In view of the heavy losses witnessed in 2009, the U. S. Postal Service has put forth a proposal of keeping the services closed on Saturdays.

The proposal requires an approval from the Congress. If it gets implemented, it will be effective for the next 10 years. Under the plan, the Post Offices will remain opened on Saturdays, but, the deliveries would not be made.

Facing a net loss of $7 billion in 2009, the Postal Service fears a further loss of $238 billion in the upcoming 10 years.

The proposed plan is expected to save an amount of $3.5 billion, per year. "In the Southern Tier, mail volume dropped 12 percent in 2009 versus the previous year, representing a huge falloff that's consistent with what's happening in much of the rest of the country", said spokeswoman Maureen Marion.

"We're self-supporting with a lot of government oversight. We're not looking to be bailed out. We're looking to take care of our business, and this is how we can do that", she added.

She further explained that due to the recession, many other companies have been cutting down costs. Under this, they have reduced mailings too.

Also, reductions in the orders for periodicals and goods have also gone down due to the shortage of money among the consumers. "That's where we see the potential for some rebound as the economy gets better", Marion said.