USPS Is Temporarily Suspending Services in These States, Effective Now
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The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) strives to provide mailing resources for people across the U.S. on a near daily basis. But the agency isn’t always able to keep things moving without some hiccups here and there. As we move toward the colder seasons, customers should be prepared for their post offices to close unexpectedly or for deliveries to be delayed amid hazardous weather—something we saw happen in several states last winter. But even now, other safety concerns are prompting temporary changes from the Postal Service. Read on to discover more about the latest USPS service suspensions.
RELATED: USPS Is Making These Changes to Your Mail .
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The Postal Service may pull back on normal operations for a number of reasons, including natural disasters, travel obstructions, and other hazardous conditions. But when certain places are affected by delivery suspensions or post office closures, the agency works to keep customers informed through its Service Alerts website .
With this online tool, you can check for “current, frequently-updated information about whether mail is being delivered to your neighborhood or if your local Post Office is open,” according to the USPS. As of Oct. 1o, the latest updates to the website indicate that there are new residential service disruptions impacting three different states: Indiana, Illinois, and South Carolina.
RELATED: USPS Just Announced Its Next Price Hike, and It’s Happening Soon .
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Some postal customers in South Carolina are facing a temporary postal shutdown. The USPS updated its Service Alerts website on Oct. 6 to warn residents in Chesnee, South Carolina, that a local post office had been “temporarily closed due to safety concerns.”
The Postal Service did not elaborate on what safety concerns are involved in the closure of the facility, which is located at 103 E Chester Street. Best Life reached out to the USPS to get more information on the Chesnee Post Office service suspension, and we will update this story with the agency’s response.
In a separate local press release , the USPS noted that all operations will be temporarily suspended at the Chesnee Post Office “until further notice.” During the closure, customers are being directed to seek retail and P.O. Box services at a Mobile Retail Unit (MRU) that has been set up onsite in the parking lot of the facility.
RELATED: USPS Warns “Mail Service Could Be Halted”—Even If You’re Following the Rules .
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Safety issues have also initiated the temporary closure of a facility in Indiana. Prior to the South Carolina closure, the USPS updated its Safety Alerts website on Sept. 28 to inform customers that operations at the Kewanna Post Office in Kewanna, Indiana, are now “temporarily suspended due to safety concerns.”
In a separate local press release also posted on Sept. 28, the agency further explained that its concerns are “regarding the building conditions” at the affected facility, which is located at 203 E Main Street.
“Street delivery to Kewanna customers will not be affected,” the Postal Service noted in its release.
During the closure, retail services, P.O. Box mail, and package pickup are being handled at the Rochester Post Office on 601 E 9th Street.
“Currently, there is no information on when repairs to the Kewanna Post Office will be complete,” the USPS stated.
When Best Life reached out to the agency to find out if a reopening date has been established yet, a spokesperson said that there is “no new or additional information at this time.”
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Certain Chicago customers are also dealing with postal disruptions right now. On Sept. 29, the USPS issued an alert to notify residents about a service suspension at the Henry McGee Post Office. This facility is located on the south side of the city in the neighborhood of Bronzeville, at 4601 S. Cottage Grove.
Retail operations at the Henry McGee Post Office “are temporarily suspended due to technical difficulties,” according to the Postal Service. “The station is accepting prepaid packages and is open for P.O. Box mail service,” the agency added in its alert.
If you need retail services, the USPS is directing affected customers to three alternative facilities: Lake Park Postal Store, Jackson Park Post Office, or James E. Worsham Post Office.
Best Life reached out to the agency for more information on the Henry McGee Post Office closure, and we will update this story with its response.
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/residential/welcome.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/sc/2023/1006-usps-temporarily-suspends-retail-and-po-box-operations-at-chesnee-post-office-effective-oct-6.htm
- Source: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/in/2023/0928-kewanna-post-office-to-close-temporarily.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.”
Shutterstock / Ken Wolter
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
