WASHINGTON — Slammed by e-mail competition and buried by massive payments for health care and retirement benefits, the U.S. Postal Service said it’s forced to take drastic measures. But the postal service plans to slow delivery down for first time in 40 years. Come spring, forget next-day delivery. First class mail will take two to five days to arrive, instead of the current one to three days. On the ropes financially, the post office expects to save three billion dollars this way, closing nearly half of the 500 mail processing centers across the country. It could also mean delays in such everything from paychecks to mail-order DVD rentals.
Monday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m.
