Post office: Doing a pretty good job after all

By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite all the wisecracks and in this age of cynicism about government, most Americans say they are satisfied with the Postal Service.

Rates increased this month for the first time in four years, raising the cost of sending a first-class letter one penny, to 33 cents.

A third of those questioned in an Associated Press poll said the stamp costs too much. But the remainder said it was about right or a bargain.

Almost three-fourths of Americans believe the Postal Service is doing an excellent or good job, said the AP poll by ICR/International Communications Research of Media, Pa.

Scott Howard, a 42-year-old scientist from the San Francisco area, is among those who still considers the cost of sending a letter a pretty good deal.

"The lady who delivers our mail is a wonderful person," he said. But Howard's not always as happy with the service at the post office, where "tellers aren't always the most pleasant people."

The poll of 1,015 adults by ICR was taken January 13-17 and has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Attitudes about the Postal Service, long the butt of jokes for delayed deliveries, bureaucratic boggle and disgruntled workers, have improved over the last five years. In 1994, just over six of 10 said they viewed the Postal Service as excellent or good.

The agency has worked hard over the last six years to improve both its businesslike performance and public perception, officials say. Post offices have been modernized, internal procedures revamped and the service has actually operated in the black, said spokesman Roy Betts.

Customers seem to have noticed.

Almost a third of those polled said they think service is better now than five years ago. Sixty percent think it's about the same.

When asked their biggest concern, the leading issue was the speed of mail delivery, mentioned by just over a third. The cost of stamps was mentioned by about one in 10, as was counter service. Forty percent said they had no concerns.

Despite competition from companies such as Federal Express and UPS, almost two-thirds said they use the post office to send packages. Postal officials say business users are more likely than other people to use the competing services.

Last March, the Postal Service ranked highest among all federal agencies in favorable ratings with the public, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. The independent accounting firm Price Waterhouse found in 1997 that overnight first-class mail was delivered on time more than 90 percent of the time, 10 points higher than in 1994.

That track record is no small accomplishment for an operation that handles 41 percent of the world's mail volume, more than 650 million pieces of mail every day, officials say.

Public loyalty to the Postal Service may have much to do with the day-to-day contact many people have with its letter carriers, said Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., head of the House subcommittee on the Postal Service.

"The person who brings the mail is almost a member of the family who visits each and every day," McHugh said.

If there's any area the Postal Service, with its 800,000 employees, acknowledges needing work, it's in labor relations.

"I think it's clear that conditions on the workroom floor, the animosity between management and labor, is amongst the worst in the American workplace," McHugh said.

But the final product is generally appreciated.

Kate Muth of Arlington, Va., who writes an independent trade publication called "Business Mailers' Review," said the rate increase has caused barely a stir.

"I haven't heard too much grousing," she said. "For 33 cents, you can get your letter anywhere in the country. And service is improving."