USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail, Starting Now
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Dealing with the postal system can be frustrating any time of year, but there’s a lot of added stress that comes with getting things shipped during the holiday season. On top of that, you have to be aware of ongoing changes: The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is still operating under the Delivering for America (DFA) plan—a 10-year overhaul initiative that the agency began in 2021. That means updates have been frequent, and this winter will be no different. The coming months will see new tools, new prices, and new stamps for customers. Read on to discover all the changes on the horizon.
RELATED: See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says .
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While changes like price hikes can be tough on customers, some changes are designed to make their lives easier.
The Postal Service is attributing its “tremendous success” during the last holiday season to the previous upgrades it made under DFA, and it’s prepared to improve again this year.
“We are ready to deliver for the holidays in a superior and routine manner,” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a statement accompanying an Oct. 23 press release . “We have been planning early and leveraging investments in our people, infrastructure, transportation and technology—made possible by the Delivering for America plan.”
To help operations amid the 2023 holiday season, the USPS just announced the launch of a new online tool for customers: the USPS Holiday Newsroom .
“Created with the consumer in mind, the USPS Holiday Newsroom offers a comprehensive suite of tools and resources designed to simplify and streamline the holiday shipping process,” the agency said in a statement to Best Life . “Whether it’s finding the best rates, tracking packages in real-time, or expert packing tips, our platform provides a one-stop solution for all your holiday shipping needs.”
RELATED: USPS Just Issued a New Warning About Mailing Cash .
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As part of its new changes for the 2023 holiday season, the USPS also announced that it would not be raising prices for customers during this time.
“With no holiday surcharges, we are strongly positioned to be America’s most affordable delivery provider this holiday season,” DeJoy said.
The agency has been adding a holiday surcharge during its peak season since 2020, Retail Dive reported. But the Postal Service has decided not to levy extra costs onto customers this year in order to offer “increased predictability in pricing,” according to the October release.
“There will be no additional fees for residential area delivery, for Saturday delivery, or for minimum volumes,” the USPS added.
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While the USPS may be skipping surcharges during the holiday season, postal customers should still prepare for a price hike this winter. In an Oct. 6 press release , the agency announced that it had filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of proposed price changes for mailing services next year. If approved by the PRC, increased costs will hit customers starting Jan. 21, 2024.
“The proposed adjustments, approved by the governors of the Postal Service, would raise mailing services product prices approximately 2 percent,” the agency stated in its release. “The new rates include a 2-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, from 66 cents to 68 cents.”
The USPS has been increasing prices since 2021, with the last hike having taken effect in July.
“As inflationary pressures on operating expenses continue and the effects of a previously defective pricing model are still being felt, these price adjustments are needed to provide the Postal Service with much needed revenue to achieve the financial stability sought by its Delivering for America 10-year plan,” the agency explained.
RELATED: USPS Just Announced Its Next Price Hike, and It’s Happening Soon .
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Along with its 2-cent rate increase, the Postal Service is planning to introduce new stamps for customers to buy next year. In an Oct. 23 press release , the agency announced several of the designs it’s set to release in 2024.
These include a Year of the Dragon stamp, an Underground Railroad collection, a Pinback Buttons series, as well as stamps dedicated to the late federal judge Constance Baker Motley and novelist Saul Bellow . More stamp designs will be “revealed in the weeks and months ahead,” according to the USPS.
“As always, our stamp program features a broad array of subjects and designs. Stamps are miniature works of art and often tell a story that highlights our American culture, our people or an important point in our history,” Lisa Bobb-Semple , acting Stamp Services director for USPS, said in a statement. “Stamps also allow us to show what’s important to us as we carefully select which stamp adorns our mailpieces. The 2024 stamps were designed to offer the American public a broad array of choices for those looking to collect stamps or send a special message.”
- Source: https://about.usps.com/what/strategic-plans/delivering-for-america/
- Source: https://about.usps.com/holidaynews/holiday-happenings/10-30-usps-ready-to-deliver.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/holidaynews/
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/1006-usps-proposes-new-prices-for-2024.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/1023-usps-reveals-stamps-for-2024.htm
See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says
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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 .
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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 .
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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.
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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 .
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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.
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/pa/2020/0612-dog-bite-awareness.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/mn/2021/0915-usps-launches-new-dog-paw-program.htm
USPS Just Announced Its Next Price Hike, and It’s Happening Soon
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The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is in the midst of a major overhaul—and it’s not a short one. When Postmaster General Louis DeJoy took over three years ago, he vowed to pull the agency out of financial ruin and make it profitable again. In order to do so, DeJoy kickstarted his 10-year transformation plan called Delivering for America (DFA) in 2021, and has been steadily making regular changes to the USPS as part of the initiative. For customers, one of the most noticeable has been rising costs, and unfortunately, there’s another update on the horizon. Read on to discover more about the next USPS price hike.
RELATED: USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail .
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Since the introduction of DFA, the USPS has continued to ramp up costs for customers. The price changes began in Aug. 2021, when the agency first raised the price of a Forever stamp from 55 to 58 cents. The cost then went up to 60 cents in July 2022, and then to 63 cents at the beginning of this year.
The most recent price hike hit over the summer: On July 9, the Postal Service increased the cost of the Forever stamp from 63 cents to 66 cents. And now, the USPS is preparing to raise that number again.
RELATED: USPS Just Issued a New Warning About Mailing Cash .
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The Postal Service is looking to push up mail costs again, in the fifth rate increase since the start of DFA. In an Oct. 6 press release , the agency announced that it had filed notice with the Postage Regulatory Commission (PRC) of its next proposed price hike. According to the release, the USPS is planning to raise mailing service product prices by approximately 2 percent.
