Postal Service will announce changes

Financial problems are mounting at the U.S. Postal Service, and that's going to have repercussions on Americans' daily lives. For one thing, you won't be able to assume - or even hope - that a stamped letter will arrive at its destination the next day.   

That's because the Postal Service is looking for ways to save money, even as it awaits possible assistance from Congress.

The agency plans to announce tomorrow a series of changes designed to save an estimated $3 billion. At the top of the list is a program calling for unprecedented cuts to first-class mail next spring. It will slow down the pace of service, meaning that for the first time in 40 years, there will be no chance for next-day delivery.

The changes could slow everything from check payments to Netflix's DVDs-by-mail. It also could add costs to mail-order prescription drugs and threaten the existence of newspapers and time-sensitive magazines delivered by postal carriers to far-flung communities.