According to the Washington Post, the Postal Service is flirting with the idea of letting greeting card companies preprint postage on the envelopes they include with their cards.
This would eliminate the need to make another trip to buy stamps.
It's an innovative idea that might just revive both the greeting card and Postal Service.
What do you think? Good idea? Or do you have another suggestion? Comment here.
17 comments:
I would like this option; especially if the card had a "stamp" that matched the card style.
That would work, espeically for the cards that require extra postage. It could come with the current 2 oz rate already on it and decrease time spent trying to collect the short paid postage.
So how would they distribute the revenue. I would hate to see more taken away from my office. Also if you think the postage dues are bad now what would they be like when there is a rate hike? I am thinking it probably wouldn't be a good idea.
would not work. all it would do is add 44 cents to an already over priced card. What would work is to send the card at 1/2 the first class rate. just like in the 50s and 60s cards were mailed unsealed for 3 cents each. generating hundreds of millions of cards at Christmas time.This way the public would think of it as a break. This suggestion has already gone to the plaza but will not be used I bet because it would work.
It's a novel idea, bit there's a few variables to consider - like someone adding enough pictures to exceed the 1 or 2 oz postage paid. To really make it work right would probably cost the retailer too much, like setting it up for the retailer to meter the correct postage on the spot.
I believe it would work and would encourage people to send cards. It's my understanding the proposal is that USPS would be paid 1/2 the cost of the postage at the time the card is bought, with the remaining 1/2 paid if and when it enters the mailstream.
Interesting idea, but I do foresee a lot of postage due letters coming through, with rate increases or customers adding additional weight to the envelope...UNLESS we made it a flat-rate! Hmmmmm......
Maybe, but have you considered how many envelopes you have wasted because you wrote the wrong address on it. Also, many cards do not get mailed. No one wants to pay postage for a card they hand to someone. Some people buy cards they like thinking they will have a card on hand when they need it. They probably will not want to pay for the stamp on the envelope.
Its a fabulous idea. I guess the postage would become "active" and the greeting card company charged for the postage when the card sells? And the postage would be "forever", so that the customer wouldn't have to add two cents if they didn't mail it immediately? I think that would reduce frustration on the part of the customer and encourage them to send greeting cards.
As far as distributing the revenue to post offices, as a poster above mentions - I think the NEW postal model might be best organized around service rather than revenue, since it is the Postal Service, not the Postal Cash Flow Incentivizing Hierarchy. At least, that is what I think Congress intended.
It's just another reason NOT to come to the post office...! Why would any of us support that??
Although it is not a bad idea and good convenience as long as we are not discounting deep to allow them to do this and if it is difficult for them to sell the stamps along with the card instead of making cards with stamps and we being aware that this means we may be reducing the need of more or existing postoffices, if that provides revenue for postal service why not do it?
I have seen retailers offer coupons for free stamps with the purchase of greeting cards. I wonder if anyone redeems such coupons. That would be indicator of interest in cars with stamps. I probably would never purchase such a card as I either buy cards in advance to have on hand when needed (and either mail or give them) or, when purchased for the occasion, I give them personally.
If we go with this idea...why not make a forever stamp at the 2 or 3oz rate?
Why not have the retailers be an additional outlet for our stamps? Instead of having the stamp attached to the envelope, have it available to buy at that retailers and a collection box outside.
It might be a good idea but if the stamp isn't on it and we get the customer to come buy the stamp, maybe they will buy more. Will the envelope be a forever stamp?
Yes...I think they would sell.
If I personally would set something up like this I would only do it for the Post Offices that already sell cards ... then I would just have the option of pre printed stamps on envelopes of differnt card sizes that are carried there. The envelope would sell for the postage price and the card at the card price. Or we could just ask out friendly greeting card people to make all their cards the same size no matter what.
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