Postal Rates

[PR Fect]

I'm told by a friend that postage is going up by 5.4% next week. Did anyone else here that? Flyer's and invoice costs need to be refigured. PR

[Roger]

January 8 is the date for $0.39 to be effective.

http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/postal_store_non_ssl/home.jsp

[Jason Rose]

yep, it's no rumor... lol. 39 cents.

I'm starting to feel old... I remember when it was 25 cents for first class postage! ;-P

[dcondon]

yup, my mother is a postmaster and it's true. Priority and express has gone up a lot also!!!!!:cry:

[PR Fect]

First fuel, then Fert, now billing costs. Anything else before I set my 06 rates? PR

[Jason Rose]

First fuel, then Fert, now billing costs. Anything else before I set my 06 rates? PR

Oh, didn't you hear? Uncle sam now wants 40% from self employed people instead of the standard 33.33%. It's called the F*** the small businessman till he dies tax. The wealthy are getting a 6.66% tax cut this year...

(I'm just joking by the way, I HOPE!)

[mtdman]

Is 2 cents per stamp really a cause to refigure rates? It will cost me an additional $1.20 a month, or about $12 a year. I better close up shop, I just can't afford it!

:rolleyes:

[TURF DOCTOR]

2 cents aghh,please tell me not some1 was tellling me about e mail.

[Green-Pro]

Is 2 cents per stamp really a cause to refigure rates? It will cost me an additional $1.20 a month, or about $12 a year. I better close up shop, I just can't afford it!

:rolleyes:

Save me a spot on the soup line will ya!! LOL

[PR Fect]

OK, we could all use a laugh now and then. But if you guys think thats its only 2 cents, good luck to ya. Its 5.4% on all mail. Raise your rates 5.4% in one year and see if you loose anyone. When the post office does it so does UPS, FedEx, and the rest. Everything you buy over the Internet, parts, tools, ect. It will all cost more, and not by pennies. I'm in business to make money. And by knowing what our cost will be is how we stay ahead of the game. And thats my 2 cents. PR

[MMLawn]

Raise your rates 5.4% in one year and see if you loose anyone.

Comparing apples to apples probably not a single one and heres why.

The USPS last increase was in January, 2000 so it has been exactly 6 years with no increase. Now a 5.4% increase.

So, if you have a $35.00 a week client lets say, and you have not raised his rates at all the entire last 6 years and then you hit him for a 5.4% increase which would be a $1.89 raise making it a $36.89 cut I guarantee you he stays. Six years with no increase and then only a $1.89...no problem he says.

Now I don't like the increase either but only because they are 1) a very poorly run "business" that continues to lose money because they are poorly run and 2) because they refuse to friggin round up the amount of a satmp and make it an even amount like .40!!!!! Dang all these 1 cent stamps! :laugh:

[HOOLIE]

I'll just plan on raising all mowing prices by 2 cents. Problem solved...:p

[Green-Pro]

My rates have raised from 11% up to 25% depending on the property and last years rate. So far not a single customer has balked, so I am hoping I can absorb the 2 cent postal hike :rolleyes:

[mtdman]

OK, we could all use a laugh now and then. But if you guys think thats its only 2 cents, good luck to ya. Its 5.4% on all mail. Raise your rates 5.4% in one year and see if you loose anyone. When the post office does it so does UPS, FedEx, and the rest. Everything you buy over the Internet, parts, tools, ect. It will all cost more, and not by pennies. I'm in business to make money. And by knowing what our cost will be is how we stay ahead of the game. And thats my 2 cents. PR

If 2 cents on a stamp is going to kill you, raise away and good luck.

:D

[JLL25]

Dumb question, does this mean that bulk rates are going up .02 as well?

[Green-Pro]

Dumb question, does this mean that bulk rates are going up .02 as well?

No such thing as a dumb question in my book only dumb answers :)

Without going out to the USPS web site I would venture to say the rate increase is across the board.

o.k. I checked heres the link, http://www.usps.com/ratecase/welcome.htm?from=bannercommunication&page=rate, must be

based on the percentage? or maybe just the good old fashioned W.A.G. method.

[Soupy]

Fuel cost is killing the USPS too. 5.4% every 5 years is a very low raise in prices. It does suck for the guys that send out direct mail in Bulk. But for invoicing purposes it's no big deal (up to .24¢ a year per customer).

5.4% every 5 years is less then 1.08% every year.

[newz7151]

The USPS last increase was in January, 2000 so it has been exactly 6 years with no increase. Now a 5.4% increase.


Actually.. I believe the first class stamp increased 3 cents to 37 cents from 34 cents in 2002.

[lawnman_scott]

Actually.. I believe the first class stamp increased 3 cents to 37 cents from 34 cents in 2002.
Your right. I heard it had not gone up since 1997 and thought that was wrong as well. I still think i will be able to absorb the costs though.

http://www.prc.gov/news/2002/press/Release.htm

[work_it]

The local news channel here had the head postmaster on asking about the price increase. He said to expect the price of stamps to go up a second time within this year to cover the increased price of fuel. According to him a roll of 100 is going to be around $42 by the end of the year, and possibly as early as August.

