In its early days, the U.S. Postal Service did well to deliver mail cross-country by steamship in three to four weeks' time.

Delivery times have improved considerably since, but the post office is no longer the only game in town: UPS celebrates its 100th year in business this year, FedEx has its roots back to 1913, and DHL began its service in 1969.

William H. Young, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, told The Associated Press in July that Congress would decide an issue in the "next six to eight months … that's going to determine whether or not we have a reliable, efficient postal service in the future."

The postal service is surviving by changing, and locally it thrives, although people do have options for shipping their letters and packages.

"The more mail that is electronically diverted through e-mail and electronic communication, the more it affects our work here," said Decatur Postmaster Dick Glass.

Glass said the post office processes less of the "white mail" than it used to in terms of letters and cards sent first class.

But Glass said he also has seen major benefits from the technological changes he has witnessed during his 29 years at the post office because the organization is able to distribute mail much more quickly.

"When I first started, almost everything was done by hand, so everything that was done had direct human involvement," Glass said. "Now, through automation, mechanization and computer applications, the human involvement is kind of at the beginning and the end of the mail stream."

Glass noted that the post office has to develop new methods of mail distribution and sometimes increases postal rates because it is a self-funding branch of government and has been since the 1970s, even as higher utility and fuel costs make it more difficult.

For example, every time the price for a gallon of gasoline goes up a penny, it costs the post office $8 million more that year.

"If you think how long the post office has been in existence, we do whatever it takes to stay in existence," Charleston Postmaster Butch Hackett said.

One recent change is the forever stamp, which retains the value of a first-class stamp no matter how much rates rise in the future.

Over the years, the post office has changed by increasing its automation for sorting letters, and Hackett said that within the next five years, sorting "flats" - magazines or large envelopes - will be automated as well.

Although some would say the Internet has had a negative effect on the postal service, Kirk Edgecombe, Rantoul postmaster serving at the Mattoon post office, said the postal service is promoting its Web site, www.usps.com, as another option for doing business.

It's a change that had to be made, said Kyle Browning, supervisor of customer service at the Mattoon facility.

"Communication in general has changed over time," he said. "To stay in business, we change with that. … Society now, everything is about convenience. People can call already on the road for vacation, get on a laptop and put their mail on hold. We've learned to adapt to the 21st century."

Hackett said the Internet's effect on mail volume is difficult to measure because people might send e-mails now when they wouldn't have sent a letter in the first place.

The popularity of the Internet auction site eBay, though, has helped the post office, Hackett said. He said between one-quarter and one-third of the business at the Charleston post office is from people buying or selling on eBay.

"I still believe we have the best deal going," Hackett said. "Today, we still are the best solution because of convenience. It's easier to find a post office than UPS or FedEx."

While people typically walk into the post office with their packages ready to mail, at EZ Parcel and Business Services in Mattoon, that's not always the case.

"You can walk in the door with a baby bed, and we take it from there," said manager Gayla Pauley.

EZ Parcel offers boxes in a variety of sizes and other packing supplies, but Pauley said the business' two biggest selling points are service and choice.

The store is an authorized shipping center for FedEx, UPS and DHL, and it can ship large freight of 150 pounds or more.

Pauley said the store can better serve the personal needs of its customers because employees will help pack for estate sales or pick up items to be mailed.

"I've personally been in the shipping business for a lot of years, and if you know what you're doing and care about what you're doing, the personal service is what people will come back for," Pauley said.

The postmasters say postal workers have that personal touch going for them, too.

"We're the only person who touches everyone every day in Mattoon," Edgecombe said.

"We keep our people," Browning said. "People stay on the same routes for years. Six days a week, the customer and the mail carrier develop that relationship. I've talked to carriers who have seen kids born and leave the house."

"I see the postal service as being an entity that helps," said Hackett, citing as examples the breast cancer stamp, the proceeds of which help fund research, and the annual letter carriers' food drive.

He said letter carriers have the advantage of familiarity with their customers.

"You may know the UPS and FedEx man, but you don't see them every day," Hackett said.

Lisa Bartelt can be reached at lbartelt@jg-tc.com or 238-6858. Mary Tallon can be reached at mtallong@herald-review.com or 421-7984.