The price of a US postage stamp is going up another .02ea bringing the total to .44/ea. I don’t understand why the price of stamps keep going up and the US people use less and less of them.
I’m down to 2 stamps per month, everything else is auto paid and statements are via soft copy. Any given day I receive 4-8 pieces of mail, of those I may actually open 1-2. The rest get dropped in the garbage can in the garage not even making it to the house.
It goes up every May…
Just buy $20 worth of “Forever” stamps and you’ll be set for years. That’s what I did a couple years ago and I’m still using them. Think they were $.39 at the time?
USPS also wants to cut 6 day delivery down to 5 days. There’s talk of eliminating Saturday and talk of eliminating a day in the middle of the week.
Costs are still pretty much the same, but volume is down. If you have a monopoly like the USPS you raise rates to make up the difference. Pretty simple if you ask me.
I understand the economics of it. Just don’t agree with the USPS in general and the level of service that I receive from it. Lots of trash/waste for the land fill, or recycling. If their revenue is down, then cut backs should be made, not rates increased. Most business that I know that have a declining revenue reduce rates to generate more business. Your are correct when a monopoly exists but with so many other alternatives available no wonder their revenue stream is decreasing. Electronic communication, private carriers (UPS, Fed Ex) etc. E-mail has replaced a huge portion of stamped mail, and the private carriers provide a better service so they are able to charge a higher rate.
I would be interested in seeing the ratio of junk mail to legitimate requested mail delivered.
Sorry I just hate junk mail!
Maybe I’m misunderstanding, but are you blaming the USPS for junk mail?
Nope, just for delivering it unwanted. JK
Blaming a model that raises prices in a declining market.
USPS volume is NOT down. Volume in 1st class letters is down.
Any given day I receive 4-8 pieces of mail, of those I may actually open 1-2.
National DO NOT CALL list was a boon to USPS.
Ebay and other online auctions use USPS.
BRE and other 3rd class postage significantly up.
I don’t understand why the price of stamps keep going up and the US people use less and less of them.
As costs continue to escalate, prices of all USPS services will go up as well. The question is, at what price will the market significantly reduce the use of first class postage? .50? .60? .75?
For gas, it was about $ 4.00 a gallon (anyone remember, or have we gone back to out gas guzzling days already?)
It’s time the first and third class monopoly ends and the Mail business is opened up to allow competition. It’s amazing how the government, once again, interferes with the market and hurts the end consumer with higher prices and lower quality service, all because the USPS has a legal advantage over private enterprises.
The price keeps going up because government is not efficient at conducting business and because there is no competition. Sure, some is inflation but still, nobody can compete with a monopoly.
I have sort of a funny way of thinking about this. If I had a letter that I wanted my neighbor to receive. I think that I would be hard pressed to give the kid next door 42 cents to walk that letter to the corner. Now the USPS will take that same letter and take it anywhere in the country and deliver it exactly where I want to go and do it in a reasonable time with a good degree of reliability.
Somehow I think that 44 cents is a bargain.
Bernie
Try owl post - much more fun.
Home delivery Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri., makes perfect sense to me. There isn’t much time sensitive stuff that comes in the mail anymore. Post office still needs to be open 6 days tho.
Maybe they should advertise more? Maybe in a non-traditional way? Maybe sponsor a bicycle racing team?
I’ve always looked at it the same way. Granted, I don’t use USPS all that much (most bills paid online), but I think it’s a bargain. It could be $1 per stamp and I don’t think I’d complain. I can send a Christmas card to my sister 1,400 miles away for $0.44. Not bad at all.
It’s time the first and third class monopoly ends and the Mail business is opened up to allow competition. It’s amazing how the government, once again, interferes with the market and hurts the end consumer with higher prices and lower quality service, all because the USPS has a legal advantage over private enterprises.
The price keeps going up because government is not efficient at conducting business and because there is no competition. Sure, some is inflation but still, nobody can compete with a monopoly.
Is there a law I don’t know about that prevents competition?
I thought The USPS has to exist by law, and can’t raise there rates without approval, but there is nothing stopping anyone from trying to do it better.
Best return on your advertising $ is junk mail supposedly returns $12 for every $1 spent.
Here’s an interesting read:
http://www.fee.org/pdf/the-freeman/esposito0202.pdf
.
Point taken not declining but I hope the origination of the USPS was based upon delivering important mail and not a coupon for the local tire shop.
Really my whole semi protest is against the USPS raising a rate on the normal users of their service to support the abundance of Junk mail and a growing organization vs technology and efficiency. Not to the say that the USPS isn’t efficient based upon distribution but the question arises. Is the product that they deliver wanted, desired, or requested. Yes I can mail a letter across the world and that has value but for whom? A soldier in a far away land? You bet! On the other hand if I mail a letter across the country/world what value does it have? If it is legal documents I have to prove that it is received (in the US) or it is not binding.
Underlying is my hatred of receiving 2-8 pieces of junk mail a day but honestly, do we even need this and is the USPS the best avenue to receive it? Sure a mailer company has a big discount for sending via USPS what ever rate they pay. I still don’t want their trash in my mail box and can.
Someone added do not call lists in a previous post that I applaud. Really if I want a service let alone your service I will seek it out.
Sorry Rant but maybe someone else feels the same.
Small life story but recently I’ve gotten on the list or my subdivision has gotten on the list needing the Wed. market paper. It consists of garage sales, advertising, and more advertising, no news content. The delivery person comes by between the hours of 2:00am and 6:00am. and puts it somewhere between the front lawn and the driveway (corner lot). When I see it my teeth clentch a bit before I pick it up and walk it to the trash. Could be 10-60 steps depending upon their throw. I’ve looked through this paper and there is no phone/e-mail to say that I don’t want their publication on my door step or somewhere thereof.
Rant over but what a waste.
and can’t raise there rates without approval,
This is sort of true in that they used to have to seek Congressional approval to raise rates, but I believe a rule was passed in the last year or two that allows them to raise rates (as long as it is in line with inflation) without seeking approval, a larger increase would still seek approval.
So expect stamps to go probably go up $.01 every May when the price changes take effect each year, larger envelopes and flats will go up a bit more. I work on a gov’t survey that mails out about ~1 million pieces of mail each year (and includes a pre-paid business return envelope for the survey to be returned to us). You can imagine how these increases have effected our budget situation.
… The delivery person comes by between the hours of 2:00am and 6:00am. and puts it somewhere between the front lawn and the driveway (corner lot). When I see it my teeth clentch a bit before I pick it up and walk it to the trash. Could be 10-60 steps depending upon their throw. I’ve looked through this paper and there is no phone/e-mail to say that I don’t want their publication on my door step or somewhere thereof.
Rant over but what a waste.
Catch the delivery person and tell them you will call the police on them for littering if they continue to put there trash on your property.
But there must be a phone number or something, how do advertisers get a hold of them?
Really my whole semi protest is against the USPS raising a rate on the normal users of their service to support the abundance of Junk mail and a growing organization vs technology and efficiency
Not to defend junk mail, but your $0.44 does not support it, it subsidizes your letter. If not for junk mail the cost of mailing a letter would be way way higher. I don’t know about the US, but in Canada we can stipulate to the post office that we don’t want any unaddressed mail in our boxes. Everything that I receive with no address now goes right back into the mailbox. Let them deal with recycling it!!!