Dear readers,
The week of January 13, the Merrill Foto News will switch to the United State Postal Service to deliver our publication.
The conversion to mail will ensure on-time and consistent delivery. With increasing difficulty in finding carriers to fill open positions, the delivery system will provide service in the seamless manner we need to provide timely news and information.
With an unemployment rate that has moved from 9 percent to 3 percent in the past decade, baby boomers retiring, and the amount of degree-carrying job candidates coming from our colleges, a worker shortage has appeared that is not expected to go away in the next decade.
This places our services at a disadvantage. In addition, the conversion will allow us to reach areas in certain communities we were unable to service in prior years.
The change in delivery will assist us in providing the product and service that the community and our advertisers request, and deserve.
Our publication will also keep several drop points at local businesses to provide additional availability to the communities we serve.As we make this transition, our delivery day will change from Wednesdays to Thursdays, beginning Thursday, Jan. 16. Deadline for advertising will remain the same; Mondays by 12:30 p.m. for classified ads and 4:00 pm for display ads.
We wish you the best in the new year, as we work to provide the best products and services to the community we serve.
Jeremy Ratliff
Editor