The United States Postal Service is one of the few agencies that almost always receives bipartisan support between Democrats and Republicans. This is because the independent agency of the Executive Power is a service that reaches all the people of the country, all residences and all businesses. And among the companies at risk during the crisis that is happening in the USPS are independent bookstores.
Independent bookstores had already been hanging by a thread for years, fighting (and often losing) against the emergence of large bookstores, which in turn have all but perished in the wake of Amazon. However, with the support of local communities, many independent bookstores have been maintained and others have sprung up to serve underserved and underserved communities. The number of independent bookstores in the United States had risen in recent years, with 1,887 independent bookselling companies with 2,524 stores at the end of 2019, according to Statista.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ensuing economic shutdowns have been nothing but devastating for the vast majority of retailers. Although some bookstores across the country have been able to reopen, even to the point of allowing some customers to enter select areas at once, many of them rely heavily on online applications with curbside pickup and mail delivery to meet with orders. But when Trump-backed postmaster general Louis DeJoy announced plans on July 24 that would delay mail delivery but save costs (no further details on how much), catastrophe was looming on all fronts, starting with the upcoming elections. even the survival of companies that were already in trouble. stay open during the pandemic.
But in the months since, as Los Angeles has become a hotspot for the virus and many businesses remain closed, the physical store was closed and Reparations Club transitioned its business online for the first time since opening. in 2019. The simultaneous events of the pandemic and social demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter this summer completely changed the business, says McGilbert; now 99% of store orders are delivered through USPS. The bookstore ships books daily, sometimes personally delivering them locally, and even invites some regular customers to pick up books directly from their home, McGilbert notes.
Media Mail delivery
“USPS is critical to our operations, from receiving books from our vendors to being able to mail order to customers across the country. There are even places like prison, which can only get books through the USPS, ”says Pete Mulvhill, co-owner of Green Apple Books of San Francisco.
Mulvihill, also a board member of the American Booksellers Association, says it has been a roller coaster ride since the famous independent bookstore first closed on March 16. All sales moved online for several months. But Mulvihill says Green Apple received a lot of support in March and April, and the store fulfilled orders almost exclusively through USPS Media Mail (and sometimes Priority Mail).
In mid-May, Green Apple Books reopened for curbside pickup, but the majority of the company’s sales were still being sent by mail, either by ordering online or by phone, nearly all through USPS Media Mail. Even with navigation available and doors open 11 hours a day, roughly 20% of their sales are online (up from 1% before COVID).
But there was a sudden change on Tuesday, August 19, with DeJoy doubling down and suspending cuts to the Postal Service until after the November 3 presidential election with the express intention of avoiding any impact on ballot mail. But it was not specified whether the postmaster general would reverse any of the changes already made to the Postal Service, including the removal of many sorting machines and mailboxes across the country. Those changes can still slow down mail, including Media Mail delivery, as many book packages and disc contents are typically thin enough to slip into mailboxes quite easily with postage printed at home or at home. the shelf. job.
If the news [this week] is reassuring, perhaps the Trump administration’s apparent efforts to cripple the USPS have failed. But it still needs support, especially as a crucial election approaches with many ballots flowing through the USPS, ”says Mulvihill.
Mayersohn suggests that it may be too early to judge the effect of the USPS crisis on your own business. As a result, we don’t have a reliable basis to compare. We are beginning to hear reports of delays, but this information is anecdotal at this time. We will start tracking delivery times to monitor the situation. For the reasons mentioned above, we view the possibility of mail service interruptions as an existential threat. “
