Mike Levine, Gulfport: “Personally, it wouldn’t affect me much; any mail I get on Saturday is usually bills anyway. I do all my banking online now; I’ve mostly gone paperless. I do get most magazines on the weekend, but I think with all the budget problems, the government needs to look at creative solutions to save money. By discontinuing Saturday delivery, I’m sure they could save a whole lot of money. On the other hand, people at the Post Office need their hours. I wouldn’t want to take away their ability to earn their honest pay. They work really hard and their job is not easy. Everyone has to sacrifice something if we’re going to get through this recession. Maybe this might be the least painful way to help do it.”

Mike Strait, Gulfport: “It’s good to have mail on Saturdays. It keeps people working. Also it’s nice to get a birthday card or a present on time, especially if it falls on a Saturday too. Otherwise, it would just hold it up. I guess postal workers need something to do on Saturdays; they need a paycheck like everyone else. Most people work during the week; they only have Saturday to get their mailing stuff done. As to the rate increase, obviously there are two sides to the debate. Gas prices go way up and people say “Oh No”! But they pay it, because it’s a necessity. It’s the same way with a postal rate increase. People may complain but in the end they’ll pay it. One point though; most promotional mailings for stores are mailed to hit on Saturdays so the people can go out to those stores for the bargains. If they don’t get those coupons and discounted ads, it may affect how they spend their money. Who wants to pay full price if there’s a coupon for a discount on something? But if it doesn’t come in Saturday’s mail, the people may not go out and spend their hard-earned money.”

Naomi Humphrey, St. Pete: “I would really miss Saturday delivery if it was discontinued. I still mail letters; I don’t use a computer for any of my bill paying or banking. I don’t trust them. It’s not safe. Sure, a lot of Saturday’s mail can be mostly bills. But I often send things out to relatives on a Wednesday so that it will arrive by that Saturday. Also, what if people have to mail me something important during the week? If it’s not mailed early enough in the week, it will take longer to get there without the Saturday delivery. You know, a lot of people work 9-5 jobs during the week and Saturday may be the only day they can get to a post office to mail packages or letters out. I think it would definitely inconvenience them. But I know if I was a postal worker, I would enjoy a full weekend off. It’s a lot of work, carrying around heavy bags of mail, dealing with the weather and people’s dogs. As to the rate increase, I guess they probably need it. I mean, stamps go up all the time. But I would miss that Saturday delivery because I’m just so used to it.”