Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era

Many who grew up with 'snail mail' ready to let go

SEAL BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- The death of Saturday mail delivery would seem to have the biggest impact in places such as Leisure World, where residents -- many in their 80s and 90s -- grew up with the mailbox as their connection to the rest of the world.

But many people just don't care in the Southern California community where life slowly revolves around golf, card games and splashing in a heated pool.

Now there's email for letter-writing and Facebook for keeping in touch with friends and relatives. And there's snail mail for ... Well, for what, really?

"All we get anymore are bills," laughed Leisure World resident Albert Rodriguez, 83, a retired bus driver whose wife, Gladys, quickly corrected him.

"We also get junk mail," she added with a smile.

Some older people might remember the days of waiting anxiously for the Sears catalog or Saturday Evening Post to land in their mailbox. But those days died long before the U.S. Postal Service announcement this week that it plans to kill Saturday deliveries except for packages.

Many of the 9,000 people who live at Leisure World, a seaside village in the suburbs of Los Angeles, have no problem with forgoing bills until Monday.

Sure, the change might require putting checks in the mail a bit sooner to pay those bills, but that shouldn't be a problem for a generation brought up to pay its debts on time.

In days gone by, waiting for the mail was a happy ritual for many, especially when they were expecting a new catalog touting the latest fashions.

"Oh my God, my grandma depended on those," said 77-year-old Lynette Waltner, adding the Lane Bryant catalog was the favorite of her grandmother.

Like many seniors, Waltner still pays her bills by snail mail because she doesn't trust online transactions. She doesn't email much either, and she's decided Facebook is a big waste of time.

But the idea of waiting around on a Saturday to see if an important letter might actually arrive? Forget about it.

"I'd rather play golf," Lautner said.