Aubree with Numbersleuth thought we might like to share this fantastic chart about the big numbers that make up the U.S. Postal Service. I'm especially fond of the zero there for tax dollars. More people need to know that. What do you guys think? Did they miss anything?
Last week, it was announced that the U.S.P.S. is partnering with the Wahconah Group of Cleveland to produce an exclusive line of men's wear. They plan to call the collection "Rain Heat & Snow", based upon the unofficial motto of the Postal Service. It is to be sold in department stores starting in 2014.
From a statement by agency licensing manager Steven Mills: “This agreement will put the Postal Service on the cutting edge of functional fashion. The main focus will be to produce Rain Heat & Snow apparel and accessories using technology to create ‘smart apparel’ — also known as wearable electronics.”
This new venture is another way the Post Office is looking to bring in some extra revenue to deal with the congressionally mandated pre-funding of employee benefits. (A mandate without which, the U.S.P.S. would be in the black instead of billions of dollars in the red. A mandate that no other agency is required to perform, mind you.) With this particular agreement, the Postal Service isn't putting out any resources. Essentially, they've just given license for their name and will collect royalites based on sales.
I didn't know this, but in the 1980s, there was a short-lived branding campaign for other types of U.S.P.S. merchandize like coffee cups and T-shirts sold in post offices. (I have a sad memory of staining a "Love" stamp shirt intended as a gift for one of my cousins by my grandmother.) Congress put a stop to that little money tree, though, after lobbyists claimed that " the organization was directly competing with private businesses and that it was not established to sell merchandise."
(I feel like there's a pattern here with Congress and the Post Office...)
I don't know how I feel about the prospect of branded U.S.P.S. clothes. I mean, I have and treasure some vintage postal uniform pieces, but to me, those are special because they were used in postal delivery. I have never been one for buying something simply for name's sake. In my youth, I took permanent marker and blacked out branding on my clothing.
What do you guys think? Would you buy U.S.P.S. clothing? Do you approve of this move by the Postal Service to increase revenue? Let us know how you feel in the comments.
P.S. Strange that I don't have a picture of me in my U.S.P.S. jacket. I'll try to take one. I got the Royal Mail vest at an Army Surplus store.
It's official (-ish; there's a press conference slated for later this morning). The U.S.P.S. will cut Saturday Delivery of letters and mail starting in August. They anticipate saving about 2 billion dollars with this cut in service.
DON'T PANIC! Packages will still be delivered on Saturdays, and we still have our 5 days a week of mail. Plus, perhaps here's a reason to look forward to Mondays as my friend Chandra pointed out. This article at the Washington Post has a good run down on why the delivery cut back is warranted and also the ongoing fight between the U.S.P.S. and Congress.
How about you, mail lovers? How are you feeling about this announcement? My sources seem to feel resigned about it and hope that it leads to improved service on the weekdays. What would you do to "save" the Post Office?
{Photo by RayBanBro66 on Flickr under CC license}
Stamps and other mail services go up in price today! Inspired by Annie of Scribbling Glue, I made this handly little rate chart for the new prices effective on the 27th of January. I hope you find it helpful!
Deep in the bowels of the USPS site, I found access to the Postal Bulletin, a newsletter sent around internally for post office employee edification. For a mail nerd like me, this is fantastic fun, but I suspect you might not want to read through a lot of regulations, et cetera. Anyway, here's some neat information about what the USPS excepts this holiday season:
"We’re expecting nearly 15.2 billion cards, letters, and packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, and on average we will process 562 million pieces of mail every day this holiday season. And when the busiest day to mail holiday cards, letters, and packages rolls around on December 17, we will be ready to accept with a smile the 658 million pieces of mail expected to be processed on that day. Then we’ll deliver it all with a jingle bell in our step and a ho, ho, ho in our hearts on the busiest delivery days, which fall on December 19, for cards and letters and December 20, for packages, all in plenty of time to be home for the holidays."
{Poster from the fantastic British Postal Museum & Archive Flickr Stream}
{Super nice postmaster photo from mystuart on Flickr under CC license.}
It's that time again, holiday shipping time! Everyone is excited right? As a heads up, you should place any orders from the L.W.A. shop or 16 Sparrows by Friday, the 14th of December for domestic shipping for arrival by the big, gift-giving day. International orders should be placed by TOMORROW, the 3rd.
The USPS shipping date site is up. Here are the basics:
Dec. 4: Last day to send Parcel Post packages via surface transportation.
Dec. 10: Last day to send letters, flats, and small packages via surface transportation.
Dec. 15: Last day to send Priority packages via air transportation.
Dec. 17: Last day to send letters, flats, and small packages via air transportation.
Dec. 18: Last day to send Express Mail Service items (any shape).
Happy holiday shipping everyone,
P.S. Here are the dates for the U.K. If you have a link to another country's shipping dates, please share in the comments for the edification of all!
