Mark your calendars for May 11th.  We are going to get another postal rate increase.  Your .42 cent stamp for a first class letter is going to go up to .44 cents.  Some of the SPIN being placed on the increase is that it is only $3.00 per year for the average household and when compared to energy costs, food costs, etc… it is a minimal amount to pay.  They are also stating that we have some of the lowest postal costs in the world.  (I guess that means they want to catch up to some of the others?)  The press release is here…

I have some thoughts here that might save costs and allow them to be able to maintain the old rates.  Of course you know they will eventually do these things anyway AND STILL take the increase that the law allows (tied to CPI-U – the consumer price index for Urban customers – 3.8% in 2008 – They can also “bank” these increases).

Idea #1 – Eliminate Bulk Mail Rate.  Most consumers throw this stuff away anyway.  By eliminating the bulk rate and making these companies pay for the presorted first class rate you will do two things.   First you will reduce the amount of junk that ends up being delivered.  (An added bonus – they could market this as a “green” solution because it would reduce the amount of garbage hitting the landfills.)  Second, for those that still do want to send the junk they are placed into the same category as all other mail AND get to pay the same rates as the normal postal consumer.

Idea #2 – Eliminate Saturday Mail Delivery.  Why in the world do we need to have mail delivered 6 days a week?  There is no added benefit, no compelling reason.  It must have been some government idea to get people back to work that has never gone away.  Anything you get through the mail is not extremely time sensitive that it couldn’t wait an additional amount of time.  Many business entities are closed on Saturdays so their mail isn’t needed on Saturday anyway.

If you were to do both Ideas 1 and 2 at the same time the carriers would be reducing the amount of crap they have to carry around, and speeding up the time it takes for sorting and delivery.  (Time for some staff reductions.)  With no Saturday you also would reduce the amount of sorting and delivery time. 

I’m really getting tired of the increases.  Maybe people should send more email instead.  I know I am getting most of my statements now via email.  Much of my personal correspondence is also via email…  Ahh…. maybe this is a conspiracy… they need to increase the cost of mail to maintain the bloated bureaucratic structure in the light of reduced volumes due to email.

Regardless… be prepared… Buy your Liberty Bell stamps now… (These are the Forever Stamps that you pay the current rate for and you can use them forever – regardless of the then current rate.)  I’ve got a couple saved away so that when the rates reach 5 or 6 dollars per letter and I just have to send paper that will take a week or more to deliver – I can “sock it to them”!