For fun, I was reading the Fiscal Year 2018 Integrated Financial Plan for the United States Postal Service. Because of all sorts of reasons, the Postal Services is currently operating in the red.
One of those factors is the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, signed by President George W. Bush. “Up until 2006, the USPS funded [pension] obligations on a pay-as-you-go-basis… But the PAEA required the Postal Service to calculate all of its likely pension costs over the next 75 years, and then sock away enough money between 2007 and 2016 to cover most of them.”
In any case, the United States Postal Service announced changes for starting January 27, 2019. “The new prices will include a 5-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, from 50 cents to 55 cents. The single-piece additional ounce price will be reduced to 15 cents [from 21 cents], so a 2-ounce stamped letter, such as a typical wedding invitation, will cost less to mail, decreasing from 71 cents to 70 cents.”
One of the recent innovations of the USPS is Informed Delivery. “Digitally preview your mail and manage your packages scheduled to arrive soon! Informed Delivery allows you to view greyscale images of the exterior, address side of letter-sized mailpieces and track packages in one convenient location.” I check it every day by email, except Sunday, and it works pretty well.
Arthur, that guy who was born in the US, but is now a New Zealand expat, notes that Kiwi postal delivery changed from six days a week to only three. A flyer he received read, “As New Zealanders do more online, they’re sending fewer letters and more emails. Today our Posties deliver half the number of letters they used to.”
He thinks the US will eventually follow that model. I’m not so sure. I get a lot of mail, still, especially before local elections.
For ABC Wednesday
For fun š ?
Postal Services and other like that companies all seem to be in big trouble, all over the world probably, overhere it is not different from there at yours
I was shocked when our mail didn’t arrive until 8:00 pm one day last week. Thanks for the heads up about the stamp price going up. We’ll go get some forever stamps before that happens. – Margy
Canada Post is asking 85 cents (CDN of course) for a domestic first-class letter, if you buy a booklet of stamps; otherwise, it’s $1. Mail addressed to the US is $1.20; anywhere else on the planet is $2.50.
Where it gets interesting, though, is the fact that the Canadian Union of Postal Workers is staging rotating strikes at various places. So far, Canada Post has suspended delivery guarantees for those classes of mail which actually have such things, but they otherwise seem, per my correspondents in the Great Rainbow North, to be carrying on regardless.
For fun, I was reading the Fiscal Year 2018 Integrated Financial Plan for the United States Postal Serviceā¦” Of course you were.
I actually think it will take the USA longer to get to where NZ is nowāits banking systems are still lagging behind, too. But first class mail delivery is declining, so something will have to give sooner or later. But, then, out election materials are with delivered by volunteers or else they could easily be done in a three-day-a-week delivery structure. Think of it: Four days with no political stuff delivered!
I had no idea once-ounce stamps were already 50 cents. Very smart of someone at USPS to market the bejeezus out of forever stamps. That 2006 law was such a dumb idea. It’s almost like someone is trying to get rid of the USPS. The Constitution gives Congress the power to establish the Post Office, which could be interpreted as also having the power to end it.
I had the chance to use the USPS when I was in the USA.