Tag: USPS

It's time to stamp out U.S. postal monopoly

Posted by | Jun 18, 2002 | |

The price of a first-class stamp will rise to 37 cents on June 30, on top of increases in January 1999 and January 2001. Consumers will pay billions in added postage. Yet even with the $675 million Congress approved to offset the cost of the terrorist attacks, the U.S. Postal Service will continue to lose money.

It does not have to work like this. Whereas our postal service remains a government-owned monopoly, other countries have addressed similar concerns through privatization and limitations on, or elimination of, their postal monopolies. Sweden, Finland, New Zealand and, most recently, the United Kingdom abolished their postal monopolies. Since 1997, all 15 European Union countries have observed limits on their postal monopolies.

Read More

Air express sector lagging

Posted by | Jun 17, 2002 | |

Air express and heavy freight carriers have yet to show any sustainable signs of a recovery, according to one Wall Street report.
Air volumes for United Parcel Service were down approximately 5% in May, compared with the same month in 2001, according to preliminary data from the Morgan Stanley Air Express Demand Index.
While some of that decline may reflect traffic diversions due to uncertainty over United Parcel Service’s prospects for reaching a settlement with the Teamsters before the current contract expires on July 31, Jim Valentine, a Morgan Stanley analyst, said anecdotal evidence suggests industry-wide volumes weren’t much better in May and continue to lag into the month of June.

Read More

Postal hikes force direct cutbacks

Posted by | Jun 10, 2002 | |

While neither rain nor sleet will keep postal carriers from their appointed rounds, they may soon carry significantly less direct mail on those routes.
Consider this: 3 billion pieces of standard business mail will vanish in 2002, according to the Direct Marketing Association. Direct marketers, who rely heavily on the U. S. Postal Service, are changing their tactics and finding alternatives to the U.S. mail, largely as a result of frequent rate increases.

To cope with the USPS rate hikes—the latest of which goes into effect on June 30—some marketers are decreasing their direct mail budgets, conducting smaller, more targeted mailings and using alternative media such as e-mail to acquire and retain customers. Marketers have already cut back significantly on their direct mail efforts.

Read More

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

P&P Poll

Loading

What's the future of the postal USO?

Thank you for voting
You have already voted on this poll!
Please select an option!



View ResultsHide Results

Post & Parcel Magazine


Post & Parcel Magazine is our print publication, released 3 times a year. Packed with original content and thought-provoking features, Post & Parcel Magazine is a must-read for those who want the inside track on the industry.

Subscribe to the Magazine

 

Pin It on Pinterest