Postal rates to go up May 14, forever stamp approved

[question everything]

Source: AP

Postal rates to go up May 14, forever stamp approved

By Randolph E. Schmid
ASSOCIATED PRESS

2:34 p.m. March 19, 2007

WASHINGTON – The cost of mailing a letter will go up on May 14, but you'll be able to lock in that price – no matter how rates rise in the future – by buying the new “forever” stamp.

The post office governing board agreed Monday to accept the new 41-cent rate for first class mail recommended in February by the independent Postal Regulatory Commission.

The board also agreed to the proposal for a “forever stamp,” that will always be valid for mailing a letter no matter how much rates increase.

(snip)




Read more: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20070319-1434-postalrates.html

[physioex]

1. I kinda understand that rates have to go up.......

But WTF is this having to buy this make up stamps. It's about time that they made the stamps you buy valid forever.......

[ClintonTyree]

2. Or the ones that you've already purchased....

good until you've used them up. When buying the .39 stamps I entered into a contract with the USPS that those stamps could be used to mail letters. Now they're breaking that contract and saying I have to buy more stamps to mail the same letters. :wtf:
I bet there are thousands of companies that would love the latitude that the USPS is allowed in their pricing policies. Government monopolies, aren't they great! :eyes:

[moez]

3. Your post office must be different from mine....

Neither the post office nor I signed any contracts relating to my stamps being sufficient ad infinitum...

[physioex]

24. Very intelligent observation......

But when your purchase a stamp you do so on the assumption that the post office will deliver your 1st class envelope. They don't tell you that they can change the price at any random time and when it happens it's up to you to come back and make up the difference. Nor do I see and expiration date on the stamps I was sold. Ohh and don't forget when you do go back to buy the 0.02 stamps, "Well sorry we are completely sold out".

Fortunately this problem is fixed, but I couldn't disagree more with what you are saying.

[dansolo]

25. Actually, that is not the case.

When you buy stamps, you are paying in advance for the postage amount. If you buy a book of 20 39 cent stamps, you are only paying for $7.80 of postage. You are NOT paying for the postage for 20 first class letters. If the rates go up, then you are stuck. It's not as if the stamps are no longer valid. You can argue with the legitimacy of raising the postal rates, but there is nothing wrong with how the Postal Service handles current stamps when the rates go up.

[ClintonTyree]

28. I didn't say I "signed" a contract....

if you were to buy some coupons for a restaurant good for $1.00 off a purchase and then the restaurant told you that those coupons weren't being honored anymore, that you'd have to buy additional smaller denomination coupons to make up the difference, would you think that fair? Would you protest or just accept the restaurant's decision, cave in and buy the other coupons?

I "ENTERED INTO" a contract by buying stamps THEY said could be used to mail letters. I didn't "sign one". It's an implied contract. No other company or entity could get sway with that but a government run monopoly. If you don't know the difference between those two statements......... Maybe think before you type? :shrug:

[sutz12]

4. Jeebus....I haven't used up my 37 cent stamps yet...

Guess I'll need another sheet or two of 2 centers. :)

[slackmaster]

21. Same here

I have about 50 of each because I didn't send any Christmas cards last year. I've switched most of my bills over to electronic payment.

:argh:

The Forever stamps sound like a potentially good long-term investment.

[Auntie Bush]

26. Same here. Between email and electronic bill paying I hardly ever

send mail...except for xmas cards. I actually have many 32 cent stamps because I couldn't get stamps to up date them without putting many stamps on my cards and making a mess of them. I saved them for bills and now I don't even have them. What's a gal going to do? :shrug:

[lse7581011]

5. Just Wondering

Why would anyone buy a regular $.41 stamp at any time? Why not always buy the forever kind? What am I missing?

[Thor_MN]

6. If you want the pretty pictures, you buy the regular kind

I would expect the forever stamps to be utilitarian in design.

[lse7581011]

8. Thanks!

that makes sense!

[question everything]

10. Yes, perhaps the one with American flag that if you happen to stick

upside down you may get a visit from the Secret Service.
:scared:

[CountAllVotes]

12. you can do that accidentally you know

My sister-in-law does it all of the time being she is legally blind.

Or, you can do it on purpose too. :evilgrin:

:kick:

[Pastiche423]

22. I have been placing the flag stamp upside down

on my bills since 12.12.2000.

No visit from the S.S. yet!

[Javaman]

17. The forever stamp will have picture of moron* on it...

:scared:

[Robb]

7. Crap! What am I gonna do with my totally awesome stamps?!?

:rofl:

[CatholicEdHead]

9. They re-relased the Reagan stamps as .39 stamps

So I would expect to see a .41 Reagan stamp eventually again at the higher rate.

[bigworld]

11. Hmm. They never redominated the Cesar Chavez 37c stamp

... or Paul Robeson 37c for that matter. I got bunches of both!

[Thor_MN]

27. Didn't they have to make both the self adhesive and glue backed?

The self adhesive for the Dems who would tend to spit on the front and the glue backed for Repubs because they would kiss his behind?

[Kerrytravelers]

13. When the price of stamps go up, this can mean a pay raise for the workers.

My daddy was a postal carrier for 27 years. The USPS put me through college, so to speak! :)

[InkAddict]

15. I t could mean a pay raise....

then again, it could just mean a rate-cut for the advertisers and credit-card companies that send the junk mail instead.

[The2ndWheel]

14. The price of stamps will climb ever higher

- Homer Simpson.

[leQ]

16. why would anybody buy a regular stamp if they could buy the forever stamp?

i'm confused as to why they think they can still sell regular stamps if people had the choice of using the forever stamps they've already bought. wouldn't this preclude future business?

[northzax]

19. not really

I mean, are you going to buy more stamps now, since the price will go up in a couple of years? will this really change your behaviour? seems unlikely. Sure, you could buy 10,000 .41ers, but that's not efficient, is it?

I think all first class stamps should be forever stamps, If I have been holding onto an old $.29er, they have been making interest on that money for a decade plus, right? bad use of my money.

[gravity]

18. Good

I'm tired of buying 1 cent stamps.

[drm604]

20. Now I just have to figure out how many first class letters I'll send the rest of my life. n/t

[CatholicEdHead]

23. Went and picked up extra stamps today after I head this

They were out of .02 but I picked up the equivalent of a sheet of .02 stamps with .01 stamps.