US Post Office asking for a 8.5% increase

[The_Sonarman]

The post office needs to raise postage prices again. It’s asked for an 8.5% jump, the biggest price increase in 12 years. The price of a first-class postage stamp will rise to 42 cents in May from the current 39 cents.

There’s talk of approving the increase, but then limiting future increases to the official inflation rate.

How about breaking the US Post Office's monopoly, and allowing UPS and FedEx to deliver to people's mailboxes? We all purchased our own mailbox in the first place, BTW, so the boxes belong to us in the first place. The US Post Office would be out of business in no time and prices for letter delivery would fall.

[USPatriot8320]

Does anyone really mail anything anymore? I don't even know what it costs to mail a letter any more......

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

How about breaking the US Post Office's monopoly, and allowing UPS and FedEx to deliver to people's mailboxes? We all purchased our own mailbox in the first place, BTW, so the boxes belong to us in the first place. The US Post Office would be out of business in no time and prices for letter delivery would fall.

:claps: :claps:

[CzechPrince]

The US Postal Service is a scam. Privatize mail. All of it.

[Eagle1]

i use it to send back credit card statements
thats about it

[Patriot Heart]

Costs alot to hire surly, lazy employees. OK, they are not all that way, but why do the aforementioned get to work the front desk? They act like they are doing you a huge favor by doing their damn job.

[uncommon1]

I use the USPS about once a month anymore. If you can pay all of your bills online and at no charge, then why not do it? Maybe if the USPS looks around, they'll realize that they're merely paying people to mark time and get a little bit leaner.

[John Galt]

The Sonarman failed to mention that our post office in this little redneck town fails to deliver a lot of mail, around 0.3% goes missing. Will the increase in postage buy us better service? Yeah, right.

[BEST45CAL]

I never mail letters or post cards to anymore. Email, baby.

As for packages, I use what's cheapest. USPS has competetive rates most of the time, but not always. Sometimes it is better to use UPS, even with their fuel surcharges.

Big, heavy packages: UPS

Regular sized packages: USPS

Part of the problem with USPS is that they handle a LOT of JUNK MAIL.

When was the last time UPS or FedEx sent you some junk mail?

There should be a separate mail service just for junk mail.

[Faithful_Servant]

I never mail letters or post cards to anymore. Email, baby.

As for packages, I use what's cheapest. USPS has competetive rates most of the time, but not always. Sometimes it is better to use UPS, even with their fuel surcharges.

Big, heavy packages: UPS

Regular sized packages: USPS

Part of the problem with USPS is that they handle a LOT of JUNK MAIL.

When was the last time UPS or FedEx sent you some junk mail?

There should be a separate mail service just for junk mail.
My wife and I send out packages all across the country (almost every state west of the Mississippi and about half the ones east of it) and the USPS has by far the cheapest rates. Find a private carrier that can match the USPS rates for media mail. There isn't one. Find a private carrier that can match the USPS for 3 day delivery. There isn't one. In my neck of the woods, most of the USPS deliveries are handled by private contractors who get fired if we complain (it's a sweet job, so replacing the culls is easy), the counter people are some of the friendliest, most helpful and knowledgable people we deal with. For all of the bad-mouthing that the USPS gets, I've never had anything to complain about, including the cost and service. Take some time to compare the level of service you get from our postal service to other countries and you'll never complain again.

[John Galt]

Out here in red-neck-ville UPS wins hands down. The lower rate USPS charges doesn't seem like such a good deal when they lose or destroy it.