Be prepared for another rise in the price of stamps

[cycloneye]

Letter mailing could go to 41 cents

U.S. Postal Service set to raise stamp prices by at least 10% in early 2005, reports the WSJ.

http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/24/news/ec ... tm?cnn=yes



The cost of life keeps rising and this hike in the stamp price is one of the things that the people will continue to pay more and more.Steadily the stamps haved been costing more and more in the past 20 years.

[Brent]

[The Big Dog]

Still cheaper than just about every other country, I think.

I'm surprised it hasn't gone up more with the popularity of email and the growing popularity of online bill payment. I think I'm down to needing about 10-15 stamps a year, not counting Christmas cards. It's like that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer decides he can do without the mail. We're getting close to that.

Anyway, I hope the day they announce the increase is a better day than the last time they announced an increase. (Check the date on the press release.)
http://www.usps.com/news/2001/press/pr01_078.htm

[Brent]

Anyway, I hope the day they announce the increase is a better day than the last time they announced an increase. (Check the date on the press release.)
http://www.usps.com/news/2001/press/pr01_078.htm

Yikes.

[Anonymous]

OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH!

-Jeb

[isobar]

The worst part of it is ... the beautiful cloud stamps will soon be phased out.

If you guys haven't seen them yet, they are truly awesome.

[cycloneye]

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/meg/Stamps/stamps.html

For those who havent seen the cloud stamps at link above you can see them and really they are beautiful.

[TexasStooge]

Thanx for the heads up!!!

[Dee Bee]

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/meg/Stamps/stamps.html

For those who havent seen the cloud stamps at link above you can see them and really they are beautiful.

Beautiful -- and educational, too! Thanks for the link.

[Guest]

Wow, 41 pennies, 7 nickels and 6 pennies... however you put it, that is getting a little painful.

[chadtm80]

Still cheaper than just about every other country, I think.

I'm surprised it hasn't gone up more with the popularity of email and the growing popularity of online bill payment. I think I'm down to needing about 10-15 stamps a year, not counting Christmas cards. It's like that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer decides he can do without the mail. We're getting close to that.

Anyway, I hope the day they announce the increase is a better day than the last time they announced an increase. (Check the date on the press release.)
http://www.usps.com/news/2001/press/pr01_078.htm

I agree fully Dog... The us postal service better get some money while they can.. It wont be long before things change drasticly for them I would imagine

[Guest]

Still cheaper than just about every other country, I think.

I'm surprised it hasn't gone up more with the popularity of email and the growing popularity of online bill payment. I think I'm down to needing about 10-15 stamps a year, not counting Christmas cards. It's like that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer decides he can do without the mail. We're getting close to that.

Anyway, I hope the day they announce the increase is a better day than the last time they announced an increase. (Check the date on the press release.)
http://www.usps.com/news/2001/press/pr01_078.htm

I agree fully Dog... The us postal service better get some money while they can.. It wont be long before things change drasticly for them I would imagine

Good point, Chad. The Inernet and e-mail, and who knows what is next, could severely strain USPS business.

[The Big Dog]

Still cheaper than just about every other country, I think.

I'm surprised it hasn't gone up more with the popularity of email and the growing popularity of online bill payment. I think I'm down to needing about 10-15 stamps a year, not counting Christmas cards. It's like that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer decides he can do without the mail. We're getting close to that.

Anyway, I hope the day they announce the increase is a better day than the last time they announced an increase. (Check the date on the press release.)
http://www.usps.com/news/2001/press/pr01_078.htm

I agree fully Dog... The us postal service better get some money while they can.. It wont be long before things change drasticly for them I would imagine

Good point, Chad. The Inernet and e-mail, and who knows what is next, could severely strain USPS business.

The more I thought about it, it's worse than I imagined. They're going to have to get innovative instead of defensive. Raising postage rates might solve short term problems, but the situation is only going to get worse.

What we are seeing is a true paradigm shift -- some event or revolution throws the accepted methodogy up into the air. Everybody, including the industry leaders, goes back to zero. But because humans are naturally resistant to change, the leaders tend to get lost in the shuffle.

Oftentimes, they have the power to supress the event for a while -- a form of hybrid cars has been around since the '70s, but there was enough pressure from automakers to keep gasoline-powered cars the norm because they didn't understand the mechanics (but that's changing). Other times, though, nothing can stop it -- the Quartz watch almost single-handedly ended the Swiss watch industry.

It's adapt or die. This is the new reality. The USPS will have to come up with something new -- and FAST -- or they'll be done within 10 years.