“No End in Sight” to USPS Price Hikes, Former Treasurer Warns
<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://bestlifeonline.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/03/usps-new-stamps-changes-news.jpg?quality=82&strip=1&resize=640%2C360" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=““United States Post Office” sign at the USPS South Hill branch, with space for text on bottom - 1”>
Shutterstock
At this point, price hikes are nothing new for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Most recently, on July 9, the agency raised the price of First-Class Mail by 5.4 percent and brought the cost of the Forever stamp from 63 cents to 66 cents. This was on top of an increase in January, which had raised the stamp price from 60 cents to 63 cents, as well as the price of several shipping services. These biannual increases are part of an ongoing plan —and customers shouldn’t expect them to let up any time soon. In fact, former USPS treasurer and vice president of pricing Steve Kearney says there’s “no end in sight” to these price hikes. Read on to find out why your mail costs may keep going on.
RELATED: See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says .
Shutterstock
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy previously addressed the rising prices in an interview last year, in which he said that Americans should prepare for prices to keep going up at an “uncomfortable” rate . In a more recent interview with Federal News Network, DeJoy again spoke on pricing, arguing that the hikes are necessary.
“I would be negligent not to use our pricing authority ,” DeJoy told the outlet. “It is not my job to subsidize products that can’t afford the price of a stamp.”
Upping the costs is intended to help the USPS become more financially stable, as part of the 10-year Delivering for America (DFA) plan, which was established in 2021. But while this revenue is supposed to be helpful, Kearney, who is now executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, warns that the ongoing increases are painful for some of the agency’s biggest customers.
RELATED: USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail .
iStock
The average American certainly feels the pain when going to buy a book of stamps that keeps getting more and more expensive. But these prices are becoming even more exorbitant for organizations that rely on the Postal Service for larger business operations.
The Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers assists not-for-profit organizations in preserving access to affordable mail services—and according to Kearney, they’re also wondering when these hikes will come to an end.
“There’s a lot of talk among mailers that they’re being forced to reduce their mail volume, and some are making major, strategic moves out of mail—not only because of what’s happened so far, but because there’s just no end in sight,” Kearney told Federal News Network. “We haven’t been told when this will stop.”
Schiavone also argued that demand goes down as these prices trend upward—and he’s hoping the USPS Board of Governors (the agency’s governing body) eventually steps in to say, “This is crazy.” He added, “Print is fragile, and you’re basically killing all volume.”
RELATED: USPS Is Getting Rid of These Mailing Options .
Shutterstock
While Schiavone had a few gripes about pricing, he also told Federal News Network that he’s noticed an uptick in on-time deliveries.
“I’ve seen better delivery since last December than I’ve seen in my 20 years here,” he said. “I’m saying that at a national level. At a local level, there have been people having issues with deliveries. But I’m saying if I aggregated from how we look at delivery, for our marketing campaigns and our periodicals, they’ve been doing very, very well.”
This echoes statements from DeJoy, who said that 99 percent of the population is getting mail and packages within three days. First-Class mail is doing even better, with the Postmaster General noting that it’s getting delivered a day ahead of schedule.
Shutterstock
In his new interview, DeJoy also pointed out that since USPS doesn’t have a “monopoly” anymore, mail delivery isn’t as profitable as it once was. Still, this aspect of the agency’s business is its “life-sustaining operation,” he said.
While he’s no stranger to criticism, DeJoy said that when the agency does get complaints about deliveries, they’re from areas that are more “remote.”
“The complaints that we get are very, very small, but concentrated,” DeJoy told Federal News Network. “And it’s important, we’re trying to fix that. But it mostly has to do with labor availability in these remote areas.”
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/statements/091521-new-market-dominant-price-adjustment-schedule.htm
See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says
Shutterstock
Your mailbox serves a very simple purpose: receiving mail and leaving outgoing mail for a carrier to pick up. Still, some of us enjoy sprucing up our mailboxes, adding personal flair, color, or even decals to help an otherwise standard mailbox stand out. But if you notice a paw print sticker on your mailbox that you didn’t add, don’t start peeling it off just yet—it’s likely part of a program run by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to help keep carriers safe. Read on to find out what these stickers mean and why you shouldn’t remove them.
RELATED: USPS Wants to Raise the Price of Your Mail Again—Here’s When It Could Happen .
Shutterstock
In 2023, more than 5,800 Postal Service workers were attacked by dogs while delivering mail, up from 5,300 in 2022, according to a USPS press release.
Larger cities had the highest numbers of attacks, with Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, St. Louis, and Cleveland claiming the top five spots.
“Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day,” said letter carrier Tara Snyder . “I know, from experience, even when a dog is in the house, customers need to make sure their door is secure so their dog can’t push it open and bite the letter carrier.”
To her point, the USPS writes that “all dogs can bite, even those perceived as nonaggressive.” In fact, many of the attacks that letter carriers report are by dogs whose owners told them, “My dog won’t bite.”
Such an attack can result in consequences for the homeowner, too. According to data from the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite is $64,555, the USPS states.
“When a postal employee suffers an injury, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee,” they explain.
RELATED: USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail, Starting Now .
Shutterstock
To combat dog bites, the Postal Service shared tips on how pet owners can “support safe mail delivery.” These include keeping dogs inside the house or behind a fence, away from the door or in another room, or on a leash.
“Pet owners also should remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child,” they state.
Mail carriers also follow protocol to keep them aware of areas where dogs might be present, and they’re equipped with scanners to remind them of possible dog hazards, as well as dog warning cards that are added during mail sorting.
In 2020, the USPS added another preventive measure: the PAWS Program . First introduced in Pennsylvania, the program uses mailbox stickers to keep carriers safe.
Canva
The PAWS Program uses color-coded stickers affixed to mailboxes to inform mail carriers about dogs in the area. An orange sticker with a black paw print tells carriers that there is a dog at this home, while a yellow sticker with a black paw print tells them there is a dog at the next house.
Citizens are informed ahead of time that the stickers may appear on their mailboxes. In a notice sent to Lakewood, Ohio, residents, the Postal Service wrote, “Carriers will soon be placing a paw sticker on mailboxes to indicate that a dog or dogs live in the area —yellow indicates dog nearby/orange indicates dog at residence. The sticker will act as a reminder to the carrier that they should proceed with caution, especially when delivering packages to the door.”
RELATED: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Resigns—What It Means for the USPS and Your Mail .
iStock
Removing these stickers may do more harm than good, as your mail service can be halted if your carrier feels unsafe. Not only does this affect the home of the dog owner, but it also applies to the entire neighborhood, the USPS said in a previous press release . Service isn’t restored in these instances “until the aggressive dog is properly restrained.”
At the end of the day, these stickers are put in place to “reduce the risk of dog bites and attacks that occur while delivering mail,” which is just another reason you should leave the sticker on your mailbox.
“We all love our dogs,” Kimberly Tilley , acting postmaster for Winston-Salem, told WGHP. “We love our animals, but we … have to take responsibility to protect the carrier and the people around us as well from our animals.”
Tilley added that dog bites are more common than you think, and they can be traumatic for carriers. “Once a carrier has been bit, it sets some fear in them long term for the rest of their life,” she told the outlet.
However, although these stickers are strongly recommended, if you object to having a sticker placed on your mailbox, you can opt out , Kyle Stevens , Southwest Carrier Annex station manager in South Dakota, told KELO in 2021. To do so, the first step would be to contact your local post office.
This story has been updated to include additional entries, fact-checking, and copy-editing.
