Small Things Count

Stamp prices went up again, and I’m not convinced the hike was needed. It looks to me like the USPS hasn’t taken simple measures to economize.  For example, we keep getting two copies of the USA Philatelic, probably because we’ve ordered stamps-by-mail under two different names.  You’d think the USPS would have a computer program set up so only a single copy went to each household (money-saving tip #1).  Or an effective way for us to stop delivery of it (Tip #2).  Also, that magazine is printed on high quality, glossy paper, with plenty of colored pictures…an expensive proposition.  It CAN be produced cheaper (Tip #3).  Then there are the stamps-by-mail.  They’re good for people who find it a physical hardship to go to a post office, they cut down on labor, and they save on fuel.  However, when we order, say 50 Forever stamps, we get them in 5 packets that are backed by a piece of cardboard and sealed in cellophane.  In the old days, when they came loose in an envelope, they weren’t damaged.  I’d be happy not to have to deal with the extra packaging and add it to the recycle bin.  Go back to the old days (Tip #4).  And the envelope they arrive in is heavy-duty and fiber-reinforced–another cost-saving area (Tip #5).

All these are small savings that add up as they’re multiplied by the number of households in the U.S.  My question for the USPS is this: if you’re not bothering to economize on the small stuff, what else are you ignoring?  The cost of stamps and the USPS’s wasteful ways are driving me away from them and more toward electronics.  I wonder if the USPS actually WANTS to stay in business.