Thanks to all for the responses. Just to be clear I only posted my question (U.S. Mail hold... worthless?) to see what others experiences were here in the Villages. Didn't anticipate the discussions on whether or not the postal service should be eliminated or its funding.
I only requested (via the Services online website) the mail hold so as to avoid causing issues at the postal substation for the postal employees trying to place a months worth of mail into a small mailbox. Have used mail hold "up North" and mail was binned until delivered or picked up. I anticipated the same here, thinking it would be binned and then placed in one of the keyed lockers if it did not fit in the mailbox. Was surprised that my effort to avoid the situation for the postal employees was a total failure and was curious what others had experienced. Apparently it varies by individual substation or postal employee(s).
As for the Postal Service itself, they have a thankless job. Congress requires them to deliver and sets the price for such services knowing full well that whats charged doesn't cover the actual costs. As for the postal employees I feel they are entitled to livable wages and benefits. As for individual employees and their work ethic, its my opinion that its no different than private industry. People are people no matter where they work. Some are good, some are bad. Private industry just isn't as transparent about their shortcomings.
Finally, as to whether or not current society needs a mail service, that's a political question that I believe varies depending upon circumstances and your location. The U.S. is a BIG place where people live in all sorts of locations urban, rural and remote. The Postal Service is required to provide service to all and some deliveries can't be sent by email alone. Whether not the service is worth the cost/tax dollars is up to Congress.
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