Amazon’s expansion of its delivery network into rural areas is replacing the United States Postal Service (USPS) as its last mile delivery service and threatening the livelihoods of rural carriers.
The e-commerce giant has extended its reach into smaller markets and rural areas, a move that has significant economic implications for rural carriers and raises serious questions about the future of the USPS, particularly in light of President Trump’s renewed efforts to privatize the agency in his second term.
Amazon has significantly expanded its delivery network, particularly through the proliferation of its delivery stations, which operate like local post offices for Amazon packages. This is part of the company’s larger strategy to take more control over its package delivery process, reducing its reliance on the USPS, which has been raising rates and cutting back on pickups in some regions.
Amazon was only ever going to use USPS until they built out their own delivery network. Additionally, charging Amazon the same per piece price regardless if the package weighed 8 ounces or 50 pounds was always a recipe for disaster.