The U.S. Postal Service announced last Wednesday that after Aug. 3 it will no longer deliver mail to street addresses on Saturdays.

But the new policy applies only to letters, magazines, and "flats" (large envelopes), said Gloucester postmaster Tracy Sigler. Packages will continue to be delivered on Saturdays.

In addition, post offices that have Saturday hours will continue to be open on Saturday, said Freda Sauter with the post office’s corporate communications in Maryland, and post office box customers will still receive express mail.

Sauter said the post office expects to realize $2 billion in savings annually with the new policy. The savings will come from reducing work hours, fuel costs and vehicle usage, she said.

"We are striving to raise revenue, reduce costs, and gain efficiencies through the entire organization," said Sauter, pointing out that the postal service had a $15.9 billion loss last fiscal year and ended the last quarter, from Oct. 1-Dec. 31, with a n...