Can USPS survive as webvan

USPS has been making losses for many many years and it is not unthinkable that it might not survive with its current structure. Much has been written on various reasons for its demise primarily being email. So when the new blog Digitopoly, by some of my favorite authors wrote on the same topic “Postal mail in the Shadow of Email’  My neurons started firing as it is one of the meme I think about. Other being public libraries in the age ebooks. USPS is unique in its nature and owns the biggest fleet that goes to most of the neighborhoods everyday. It would be a shame if USPS goes under and this network is dismantled. So how it can be saved and be profitable.

One not so radical idea for USPS is to partner with major grocery chains and be their home delivery agent sort of like webvan. So I order from Safeway, Kroger, Walmart’s website and grocery is delivered next day in neat packages by the friendly USPS guy. This does bring images from my childhood in India where the vegetable vendors would put their wares on a push cart and go thru neighborhoods hawking these vegetables. Do you think this idea of Grocery as a Service would work?

(Flickr Photo under CC by sarelkromer)