BTW, good point PR FECT.

[Green-Pro]

The local news channel here had the head postmaster on asking about the price increase. He said to expect the price of stamps to go up a second time within this year to cover the increased price of fuel. According to him a roll of 100 is going to be around $42 by the end of the year, and possibly as early as August.

BTW, good point PR FECT.

Could be wrong, but earlier this summer I was sure our postmaster said they can only raise rates once a year, (when budgets are set or something). We got on this topic when the fuel prices skyrocketed last summer, I asked him about stamp prices going up and he said there was nothing the postal services could do to make up for the increased fuel costs until they set budget for the following year, including stamp increase. Like I said I'm certainly no expert when it comes to the postal service so could be wrong, guess I'll check next time I'm in town.

[PR Fect]

I'll just plan on raising all mowing prices by 2 cents. Problem solved...:p
You made my day. LMAO, PR

[mtdman]

I heard on the radio the increase is because of a congressional mandate that the Postal Service have a contingency fund of like $3 billion by September. The only way to raise that cash was to raise stamp rates, thus the 2 cent increase.

[Branchland]

Well 2 cents won't break me but I hate everything going up like it has.

[promower]

There was something on the news that said each time gas went up .01 the USPS lost roughly 1 million dollars. At the end of the interview they also mentioned the USPS was a multi multi billion dollar buisness. I'm not complaining an extra few cents on postage isnt going to hurt, although I wonder how much extra they rake in for the small increase in postage.

[MarcSmith]

they need to stop the Bulk rate mail rates.....Soryr for those who use it. but it will do one of two things. It will either reduce junk mail, in which case less work for the post office and better for the environment, or the junk mail will stay and the post office will make more money....Anybody here think Saturday Delivery is a waste of manpower?

[Green-Pro]

they need to stop the Bulk rate mail rates.....Soryr for those who use it. but it will do one of two things. It will either reduce junk mail, in which case less work for the post office and better for the environment, or the junk mail will stay and the post office will make more money....Anybody here think Saturday Delivery is a waste of manpower?

I do, no reason for it with the exception of the holiday season or the week of April 15th, IMO.

[MarcSmith]

how much manpower (overtime) and fuel is blown. I can see around the holidays. but not on april 15.....if you are smart enough to wait until april 15 to send in your tax forms, then your smart enough to pay any late fees.

Don't blame the post office..... But some streamlinging needs to occur...

[PMLAWN]

how much manpower (overtime) and fuel is blown. I can see around the holidays. but not on april 15.....if you are smart enough to wait until april 15 to send in your tax forms, then your smart enough to pay any late fees.

Don't blame the post office..... But some streamlinging needs to occur...
How about this-- No delivery but the office is open so you can get in on the weekend if you work all week.

But your right in thinking the internal scheduling problems would fry their circuits:p

[chuck bow]

I agree with whats being said but if everything went up 5.4 % or more then we couldnt eat the cost , i think the postal service wastes alot of money in my small town getting thos little jeeps out and driving them a few blocks then walking part of the route and go back to jeep and move it again then walk some more , what a waste of time manpower and gas , make thos people who are making good money earn it and walk, from the look of some of our mail carriers in this town they could use the exercise

[Soupy]

I agree with whats being said but if everything went up 5.4 % or more then we couldnt eat the cost , i think the postal service wastes alot of money in my small town getting thos little jeeps out and driving them a few blocks then walking part of the route and go back to jeep and move it again then walk some more , what a waste of time manpower and gas , make thos people who are making good money earn it and walk, from the look of some of our mail carriers in this town they could use the exercise

I don't know about your area, but here they use the truck to haul the mail and do walk as for as possible with one bag full of mail. Then they must go back and reload the bag, so they move the truck to the next set of houses.

I imagine they fill the bag 1/2 full with one side of the street then fill the other 1/2 with the other side so they can work back to the truck.

[yrdandgardenhandyman]

yep, it's no rumor... lol. 39 cents.

I'm starting to feel old... I remember when it was 25 cents for first class postage! ;-P




Wow!!! I'm a dinosaur. I remember 13 cents for first class and 49 cent/ gal gas.

[Roger]

How about penny post cards and 18 cent gas? That was probably about 1950 when I was 9 years old, old enough to remember those things.

[work_it]

What's really hard to believe is that the zip code was created in 1963 (3 years before I was born), and when I was 5 years old postage was only 6 cents. YGHM...you're memory is slipping....BAD!!! If you can only remember back to when postage was only 13 cents (1981)...hum...that's not a good sign....LMAO!!!

[MarcSmith]

I know it upset a lot of people in my old hood. when the USPS installed the "cluster" boxes. you know about 10 mail boxes in one spot. I would imagine the initial cost are high, but the savings from not havingto stop and and go and stop were tremendous

I don't think I have even dealt with a Human at the post office in a while. they have those nice auto mated machines that weigh and figure postage and what not....and there is never a line....

No problem with keeping the Offices open on saturday. in fact they can use saturday to Sort and prep for the following week....

[DRM Ventures]

I am going to start pushing email invoices. Just another little thing I can do to control costs. And I am not raising my rates this year because of a .02 stamp increase.....