Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports May Sales Results

If you're like me, sending a letter or package across the country through the US Postal Service feels like a game of chance. Will it get there in a week -- or two? During the first quarter of this year, around 20% of first-class mail across the US was delivered late. And now snail mail is about to get slower for some of the 160 million residences and businesses that rely on the Postal Service. Starting Oct. 1, the USPS will implement new service standards for its first-class mail and packages, lengthening delivery time for about 30% of its volume. That means some letters, parcels and magazine subscriptions traveling longer distances could take up to five days to arrive, instead of two or three days. The changes are part of a 10-year plan called Delivering for America to overhaul the agency and try to tackle its $160 billion debt. The plan would also reduce post office hours and raise prices for customers, and there'll be even more postage hikes during the peak holiday season. more at source

The U.S. Postal Service is harming both publishers and itself with its current ratemaking process, the News/Media Alliance (NMA) charges in a letter to the Postal Rate Commission. “While the Postal Service incurs record losses, Periodicals mailers have been forced to make difficult business decisions ranging from cutting staff to shuttering titles and closing their doors, all of which ultimately harms our society,” the letter states. Since 2021, the USPS has raised periodical rates “generally twice a year by a cumulative total of 47.8 percent,” the NMA writes. “During that time, the portion of those increases due to the additional rate authorities have exceeded the rate of inflation by more than 150 percent.”

Email may be more convenient and less expensive for brands, but if you really want your customers to look at a communication, mail is much more effective, according to a new report. A study by automation specialist Quadient has found that almost two-thirds (62%) of UK consumers say they are more likely to open a physical letter than an email, with many citing the fact that letters feel more personal. When asked why a physical letter from a business might be better than email, 39% said letters feel more personalised to them and their needs than bulk email messages, while 42% said there is no risk of hacking, phishing or being infected by viruses. A further 37% said they appreciate the lack of spam messages received through physical mail. “Companies need to think strategically about the different scenarios in which they contact customers and choose the communication channel that best fits the situation.”