39 cents

[B_caneadea]

U.S. postage rates are going up in January. Don't get caught with your pants down. Get your 2 cent stamps now.

What's your opinion of the Post Office?
Do you think postage rates are high, low, or just right?
Got any interesting Postal stories?

 

[GoneA]

i glad they can't strike ... things wouldn't go very well without them.

however, i'm sure this is why they feel they should be able to.

 

[Altairion]

I rarely mail anything the real way anymore, so the raise to 39 cents isn't a huge deal for me. One of my friends was complaining about it yesterday though.

 

[DC_DEEP]

funny thing about the USPS... if you check out their website, you will notice that it ends with .com, not .gov. It does not get funding from the federal government, it has to generate all its own revenue. Another funny thing, though. The federal government claims USPS as a part of the federal government when it is convenient, but not when it is not convenient. The federal government feels free to claim USPS as a federal agency when they want to dip into any "profits" that the USPS earns. Otherwise, it is not.

 

[Sam1070]

Thanks for the info. I was not even aware that they were going up. Shows how abreast of the news I have been in the last few weeks. I have no complaints against the P.O., nor the rate. From what I understand, U.S. postage rates are still a bargain when compared to many other countries around the world.

 

[jay_too]

39 cents seems reasonable to me....especially since I only send something by snail mail once or twice a year. I think I have part of a book of 34-cent stamps somewhere....remember when they used to come in booklets?

It is really strange to me that a letter takes only two days to get here from NJ but 5 days or so to go from CA to NJ. Any wonder that I don't use ground mail? Besides email is more fun and you can access from anywhere.

 

[B_caneadea]

funny thing about the USPS... if you check out their website, you will notice that it ends with .com, not .gov. It does not get funding from the federal government, it has to generate all its own revenue. Another funny thing, though. The federal government claims USPS as a part of the federal government when it is convenient, but not when it is not convenient. The federal government feels free to claim USPS as a federal agency when they want to dip into any "profits" that the USPS earns. Otherwise, it is not.

__________________________________________________
Everything you have said is correct.

Also, even though they are not allowed to strike, the letter carriers DID go on strike back in the early seventies because of the terribly low wages. At the time, there were Postal workers drawing Welfare to suppliment their Postal income.

Sadly, what used to be a good place to work, has followed the pattern of corporate greed. Although wages and benefits are good, management has become tyranical. I'm surprised that the spate of shootings (going Postal) that occurred several years ago, has not increased.

Postage rates? I think that 39 cents is still pretty cheap. Also, paying bills on line eliminates my biggest use of postage.

My letter carrier does a great job.

I feel sorry for the window clerks. Management never provides enough help. And, the poor clerks have to hear all the complaints. I have to admit that they do move pretty slowly (someone joked that they have cob webs growing under their arms). But, I think that it is natural to slow down if that is your only tool to fight management abuse.

 

[DC_DEEP]

__________________________________________________
Everything you have said is correct.
...

Sadly, what used to be a good place to work, has followed the pattern of corporate greed. Although wages and benefits are good, management has become tyranical. I'm surprised that the spate of shootings (going Postal) that occurred several years ago, has not increased.

Not to mention that those who just simply stick it out often end up moving right up the management ladder, regardless of abilities, and once there, they tend to hire brown noses rather than competent workers. A personal friend of mine who works in USPS Injury Compensation has been in her particular office and craft for years - in a job that usually has high turnover. When she had been in that office for 8 years, the department manager post came open. She was one of 3 applicants. The person chosen just happened to have worked in another office with the guy who was doing the hiring, and she had no experience. Keep in mind, this is a job that requires intimate knowledge of the law regarding injury compensation. The manager, even after about 12 years there, has still never even bothered to learn what goes on in her office. Cronyism at its worst.

 

[Pecker]

I used to send out 11 or 12 envelopes a month paying bills but since I started using online bill pay, it's down to maybe 2 snail mail payments a month.

39 cents is cheap when you consider the size of the U.S. but the days of the USPS may be numbered. Competitors' advances in package shipping now show that what used to take a week takes 3 days and what used to take 3 days now takes only 1 in most cases due to efficiency and a desire to compete.

The USPS has no desire to compete - they continue to go tail-in-hand to the gov't asking for help because mean old UPS, FedEx and DHL are stealing away the package delivery business. The only thing keeping the post office's nose above water right now is junk mail.

When Congress finally allows others to deliver First Class mail, the USPS will fold. It's a dinosaur. Time to bury it in the tar pits.

 

[ClaireTalon]

The proof that this has been foreseen by the brilliant brothers Coen 10 years ago:

<Quoting from the movie Fargo>
Norm Gunderson: They announced it.
Marge Gunderson: They announced it?
Norm Gunderson: Yeah.
Marge Gunderson: So?
Norm Gunderson: Three-cent stamp.
Marge Gunderson: Your mallard?
Norm Gunderson: Yeah.
Marge Gunderson: Oh, that's terrific.
Norm Gunderson: It's just a three-cent stamp.
Marge Gunderson: It's terrific.
Norm Gunderson: Hautman's blue-winged teal got the 29-cent. People don't much use the three-cent.
Marge Gunderson: Oh, for Pete's sake. Of course they do. Whenever they raise the postage, people need the little stamps.

 

[Onslow]

The best way to avoid this increase is to just never put a return address on anything or if you feel inclined to then make sure it is the same as the addressee--that way they get to pay. Maybe it's not the nicest way but it's a hell of a lot more affordable, to show your own willingness to pay postage slap a 3cent stamp on there--let someone else pay the additional 36 cents and stop spending your hard earned money on loud mouthed postal workers who fail to even get the mail to the right street most of the time.

 

[SpeedoGuy]

USPS. Not perfect but not a bad deal for the average taxpayer.

Comparisons between USPS and private delivery services aren't always completely appropo, just like comparisons between public schools and private schools are not always valid. Private delivery companies like UPS and FedEx can pick and choose their markets but not USPS which is chartered to provide nationwide delivery, even at a loss in some cases. USPS can be bureaucratic but consider that the volume of mail moved by USPS in one week outstrips the volume of mail moved by private companies in one year.