America's Post Office continues to change. Home delivery didn't start until 1863, mailboxes weren't required until 1910, deliveries were 7 days a week until 1912. But postal volume is declining, the U.S. service is losing 8 billion dollars a year and cutbacks of Saturday deliveries are inevitable. It has half a million employees, more than Walmart, and literally cannot afford their healthcare. The 30,000 offices are more than Walmart, Starbucks and McDonald's combined and many will relocate to Walmart and other supermarkets and convenience stores.
Germany has similar problems but has taken action much more quickly.
Bernbach had two post offices, now it has none. The noble Bad Herrenalb brownstone post office building is now a cocktail-bar/restaurant on the park.The post office for the town of Kirn is now the back room of a gift shop. The parking lot at Schloß Dhaun had a pay phone and a mailbox, both are gone. But the Hotel zur Burg mail is still picked up and delivered by hand with a daily in-house visit by a cheerful and chatty mail carrier.
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