It was last July that the US Postal Service announced it was considering closing around 3,700 of its approximately 32,000 outlets around the country, many of them in rural areas. But earlier today the Postmaster General unveiled yet another plan that could keep hundreds of these offices from closing outright.

Rather than shutter those post offices completely, they would be open with reduced hours, said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, who says the newest plan would save the struggling USPS half a billion dollars annually.

Of course, with USPS set to lose about $14 billion this year, that’s barely a dent in the problem. More details on that will come out tomorrow when the Postal Service announces its first quarter 2012 financial results.

The Service’s plans to cut service and close thousands of post offices, hundreds of distribution centers, and lay off thousands more employees have been stalled while lawmakers in Washington, D.C., mull over other proposals for saving the USPS.

Postal Service Holds Back on Closures [NY Times]

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