“As inflationary pressures on operating expenses continue and the effects of a previously defective pricing model are still being felt, these price adjustments are needed to provide the Postal Service with much needed revenue to achieve the financial stability sought by its Delivering for America 10-year plan,” the agency stated. “The prices of the Postal Service remain among the most affordable in the world.”
RELATED: USPS Warns “Mail Service Could Be Halted”—Even If You’re Following the Rules .
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The USPS wants to implement its new price hike at the beginning of next year. If favorably approved by the PRC—as the agency’s last four increases were—the higher costs for customers would take effect starting Jan. 21, 2024.
“The new rates include a 2-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, from 66 cents to 68 cents,” the Postal Service said in its release.
A stamp won’t be the only thing you’ll have to pay more for, however. The price changes also include the increase of metered 1-ounce letters from 63 cents to 64 cents; domestic postcards from 51 cents to 53 cents; international postcards from $1.50 to $1.55; and 1-ounce international letters from $1.50 to $1.55.
“There will be no change to the additional-ounce price, which remains at 24 cents,” the USPS stated in its release. “The Postal Service is also seeking price adjustments for Special Services products including Certified Mail, Post Office Box rental fees, money order fees and the cost to purchase insurance when mailing an item.”
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Don’t expect this to be the last time the cost of your mail goes up in the next few years. The USPS said it has been working to take a “more rational pricing approach” since the introduction of its DFA plan in order to correct “16 years of pricing policies misaligned with organizational needs.”
During a 2022 meeting with the USPS Board of Governors, DeJoy told members that customers should be prepared for the Postal Service to keep raising prices “at an uncomfortable rate” until the agency reaches a point where it is on track to be self-sufficient in the long term, Federal News Network reported at the time.
“I believe we have been severely damaged by at least 10 years of a defective pricing model, which cannot be satisfied by one or two annual price increases, especially in this inflationary environment,” the Postmaster General said.
According to the agency’s website , you should expect rate adjustments twice every year—once in January and again in July.
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2021/0528-usps-proceeds-with-request-for-postal-rate-change.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0410-usps-files-notice-with-prc-for-new-mailing-services-pricing.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/1006-usps-proposes-new-prices-for-2024.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/statements/091521-new-market-dominant-price-adjustment-schedule.htm
USPS Is Axing Its Next Price Hike, Postmaster General Says
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Price hikes aren’t abnormal for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). In July, the price of the Forever Stamp went from 63 centers to 66 cents, having just been upped from 60 to 63 cents in January. These increases are part of the Postal Service’s 10-year Delivering for America (DFA) plan, with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy telling Americans in 2022 that prices would keep going up at an “ uncomfortable ” rate. Now, DeJoy appears to be changing his tune a bit, as the USPS is axing its next price hike. Read on to find out why the Postal Service is scrapping its holiday surcharge.
RELATED: USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail, Starting Now .
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The holiday season is a hectic time for everyone, but the USPS is particularly busy. Over the past few years, the Postal Service was not only tasked with delivering gifts and packages, but it also faced higher year-end costs due to staffing shortages tied to the COVID pandemic, Federal News Network reported.
To combat this, the agency added a holiday surcharge during the peak season—much like those added by FedEx and UPS. According to Retail Dive, these surcharges date back to 2020 .
“Prior to me being here, we never had an incremental charge,” DeJoy said on Tuesday, per Federal News Network. “We put it in, because in my experience in the commercial business, when you have to do such exponential, extra work, you should, in fact, charge for it—and we did.”
However, this policy is changing in 2023.
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According to a Sept. 19 press release from the USPS, the Postal Service is nixing plans to add the holiday surcharge this year. This means that when it’s time to mail out gifts, you won’t be paying extra for residential area delivery, Saturday delivery, or for minimum volumes, the agency said.
“We are ready to handle any peak season volume in a superior and routine manner,” DeJoy said Tuesday, per Retail Dive. “That is why we will not be adding any additional surcharges for our customers this peak period. We will continue to be the most affordable way to mail and ship during the holiday season.”
In the release, the agency added that the decision not to levy additional charges creates “increased predictability in pricing for customers.”
According to Retail Dive, both FedEx and UPS will still be adding peak season surcharges starting next month.
RELATED: USPS Just Issued a New Warning About Mailing Cash .
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DeJoy said that the USPS is able to skip the surcharge because it made improvements in other areas, Federal News Network reported.
“We’ve made a lot of operational improvements that eliminated some of the extra activities that we had when I first got here,” DeJoy said.
Specific improvements include offering better pay and benefits to career workers, Federal News Network reported—and over the holidays, the USPS will also hire fewer seasonal employees and rely instead on its career workforce. In 2022, roughly 20,000 seasonal workers were hired, but this year, that number will be cut in half.
In the press release, the USPS said that ahead of this year’s peak season, it’s also adding more new package sorting machines, increasing daily processing capacity, creating more reliable ground transportation, and offering a new shipping solution in the form of USPS Ground Advantage .
RELATED: See a Sticker on Your Mailbox? Don’t Touch It, USPS Says .
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While the holiday season is always busy, DeJoy said he’s not sure if the Postal Service will see higher mail volume at the end of 2023, according to Federal News Network. (During the 2022 holiday season, the Postal Service processed over 11.7 billion pieces of mail and packages, per the release.)
However, regardless of volume, the agency stressed its commitment to preparing and providing “outstanding service” this year.
“We understand the importance of every single package and letter that is sent during the holidays,” DeJoy said in the release. “That is why we continue to adapt and execute on strategies to modernize and transform the Postal Service into the high performing organization the nation expects and deserves. I am confident in our ability to handle the peak season surge and deliver exceptional service to the American people during the holidays and beyond.”
