of the Bergen Avenue post office near Journal Square.

While the move will save the agency money, Jersey City resident Ahmed Mohamed said customers will suffer.

"It's not a good idea at all," Mohamed said today. "I get important mail on Saturdays. I believe they had to do this to adapt and it's fair, but it's a shame."

Mohammed Khair added, "It's important for some people (to get Saturday delivery). It's a matter of public interest and the public is interested."

The Post Office is expected to shift to the five-day delivery schedule in August.

That's what used to happen at my place - I thought the mailman was quite reliable actually (and was surprised based on all the stories I've heard): he came late, and he always came.

But no more - I "miss" him...

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For the record, I had two packages delivered by the post office this week. Both times the delivery came after 5pm. I live downtown.

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that sounds like the guy I dealt with face-to-face. he immediately got defensive and accused me of lying, when all I wanted was my damn mail.

I often work at home, and have not heard the doorbell ring for a USPS package in years.

Took advice from a thread like this on JClist about a year ago. Had vitamins delivered to work. Unfortunately the company sent them via USPS which goes in to a mail room with mail boxes for each office. It never arrived. It said it was delivered. It wasn't. USPS said maybe the Mailman put it in the wrong box and we'll get it back eventually. Posted notices in the mail room. Never saw the package. This is an antiquated group of union workers with no consequences. They know what they can get away with.

I've learned in the last 15 years, that if I want to actually recieve my mail or packages, I have them delivered to my work address (outside of JC) and preferably not through USPS.

I believe that the downtown JC post office is where packages go to die. They are miserable, nasty, incompetent employees and because there are never any consequences of their behavior, they will never take you/us seriously. It makes me sad that they have closed down rural, well-run post offices and leave places like this 'operating.'

You really should feel lucky that you even got a slip.

I had a package fedex-to me around the holidays. A couple weeks later I thought that it was strange that I'd never received it. Turns out fedex contracts final delivery for some packages out to the USPS!!! This completely negated the whole reason I had it fedex-ed!!

My package had been sitting down at the package room for almost two weeks. No notice or anything. I was shocked that they actually found it when I went there, b/c that has not been my experience in the past.

I had that happen. Phoned post office to inquire. Man who answered phone said they'd have to get the story of the postal worker first before they believed me. I told him it wasn't about belief, I was home, heard the mailman, checked the box, saw the card and now I'm wondering how to get my package same day. He said he'd have to talk to the postal worker first to see if I was telling the truth, he couldn't just believe me without talking to the USPS worker. I told him again, I'm not calling because of that. He said he doesn't have to listen to me and hung up on me. I never had an ounce of tone. Smarter than that if you want to get anywhere with them, usually they don't even answer the phone and just let it ring and ring. I just wanted to get my package and had to tell him the story of why I have a notice in front of me etc., he had beyond attitude like his pleasure was going to be giving whoever was on the phone next attitude. Like it was a breakdown. Called consumer affairs part of USPS and filed a formal complaint. Something is going on at that office. Guess if you know you'll never lose your job, you can lose your marbles.

You're lucky they left you a notification, I hardly ever even get those anymore. I have to track all my packages now to find out when they're sitting at the post office waiting for me to pick them up.

Happens all the time to us. They just put the slip in the mailbox and never ring the bell. That's if the leave a slip at all.

It's infuriating!

For the past few months, I've been getting the orange notification slip along with my regular (letters and magazines) mail delivery in the morning. In the past, the package mailman always comes around late afternoon or early evening, but recently, no one comes anymore and I'm just getting the notification straight away (I used to get that only as "final notification", after the package has been sitting at the Post office for a while).

Is this happening to anyone else also?

PS I live downtown.