Postal Service wants to deliver groceries

  • The Washington Post
  • Friday, September 26, 2014 2:38pm
  • Business

WASHINGTON — After nearly six years of multibillion-dollar losses, the U.S. Postal Service has developed a new plan to help turn its finances around: daily grocery deliveries.

The Postal Service sent its proposal to the Postal Regulatory Commission on Tuesday, seeking approval from the panel. The agency wants to begin testing on Oct. 24, with the process lasting up to two years, though it could choose to make the program permanent sooner.

Under the plan, the USPS would work with retail partners to deliver “groceries and other prepackaged goods” to homes between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. at locations designated by consumers. Participating grocery stores would have to drop off their orders at post offices between 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m.

“Ultimately, the Postal Service expects this will generate more package deliveries that do not currently move within the postal system,” the agency said in its proposal. “Grocery deliveries are expanding across the nation, with several different types of companies beginning to offer this service in recent months.”

The USPS has not elaborated on delivery prices, or which cities and retailers would be involved in the program.

The Postal Service has already tested the program, toting groceries for Amazon.com in the San Francisco area. According to the proposal, the USPS averaged 160 deliveries a day in 38 Zip codes.

The USPS has partnered with several retailers the past year in an effort to generate new revenue for the cash-strapped agency.

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