Postal Service Feels Weight Of 'Junk Mail'
Consumers Want a Way To Opt Out of Delivery
By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 6, 2008

The souring economy and changing lifestyles are dramatically affecting one of the most dependable institutions in American life: the U.S. Postal Service. Troubled banks are mailing fewer credit card offers. Declining new-home sales mean vacant houses sitting with empty mailboxes. And as consumers switch to paying bills online, first-class mailings are drying up.

Now, a new trend in consumer activism -- do-not-mail lists pending in 18 states, including Maryland -- threatens to reduce deliveries of catalogues and other "junk mail" that make up the largest volume of postal deliveries. the rest image