I'm usually drawn to defend the USPS, which I think is often very unfairly beat-up. But this might change my opinions somewhat. Excerpts:
The PMG's reasoning is solid on this one. Without that bulk junk traffic, post offices would probably dry up even faster. I already have a crapload of digital junk mail. Dealing with physical junk mail hits a different strand of conditioned memory. It would definitely make my life easier to put both in the same pile, hit the delete button, but I'd rather keep the USPS afloat for as long as it can last.
I doubt I would opt in. It takes me less than a minute to rip up and throw away junk mail and any of the mail I would want to keep (bills, financial statements, personal letters), would be those items I would not want them opening.
I saw Outbox and stopped reading.... They were the dumbest idea ever. The more people they signed up the more money they lost. My partner and I actually met with them one time. They didn't know anything about mail. Completely stupid idea for a company. These guys, Will and Evan, who got the money to start the Outbox money furnace should have spent less time scheming for more venture capital and they should have actually figured out a business plan that wouldn't lose more money for each customer they signed up. These guys may have met with the Postmaster General, but they are bull****ters who had no clue what the hell they were doing. They are lucky they didn't get charged with felonies for destroying first class mail.
There is also a scale component to consider...i.e., that the reason the USPS is so amazingly cheap and efficient is likely due to those junk mailers - so maybe there is some method to the madness. The paradox of grand waste to support grand efficiency is making my head hurt.
Count me as somebody who doesn't see how this would have been beneficial for the Post Office. They were right to reject them. We've had digital mail for a long time, it is called email. Most of the time when we use the post office these days, it is for items that can't be transmitted electronically (or that we choose for it not to be).
Sounds like a horrible idea. I don't want someone opening my personal mail, my bills, or anything for that matter except for me.
I share your dissapointment with the closed-mindedness that USPS seems to display, but after reading the responses of others, it seems like they dodged a bullet this time. Probably more of a "even a broken clock is right twice a day" thing for USPS.
Jimmy Carter faints. Aren't you usually against gubmint invading your privacy? "Hey guys, we think you like email so much we want to open your letters for you and put them on email, what now that we pretty much control and inspect all digital private data, we figured we should close the loop and get in on that private stuff we aren't able to invade. And hey, we'll use keywords found in your mail to personalize marketing efforts to bring you what you want! Win/win!"
I generally don't underestimate the stupidity of people, but I find it really, really hard to believe anyone said this in a meeting: “‘You mentioned making the service better for our customers; but the American citizens aren’t our customers—about 400 junk mailers are our customers. Your service hurts our ability to serve those customers.” Even if it's financially true, this just screams 'made up quote to make someone look bad'.
So . . .they wanted to open up everyone's mail and scan it Then email it to them? . . . and you worried about the NSA listening to your calls but ok with someone opening your mail . .. a private group making $$$ of course Rocket River
Trust me they weren't making money lol. Well at least the investors weren't. The people hired to run the place were making some nice cash though.
As long as there is online shopping, there will always be a place for USPS, unless of course evan and will can make the transporter beaming thingie happen. And let's be honest dem' harvard boys can't convert an object to energy, shoot they can't even call a timeout when one is needed.