“Return To Sender” Less Likely If USPS Lets Customers Ship Booze Through The Mail

Sex sells, or so they say, but because that’s a bit trickier to ship through the mail, the United States Postal Service is instead looking to turn to booze as a moneymaker. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said he’s hoping to start delivering alcoholic beverages through the mail as a way to raise up to $50 million a year for the struggling USPS.

Last year the USPS bled $16 billion and Donahue doesn’t want to continue that trend. He told the Associated Press he’s all about ending door-to-door and Saturday mail deliveries as a way to figure out how to save the USPS.

He thinks customers might be down with mailing bottles of wine home when they tour vineyards, because apparently he was eavesdropping on my heart’s desire after a recent visit to Michigan wine country (side note: Michigan has wine country).

How would the booze travel? Perhaps in special boxes that could hold two, four or six bottles and ship at a flat-rate to anywhere in the country, suggests Donahue.

“There’s a lot of money to be made in shipping beer, wine and spirits,” Donahoe said. “We’d like to be in that business.”

Right now mailing alcoholic beverages is restricted by law. As such, customers are supposed to cover up any boozy logos or labels on boxes if they’re using them to ship other items.

“We don’t want to take any more debt on,” Donahoe said. “We want to be able to get profitable, pay it down, just like any other business would, so that you stay strong for the future.”

You heard the man, the future is mailable happy hour.

Postmaster: Booze delivery may lift USPS spirits [Associated Press]

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