by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Expecting to generate $2 billion in cost savings nationwide, the U.S. Postal Service has announced that it will stop mail delivery on Saturdays beginning in August. The change will be implemented on Guam but the postmaster doesn't feel it will have as big an impact on the local community.

"It would be irresponsible for the postal service not to pursue this course. We are in a position here - we have to make some tough choices and decisions," noted U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe announced the tough choice he's made in cutting home delivery service on Saturdays beginning in August. The decision is expected to help restore the financial health of the postal service.

Guam postmaster Emmanuel Thomas says the decision will have local impact, telling KUAM News, "It's just going to effect the home delivery and the businesses on Saturdays. People that get their mail to the P.O. boxes they can still come and pick up their mail. If they're going to pick up their packages, they can still come in to the post office to pick up their packages on Saturday."

Thomas says the cost-cutting measure won't impact Guam as much as mainland residents, adding, "I've never seen as many packages as I saw here on Guam. Stateside, in my experience, the letters flat periodically are a lot more then the packages, so I'm quite sure there will be a significant savings there, but here with so many packages it's not going to affect us when it comes to delivering packages."

Beginning the week of August 5, residents, both on and off base, can expect not to see postal carriers delivering letters or magazines on Saturdays. The postal service is currently also implementing major restructuring throughout its retail, delivery and mail processing operations.

"We just trying to make sure that we don't affect the public a lots with the decisions we are making but for business to stay profitable we have to make some of the tough decisions which is to eliminate some deliveries [sic]," said Thomas.

And while the Saturday deliveries may not have a significant impact on island residents, Thomas offers some advice for those who would rather avoid the long lines at the post office to mail packages and pay for their post office boxes-go online to USPS.com. "[It] would give them the option to print out the label and the customs form and they could just bring it to the post office and drop it right off at the counter," he suggested.

"That way, you don't have to wait in line trying to mail your package."