Postal Rate Change?

[DJ Jackalope]

Was I hallucinating when I thought I heard that postal rates went up while I was at Layer One this weekend? I haven't been scouring the internet, but I didn't see anything on it on the USPS site which seemed a little weird to me.

Any details?

[Thorn]

Re: Postal Rate Change?

Was I hallucinating when I thought I heard that postal rates went up while I was at Layer One this weekend? I haven't been scouring the internet, but I didn't see anything on it on the USPS site which seemed a little weird to me.

Any details?

Yup, the rates went up last week. A First Class stamp is now $0.42. "Forever" stamps don't need an extra stamp though.

[[Syntax]]

Re: Postal Rate Change?

Yeah, I don't even keep up with postal rates anymore, someone told me it went up. I only mail stuff when absolutely necessary. I print everything to PDF now and just email it to my customers.

[xor]

Re: Postal Rate Change?

Yeah, I don't even keep up with postal rates anymore, someone told me it went up. I only mail stuff when absolutely necessary. I print everything to PDF now and just email it to my customers.

The USPS should just die painfully.

xor

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Postal Rate Change?

The USPS should just die painfully.

actually, thanks to the free market that's the exact choice that this business has had... either die out or adapt and evolve. while they're still pretty rotten in the customer service department (this is more a function of their employees being civil servants even if they're not really a government operation) they have gotten a lot more competitive when it comes to...

1. shipping rates
2. tracking and other extensible features
3. automated machinery and the web
4. integration to other industries

i'll elaborate...

shipping - have any of you played with the possibilities of the "flat rate boxes" that they have at the post office? they really are just that... Lopey asked one employee once (if i'm remembering the story properly) if she could just shove gold bricks in such a box and still only pay the few bucks. they assured her that would be fine. between that and a whole lot of media mail, parcel post, etc. you have highly competitive pricing. this is in addition to the fact that a first-class stamp for a simple person to person letter here in the United States costs waaaaay less than in other countries.

tracking and other features - it may sound silly to some, but for me it was a BIG step forward when any extra tracking, verification, etc etc. suddenly didn't involve filling out six different little post-it note sized forms and sticking them to my envelope. now, the counter staff will just punch the requisite buttons, scan barcodes, and hand you detailed receipts. it's like, wonder of wonders, they realized that they will get more customers paying the additional fees if the tracking and confirmation process was made less difficult than jerking off a camel while wearing ski gloves.

automation - how many folks have an automated postage machine in the lobby of their local post office? i fucking LOVE the one near me. not only do i now tend to do most of what little mailing i have at around 10:30 at night, but on the rare occasion when i do go in during the day i love that this device is there, eager and willing to accept my tasks and never has a line. god knows why the public abandons the machine during the day... maybe they're all just there because they're desperate for attention from ill-dressed, pompous douche bags. but i love how the machines as well as the USPS web site let you do stuff that you formerly could only attend to with the help of the zombies behind the counter.

integration - for some of my friends who are power-sellers on eBay, i'm told that the tools the USPS has integrated there are pretty out of sight. i'm sure there must be other ways that the post office is trying to win back the business world customers that they alienated for ages.

so yeah... i still think the USPS has a lot to be desired but i am willing to bet they'll be around for quite a while. as long as they don't impact me financially i don't particularly care how much they flounder trying to figure out how to improve efficiency, etc. if people don't like them, by all means use someone else's services and then they're completely out of your life and your wallet for good.


P.S. - forever stamps are cool. i hardly send any mail, so i love buying like one or two sheets and that's it for ages. i heard a rumor once that they post office was discontinuing them, but my local office said they had no knowledge of any such thing.

[DJ Jackalope]

Re: Postal Rate Change?

I have about 1000 Ebay feedback points, so I've delt a bit with all kinds of shipping (international and other), not to mention that I've been shipping things across the country for me for the past year. Even when the shipping costs get hiked for first class stamps, I still can't complain about having a letter personally delivered to someone's house.

.02 for this morning, gotta go to work now. ugh.

[barry99705]

Re: Postal Rate Change?

made less difficult than jerking off a camel while wearing ski gloves.

Wow! Now there's an image I never though I'd have in my head.

[moleprince]

Re: Postal Rate Change?

The USPS should just die painfully.

xor

This comment actually reminded me of a fantastic novel I read a while back by Thomas Pynchon called The Crying of Lot 49. It's cloak and daggers Holy Blood Holy Grail intrigue of varying degrees of fiction about an ongoing underworld war between the USPS and the Thurn and Taxis lines. More postal carnage than you can shake a camel-prod at. I endorse this book.