Could Longer Lines Be Coming to Your Local Post Office…Lottery Lines?
Filed under Ideas Worth Exploring
Tags: Ideas, new business, Retail, services
According to a representative on the Postal Regulatory Commission’s staff, a Postal Service-run lottery “could offer the potential for substantial profits for the Postal Service and utilize its current retail infrastructure with its 36,000 retail outlets.” Popular lottery formats in many states include drawings and instant lottery tickets.
The claim is that running a national lottery could help the U.S. Postal Service close its multibillion-dollar budget gap. It could also build foot traffic to post offices, increasing retail sales of postal products.
A lottery might bring in a lot of revenue, but would it also bring more problems?
Loading ... Loading ...- A lottery, like any form of gambling, is susceptible to fraud, despite the high degree of scrutiny claimed by the organizers.
- Lines at many lottery depots can be long when jackpots are high—stretching around corners. Adding lottery customers to the lines at post offices could have a negative impact on regular customers who are not lottery players.
- How would the states react to the Postal Service joining the business of selling lottery tickets? Would the ability to reach out to such a large audience (through 36,000 retail units) take money from state lotteries, a number of which earmark revenues for education and social programs?
- Who would run the lottery operations? Is Postal Service management equipped for such an endeavor?
What do you think?
This topic is hosted by the OIG’s Risk Analysis Research Center (RARC).
26 Responses to “Could Longer Lines Be Coming to Your Local Post Office…Lottery Lines?”
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March 9th, 2010 at 12:09 am
I think the lottery idea could be given an interesting twist that would “kill two birds with one stone:”
Instead of having a conventional lottery in which the winners are awarded money, print special postage stamps in extremely limited quantities, and give the winners the stamps. For instance, the USPS could print 5 sheets of 50 stamps each (250 total), beautifully designed and with a popular topic, and award 250 lottery winners one stamp each. Perhaps the top 5 winners could each get a plate block of 4, of which there would be one per sheet. I would estimate that each of these 250 stamps would immediately be worth at least several thousand dollars apiece.
The “stamp lottery” would have the direct effect of raising money for the Postal Service, and the indirect effect of stimulating interest in stamp collecting, which would also help out, over time.
March 4th, 2010 at 8:04 am
Why not just go out of business, as per your current business plan, and open up the market to private carriers?
The company currently has a monopoly and still can’t make a profit? The problem is not the changes in the market, the problem is the business and how it is being managed.
If anything is going to be done, turn to the model used in some of Europe, the post office offers banking services most often utilized by the less off. This is much better than encouraging the less off to squander their money on lottery tickets. The majority of people who play lottery are the exact people who should be saving their money.
If you can’t do the right thing business wise at least do the right thing by the people who need it most. Offer services people need.
Thank you,
Jeffrey Dallas Moore
March 4th, 2010 at 1:49 am
I think it would generate lots of money. DO IT.
March 3rd, 2010 at 7:50 am
Which reminds me about that whole logo?
I’m still looking for an answer Mr. Big!
You’re in the postage business right?
When does the money become an asset?
When the postage/lottery ticket is printed?
When the postage/lottery ticket is sold?
When the postage/lottery ticket is cancelled?
Or, when the postage/lottery ticket is budgeted?
*************************************
BTW (By The Way)
Since you upper management folks are into acronyms.
I’m simply suggesting adding a kiosk to the office to sell lottery tickets. You don’t need to involve the postal line, even if you do give a out a latte’.
It’s called….. a “vending machine”, and you’re renting your tax free property/space for “m-o-n-e-y”!
Like the money tree you call “stamps”.
Not exactly a Wharton Business School thesis.
“Scratch and wait” could be the logo. And, you
might use a snail, instead of a groundhog like
Pennsylvania does. Because, a snail best illustrates the pace of customer lines at many Post Office windows.
It will give the baby boom customer (85% of you’re base) something to do, while they wait for service.
Nobody likes to wait, but secure mail services require
a wait. So make the wait less painful. Give em’ something to do while they wait. Make going to the Post Office a productive part of the customers day.
Not some grueling experience like a proctology exam!
Maybe a magazine stand too. You’re time is valuable,
right!
March 3rd, 2010 at 5:17 am
Why not just open the cash drawers to everyone in management and let them take direct withdrawals instead? This organization is now “managed” by a bunch of cronyist crooks whose only greedy goals are to acquire more stuff at USPS expense.
The survival of the USPS is no longer the ultimate goal for management decisions; now the goal is to financially loot everything they can while abusively harassing the people who actually move the mail right out the doors.
Instead of letting the lottery in, why not stop managements wrongful appropriation of fat paychecks while systematically running the USPS into the ground with their insane decisions. Like buying and overpaying for equipment that can’t produce the promised processing numbers for instance…
Let’s start holding these bozos accountable for stupid decisions instead of rewarding them with fat PFP bonuses they never really earned.
C’mon OIG, wake up and take a long hard look around at managements part in the creation of this financial disaster we’re in.
March 2nd, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Absolutely no lottery please. Lines are long enough with postal services and passports. Next thing you’ll want to sell cigarettes and beer and then you might as well change your name to 7 Eleven.
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Hahah, How about a lottery for my person. I need some trading debt to be consolidated too. (just joking)
Seriously though, it could be a good way to decrease debts that the goverment has. People love lottery and instead of throwing it away on other forms of gambling, why not use it to patch up the economy.
March 2nd, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Gambling is not permitted on Postal Property period. I suppose if the Postal Service is allowed to run a Gambling ring then employees should be allowed to run a Superbowl board or play Fantasy Football. Employees can be fired for Gambling on the clock or even buying Lottery tickets in uniform on your lunch break. Pwersonally I see nothing wrong with a lottery, but also see nothing wrong with Football boards. But in my opinion can’t do one without allowing the other. But as an employee I know the rules only apply to craft employees and the Postal Service can and will do anything it wants.
March 1st, 2010 at 11:24 pm
I NOW HAVE MORE FAITH IN A BOX OF ROCKS
March 1st, 2010 at 11:07 pm
fraud?the post office has an honest rep state lotteries have been rigged.lines?have a special line for lottery only.states?they are owed nothing.operations?big problem.any more questions?