Q: I've been hearing that the U.S. Postal Service is in trouble. They've been closing offices and laying off workers all over the country. In our own valley, UPS has been contracting with the USPS to deliver their packages in an effort to save money.

A: There's no doubt the Postal Service is in a financial bind — mail volume, and thus revenue, is down 20 percent over the last five years. But the rumors of the Postal Service using UPS is 180 degrees wrong.

In an e-mail, Postal Service spokesman Al DeSarro wrote:

The Postal Service does not contract with UPS (nor with FedEx nor with any other private delivery business) for delivery of of its U.S. mail packages. The U.S. Postal Service, all of its Post Offices nationwide and its letter carriers, make delivery of all of its U.S. mail and packages nationwide.

However, UPS and FedEx contracts with the U.S. Postal Service (and pays the Postal Service for this) to make the final delivery of its packages to customers in certain areas nationwide where their drivers do not deliver.

It is called the “last mile delivery.” These areas of delivery where the Postal Service makes the “last mile delivery” for UPS and FedEx packages are usually in more rural or less urban areas such as in parts of the Vail-Eagle County area.

It is a win-win-win arrangement for the Postal Service and UPS and FedEx. The Postal Service receives the revenue from UPS and FedEx for making their “last mile delivery” to their customers. UPS and FedEx benefit by having the Postal Service deliver their packages to customers in areas of the country in which they normally do not deliver to.