Via Shutterstock

Via Shutterstock

The U.S. Postal Service, grasping at any possible solution to maintain its rapidly shrinking revenue, wants to start shipping alcohol to Americans’ doorsteps, the postmaster general tells the Associated Press.

Patrick Donahoe says delivering parcels of beer, wine, and liquor could raise as much as $50 million a year. But couch that against the fact that the Postal Service lost $16 billion in fiscal year 2012.

“There’s a lot of money to be made in shipping beer, wine and spirits,” Donahoe said. “We’d like to be in that business.”

The Postal Service says mailing alcoholic beverages is currently restricted by law. Customers are even told to cover any logos or labels if they use alcoholic beverage boxes for shipments.

Consumer shipments of alcohol are legal in much of the United States, though local laws vary. In the District of Columbia, for instance, a 2008 law permits residents to import one case of beer, wine, or spirits per month. But all such deliveries are currently handled by private shipping companies such as UPS or FedEx.

However, any such changes to Postal Service policy would have to be authorized by Congress. The Senate passed a bill last year that would permit the agency to deliver alcohol, as long as such deliveries are in compliance with local statutes.

Donahoe also tells the AP that he still supports ending Saturday mail delivery and most door-to-door service as cost-saving measures. A February announcement that Saturday delivery would end this month was reversed in April.