The financially-struggling U.S. Postal Service hopes to gain a much needed boost by having its employees deliver groceries, The Washington Post reported.
Stores would drop off "groceries and other prepackaged goods" at the post office, which would then send employees to deliver the groceries to residences, according to a USPS proposal submitted Tuesday to the Postal Regulatory Commission.
Postal service officials expect it will generate $10 million in revenue for the agency, which has lost billions with the decline of paper mail deliveries. The USPS would begin a two-year test drive as early as Oct. 24 if the proposal is approved.
"Grocery deliveries services are expanding across the nation," reads the USPS proposal. "With its operational reach, the Postal Service has an opportunity to provide retailers a nationwide solution that offers a trained workforce and the trust and reliability of the Postal Service brand."
Using a smartphone app, customers would place their orders and see their food dropped off in a tote bag between the hours of 3 a.m. and 7 a.m., according to the proposal. The price for the deliveries has yet to be determined.
A test-run was already conducted in partnership with Amazon.com, where groceries were delivered in San Francisco, The Post reported. An average of 160 deliveries were made daily in 38 Zip codes, according to the proposal.
This is not the first method the USPS has used to raise profits. In November, the agency unveiled plans to open centers inside 82 Staples locations nationwide.
The agency, which does not use tax dollars for daily operations, also urged Congress to suspend the majority of Saturday deliveries, according to MyFoxNY. But the request has faced backlash from postal unions.