{Creative Commons image from Todd Mecklem}
CNNMoney has a pretty concise article on what's been happening with the U.S.P.S. Here's the gist- the U.S.P.S. is still operating, still paying its employees, and stil delivering your mail. What they are waiting on is for the House to pass a bill that will allow them to restructure how they pre-pay healthcare benefits for future retirees. The Senate has already passed the bill which does include early retirement options, plant consolidations, and the possiblity of ending Saturday mail.
Earlier this month, the U.S.P.S. missed its first payment into the prepaid healthcare fund and says it will also miss a payment due in September. Important things to remember in the debate are these:
1. The U.S.P.S. is only supported by mail revenue and business loans from the U.S. Treasury. It is NOT supported by tax dollars.
2. No other business, public or private, is required to pre-pay health benefits.
3. Although it is run as an independent business, the U.S.P.S. is subjected to rule by the U.S. Congress.
That second one is the kicker. So as our representatives in Congress dither about with partisian issues and election rhetoric, the U.S.P.S. is left holding the bag. "With Congress delaying action on a postal bill, mailers will be increasingly wary about the stability of the Postal Service and will likely divert more mail out of the system," said Art Sackler, a co-coordinator for the Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service.
"This bogus 'default' has proved to be useful rhetoric to those who want to dismantle the Postal Service, especially those who for ideological or competitive reasons want it privatized," said Frederic Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers.
There's a good debate going on in the comments here, if you're looking for more of that.
Currently, this doesn't directly effect you or I as mere postal customers, but it is looming, the threat of reduced mail delivery and post office closures. Perhaps your P.O., the heart of your community, is in peril. Perhaps your letter carrier of the past ten years is going to retire early. If these things are important to you, please write to your congress people about what the mail means to you. Write to your friends about what the mail means to you.
Write. More. Letters. It's what we can do. You can even join us to do it this Saturday at the Forest Park Public Library from 1-3PM.
{Thanks to Member Ashley B. for all the good Twitter tips I used to research this article. We love Twitter at L.W.A. Headquarters. You can follow us here.}
I'm still a bit bummed out that Chicago didn't get picked as a host for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Of course, if we had, there's no guarantee we'd have as many neat postal tie-ins that the London games have. For example, Cadbury's, that quintessential British chocolate company had a campaign going where you could buy a special bar with also came with a postcard to send encouragement to the athletes. Our member Anna sent one over the pond for me.
I follow the British Postal Museum & Archive on Twitter, and they posted a link to this awesome gate in the equestrian competition which is Royal Mail themed. See the Penny Black there in the center? Lovely.
{from this article in The Telegraph}
There are always Olympic stamp issues from EVERYBODY, and typically, I find them all sort of boring, but I was suprised to see the Royal Mail so on top of current events that they are issuing stamps in honor of their gold medal winners within 24 hours of their win. That is amazing. They are also painting a post box gold in the hometowns of the winners, which is the first color change to a Royal Mail box in recent history.
Way to go Royal Mail! You medal in the Postal Olympics for certain. You can see all the current Gold Medal stamps on the British Postal Museum and Archive's Pinterest page.
I often get asked what will the members of the Letter Writers Alliance do if the postal service is ever abolished. My response is always to detail exactly why that will never happen, but I do think that if postal armeggedon were upon us, members and other mail lovers would turn hyper local. For an example of a local post, check out Graham Eccles {see the dashing gentleman above}.
Mr. Eccles is a writer and poet in Cornwall. He is also the main operator of the Penny Farthing Post. There are "post offices" in local shops around town and he does three pick-ups and deliveries a day. A letter posted early in the day can arrive at its destination on the same day it was sent, like the city delivery system of old! "I want to encourage the younger generation to love the written word. Everyone's growing up with huge thumbs from texting but receiving a letter is special." You can see him in action in this clip from the BBC.
Well done, Mr. Eccles! You have our stamp of approval as it were. The first L.W.A. member to send me documentation of using the Penny Farthing Post gets an Inkling. Do you know of any other local posts? Please leave a comment if you do!
P.S. Additional thanks to member Cheyenne for the first tip on this.
P.P.S. Quote from the Guardian article linked in the post.
On January 22nd, it will cost one whole penny more to mail letters to any location in the United States. That's right, a mere 45 cents to send something anwhere in the U.S. It's still a great deal.
Highlights of the new single-piece First-Class Mail pricing, effective Jan. 22, 2012, include:
Look at that, it's still less than a dollar to send things to Canada and Mexico and just a dollar and a nickel to send a letter anywhere in the world! Anywhere! In! The! World! It's just amazing.
Also amazing are the stamps released today and this year so far. That's one good thing about a rate increase; you seem to get a lot of new stamps along with it.
Wedding Cake {re-release with new pricing}
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Click on the stamp names to be taken to Beyond the Perf, the official blog of U.S. stamp releases, for more information about each stamp.
First class letters
1 ounce: 46¢
2 ounces: 66¢
3 ounces: 86¢
3.5 ounces: $1.06
postcard: 33¢
square env.: add 20¢
International Letter Rates
Canada & Mexico
(up to 2oz) $1.10
Other countries
(up to 1oz) $1.10
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