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A comment on USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons. Parent comment

Re:USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons by coryrc on Monday November 09, 2026 @05:30PM (#50433217)
Due to Baumol's Cost Disease and email, it doesn't make sense to be paying labor to drop off junk mail every single weekday. Cutting this by 2/days a week in urban areas and by 3 days/week in rural would save incredible amounts.
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Re:USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons by underlipton on Monday November 09, 2026 @05:47PM (#50433402)
I'm sure Amazon would love that. Need to overnight a letter? Guess you're stuck with FedEx or UPS.
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Re:USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons by coryrc on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @01:15AM (#50436708)
I've never needed to do that. We have email.
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Re:USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons by snowwrestler on Monday November 09, 2026 @06:27PM (#50433846)
The U.S. Postal Service doesn’t make financial sense because it is fundamentally not a financial idea. Like other aspects of Constitutional U.S. governance, its purpose is to stitch a people together into a nation.
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Re:USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons by maxerickson on Monday November 09, 2026 @09:08PM (#50435205)
Your argument rests on a pretty narrow definition of "financial sense".

Like when you buy food you like instead of the cheapest calories, this can make financial sense, because you value the preferred food more than the additional cost.

At around $20 a household projected loss for 2027, you wouldn't have to try very hard to do better than dismissing discussion of the value it does or doesn't bring.

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Re:USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons by mattmcknight on Monday November 09, 2026 @10:49PM (#50435821)
It's current function is to deliver garbage to me disguised as useful information. Almost all of it goes into the trash before I bring it inside.

It doesn't make financial sense because Congress has capped how much the garbage manufacturers have to pay.

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Re:USPS now offers official ZIP Code boundary polygons by snowwrestler on Tuesday November 10, 2026 @09:42AM (#50441092)
Unwanted advertising is hardly a unique failing of the U.S. Postal System.
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