Mexico's postal blues remade in hot pink
Changes include a new logo, new uniforms and pink-and-lime-green painted post offices. Some will also sell cut-rate rice, beans and powdered milk alongside stamps. Coffee mugs and envelopes — something the post office didn’t sell before — will also be available, but only in hot pink and lime green.
The service’s new symbol — a white carrier pigeon holding a letter in its beak — hit the streets last Tuesday 9th September, a day after President Felipe Calderon unveiled the new look at a gala ceremony. The government hopes the new image and services will help the post office break even next year, after annual losses of up to USD 50 million.
But in a country where mail theft is widespread and letters often arrive weeks after they’re sent, the public is skeptical.
The new name, Correos de Mexico, or Mexican Mail, is actually a throwback to the days of the early 20th century, when the service was trusted and the government built a main post office meant to look like a Renaissance palace.
Alberto Izquierdo, a native of Madrid who was waiting in a long line to mail a letter at the main downtown post office, wasn’t impressed.
“I think they’re focusing a little too much on appearances and not substance,” he said.
Mexico’s postal service delivers only about seven pieces of mail per inhabitant per year; Americans get an average of 700.
The low volume reflects a lack of confidence. Federal officials acknowledge most businesses won’t send bills, statements or receipts through the mail, preferring pricey but safer private courier services, about 4,000 of which have sprung up here, according to industry estimates.
Changes include a new logo, new uniforms and pink-and-lime-green painted post offices. Some will also sell cut-rate rice, beans and powdered milk alongside stamps. Coffee mugs and envelopes — something the post office didn’t sell before — will also be available, but only in hot pink and lime green.
The service’s new symbol — a white carrier pigeon holding a letter in its beak — hit the streets last Tuesday 9th September, a day after President Felipe Calderon unveiled the new look at a gala ceremony. The government hopes the new image and services will help the post office break even next year, after annual losses of up to USD 50 million.
But in a country where mail theft is widespread and letters often arrive weeks after they’re sent, the public is skeptical.
The new name, Correos de Mexico, or Mexican Mail, is actually a throwback to the days of the early 20th century, when the service was trusted and the government built a main post office meant to look like a Renaissance palace.
Alberto Izquierdo, a native of Madrid who was waiting in a long line to mail a letter at the main downtown post office, wasn’t impressed.
“I think they’re focusing a little too much on appearances and not substance,” he said.
Mexico’s postal service delivers only about seven pieces of mail per inhabitant per year; Americans get an average of 700.
The low volume reflects a lack of confidence. Federal officials acknowledge most businesses won’t send bills, statements or receipts through the mail, preferring pricey but safer private courier services, about 4,000 of which have sprung up here, according to industry estimates.
