Highlights
* First-Class Mail stamps would increase to 46 cents. A new Forever Stamp image will be available in October.
* First-Class Mail postcard prices will increase 2 cents to 30 cents.
* Periodicals will receive an 8 percent increase.
* Recommended increase for catalogs is 5.1 percent.
* Standard Mail parcels will increase about 23 percent.
A new Forever Stamp image will be available as part of a pricing package that would add less than 13 cents a month to the average American household’s budget.
The U.S. Postal Service Governors recommended increasing the price of a First-Class stamp 2 cents to 46 cents and authorized the production of a pane of four evergreen tree branches as the newest image for Forever Stamps. The price of a postcard would increase 2 cents to 30 cents.
The Postal Regulatory Commission must approve the recommended price changes. The increases would not go into effect until Jan. 2, 2011. It would be the first stamp price increase in almost two years.
Holiday Evergreen Forever Stamps will be available to the public in October at the current rate of 44 cents. Once purchased, the stamps are valid literally forever — despite any future price changes.
Faced with plummeting mail volume traced to the recession and increased use of the Internet, the Postal Service is projecting a deficit of nearly $7 billion for the next fiscal year. Despite eliminating 1 million work hours and reducing expenses by more than $1 billion every year since 2001, a budget gap remains.
The proposed price changes, if approved, will raise about $2.3 billion for the first nine months of 2011. Postmaster General John E. Potter said he does not want customers to bear the burden of dramatic price increases. Instead, Potter announced in March that pricing would be one in a series of solutions the Postal Service is pursuing to become financially sound.
“There is no one single solution to the dire financial situation that the Postal Service faces,” Potter said. “These proposed rate adjustments are moderate and part of a fair and balanced approach to insuring mail service for all Americans well into the future.”
Other actions outlined in March included changes to delivery frequency, restructuring prepayments of retiree health benefits, creating a more flexible workforce and expanding access to products and services to places more convenient to customers.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
Complete details of the filing can be found later today at usps.com/prices. No prices will change before 2011.
INCENTIVES INCLUDED IN PRICE FILING
MORE THAN 90 PERCENT OF PROPOSED PRICE CHANGES UNDER 6 PERCENT
Volume discounts and free additional weight are included in the proposed price changes the U.S. Postal Service filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) today.
Price changes for the majority of products and services fall between 4 percent and 6 percent. These products and services account for about 92 percent of Market Dominant revenue. The Postal Service Governors approved the recommendation for prices for all 18 Market Dominant products.
Products outside the range include periodicals (8 percent), Standard Mail Parcels (23 percent) and Media/Library Mail (7 percent). The increases above the average are intended to improve the financial performance of products that currently do not cover costs while limiting the impact on customers.
The filing includes two incentives designed to retain and grow profitable mail volume: “Reply Rides Free” and “Saturation Mail/High Density Incentive Program.”
Reply Rides Free encourages the use of bill and statement mailings for marketing messages. For qualifying customers, a 1.2-ounce piece is charged the 1-ounce price if a reply envelope or card is included in the mailing.
The Saturation Mail/High Density Incentive Program provides rebates for volume growth for Standard Mail and Nonprofit Mail letters and flats. A minimum of six Saturation/High Density mailings in a fiscal year is required.
If approved as proposed, the new prices would take effect Jan. 2, 2011 — almost two years since the Postal Service last raised stamp rates.
The proposed price changes would generate $2.3 billion for the last three quarters of the 2011 fiscal year (January to September) and an estimated $3 billion for the full 12 months of fiscal year 2012.
Despite eliminating 1 million work hours and reducing expenses by more than $1 billion every year since 2001, a budget gap remains. The proposed price increases will help close a $7 billion projected shortfall in FY 2011. The Postal Service would have needed to raise rates an average of 20 percent across all product lines to completely close that expected gap.
“This proposal is moderate and reasonable and carefully evaluated the effect on our customers,” said Maura Robinson, vice president, Pricing. “Increasing prices will help overcome some of the financial challenges faced by the Postal Service. We will continue to work with Congress and other stakeholders to implement long-term solutions.”
Postmaster General John E. Potter identified in March a number of actions the Postal Service will pursue, including a change to delivery frequency, expanded access to products and services more convenient to customers and restructuring prepayment of retiree health benefits. Potter was clear at the time that customers would not be asked to close the entire budget gap.
Innovations like Reply Rides Free and Saturation Mail incentive programs reinforce the value of mail, help retain volume and provide opportunities to grow the business. These products also have proven to cover their costs and contribute much needed revenue to the Postal Service. Still, greater product and pricing flexibility is needed if the Postal Service is to remain a vital driver of the American economy.
“Future price increases can be greatly alleviated if the Postal Service is given the tools necessary to be a more flexible, market-oriented company,” Robinson said.
Other highlights from the price filing include:
* First-Class Mail stamps would increase to 46 cents. A new Forever Stamp image will be available in October.
* First-Class Mail postcard prices will increase 2 cents to 30 cents.
* Periodicals will receive an 8 percent increase.
* Recommended increase for catalogs is 5.1 percent.
* Standard Mail parcels will increase about 23 percent.
This is the first time the Postal Service is requesting price increases above the rate of inflation, an action that is allowed under the 2006 Postal law as long as the Postal Service can demonstrate “exceptional or extraordinary circumstance.”
An ongoing recession that has rocked the Postal Service business customer base, continued movement toward electronic alternatives and unprecedented volume loss have created a situation where the price cap of 0.6 percent, based on the Consumer Price Index, is insufficient to cover the extraordinary losses.
The PRC has 90 days to review and make a final ruling on the filing (on or about Oct. 4). The PRC can accept or reject all price requests.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
More detailed information on the price filing will be available later today at usps.com/prices.
You know what I use the Post Office less than I used to? Increasing rates and decreasing service. So, what is the USPS doing to remedy that? Increasing rates and decreasing service! Will someone explain that to me?