To the editor:

Although it has been sounding the alarm bell for years, it appears now that the United States Post Office may be closer than ever to its demise. There’s a lot of chatter about the institution being the victim of technology, an old dinosaur that failed to manage its money and respond to changing consumer wants and needs. 

And while there is some truth to that, the real culprit, in my opinion, is overbought property, a problem that will not be solved by slashing jobs, reducing delivery, or shuttering proportionately few outlets.

Ironically, the Post Office could still survive and succeed under the principle of more. More conveniently located, but smaller stores, leased for a short period of time to test the waters before a longer term commitment is made. As with homes, it’s all about location. The facilities don’t have to be on every corner like Starbucks, but more saturation is needed to up the postal services profile and create demand for sorely needed innovative. That said, the significance of existing structures to their communities should not be overlooked, because in this evolution, it’s not “one size fits all.”

And while the Postal Service is transitioning to a viable business, perhaps to show our support, the least the rest of us can do is go out and buy and use some stamps. And think long and hard about what we would do without it the post office.