Topic: Postal Services

US Postal Service to close 140 mail processing centers

The US Postal Service will close 48 mail sorting facilities in August, and the rest will close next January and February, the Postmaster General announced Thursday. 

Smartphones: Postal service bans foreign shipments

Smartphones with lithium batteries will no longer be accepted for international shipment beginning Wednesday because of fire risks. Shipments of smartphones to US troops abroad will have to go via UPS or FedEx. 

US Postal Service will keep open rural routes

The Post Office blinked in the face of public opposition; rural post offices were scheduled to close as soon as May 15.

Postal Service closings? System faces cash crunch. Again.

Postal Service closings could mean longer lines and possibly slower delivery if Congress doesn't move to alleviate the system's cash crunch. But the alternative to Postal Service closings would mean using tax money. 

UPS to buy Dutch delivery company TNT Express for $6.8 billion

Atlanta-based UPS is the world's largest delivery company, while TNT, headquartered in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, is the second-biggest express mail company in Europe behind Germany's DHL.

Online banking? Don't be afraid.

Online banking is commonplace these days, but many customers are hesitant to use it for fear of online scams, lack of computer skills, or difficulty finding convenient Internet access. Here's how to make online banking work for you.

Valentine's Day: cost of romance rising for flower delivery, 4 other things

When you arrange for flower delivery or take a special someone out for dinner this Valentine's Day, it'll cost more than it did a year ago. That's the cold hard fact about a warmhearted and festive day, according official US inflation data.

But the rising cost may actually be a relatively small one: Those chocolate or flower prices haven't been rising at gas-pump-fast rates. Here's the official inflation tally of five common Valentine's Day activities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hot toys through the ages (VIDEO)

No one knows what turns a toy into a must-have phenomenon. Some years,something pops out of nowhere and is immediately snapped up. Other years are quiet (including 2011, retailers say). Here’s a look back at seven toys that became blockbusters in their day and left an imprint on American culture:

USPS to slow first class mail, close centers in Ga. and Ala.

The Postal Service's cuts would close 252 of the nation's 461 mail processing centers beginning next spring. They would result in the elimination of roughly 28,000 jobs.

Postal Service says cost-cutting will delay mail. How slow will it go?

The US Postal Service, facing billions in losses, proposes cuts to its processing facilities that will delay the delivery of stamped mail by one day. But the changes won't affect the busy holiday period.

Stamp prices go up one penny. Is it enough to save the Postal Service?

Stamp prices: The price of a first-class postage stamp will go up one penny to 45 cents next year, as the US Postal Service struggles to address its financial crisis.

Stamp prices: Up another penny in 2012

Stamp prices will rise from 44 cents to 45 cents for a one-ounce first-class letter. Rise in stamp prices takes effect Jan. 22.

US Postal Service seeks reprieve from Congress to avert 'default'

Congress must act by Sept. 30 or the US Postal Service, running out of funds, will default on a $5.5 billion payment for retiree health benefits, US Postmaster General Patrick Donahue said Tuesday.

Crunch time at Postal Service: Five questions about post office closings.

The US Postal Service may shutter as many as 3,700 post offices nationwide, to help close a $20 billion revenue shortfall between now and 2015. How'd the venerable USPS get into this position? Here's the answer to that question and four others concerning what's next for the Postal Service.

US Postal Service cut: Do we really want another bailout?

US Postal Service cut: Its retiree health-care program on the brink today. Entire USPS broke by early next year.

Postal Service closures: Ben Franklin's post office at risk

Postal Service list of possible closures includes a Philadelphia building once owned by Franklin. It's the only Colonial-themed post office run by the Postal Service.

Post office closures: What happens if a town has no post office?

The Postal Service announced Tuesday that it will consider closing more than 3,600 post offices. Does that mean people in small towns won't be able to send mail? Not necessarily.

Post office cuts: Is your post office on the list?

The Postal Service is looking at cutting up to 3,700 of its nearly 32,000 post offices. Virtually every major US city would lose post offices.

Five alternatives to Netflix

Has Netflix's price hikes pushed you too far? Here are five alternatives.

Canada Post strike: Residents ask if they really need a postman

Like postal services around the world, Canada Post has seen a rapid decline in first-class mail. It tried to adjust by cutting wages, prompting a strike that's lasted three weeks so far.

Tim Pawlenty's plan to revive the US economy: the 'Google Test'

Pawlenty offered a new spin on the classic spending-cuts idea: If Google can identify a private-sector provider of any good or service, the government should get out of that business. By invoking Google, he hopes to snatch media attention from the antics of Trump, Palin, and Weiner.

Amid more doping allegations and probes, Lance Armstrong battles back

Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France champion, faces new allegations from a teammate that he failed a 2001 drug test, and a grand jury probe. He has long said, 'Where's the proof?'

Government shutdown 101: What would a shutdown mean for you?

If the budget impasse causes the government to shut down after Friday, many ordinary Americans would feel it. Some services deemed 'essential,' though, would continue amid a government shutdown.