Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The new prices. Better or worse?

Back in the day, price increases were often pretty difficult. Selling stamps, a penny at a time, took lots of effort and led to plenty of frustration.

But things seem to be a little tamer this year. Why is that? Comment here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

People appreciate the fact that the product remains the same and there is nothing extra for them to do. Therefore, the price increase is easier to accept.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you think it's tamer. Customers in my area are ticked off and can't believe the Post Office can't get it together. We don't offer the forever stamps in rolls, we don't take the situation that the Post Office is in seriously and apparently can't basically get our act together. The unions threaten workers with their jobs if they don't join the union and it those unions that are going to take the Postal Service down with them. Sad so very sad.

Wedding Postage said...

I can tell you from someone who worked in a retail store tghat sold stamps years ago, price changes were a major pain,,,especially when they were for odd numbers...it is much easier to deal with stamps that are priced at .25 or .40 (or perish the thought, .50) than to deal with pesky pennies likw at .42 or .44!

Anonymous said...

Yes, people gripe about stamp increases, yet gas can go up 10¢ a gallon overnight, and not a peep. Stamps are still a great value, and we do need the revenue. We can't raise prices at 5¢ increments, it is too tough for our business customers to compensate for that much of a jump all at once.

Merk said...

I think the Forever Stamps help a lot. In the weeks prior to the rate increase that's practically all we sold and I've had customers thank me for doing that when they didn't specifically ask for them. Also the media did a better job of informing the public that they should get the Forever Stamps prior to the increase. As for the person who claims the unions will take the Postal Service down with them, it is because of the Unions that we all receive better wages and benefits than other federal employees. So you may want to remember that and thank them for YOUR salary and benefits. And no, I'm not a union member, I'm in management. There are some problems with the unions but to blame them for all the Postal Service's woes is inappropriate.

Anonymous said...

My customers understand the price change, but want more for their buck! For example, we are reaching out to our customers and asking "what can we do for you?" The resounding answer in this area is...track my parcels like UPS & FedEx. When you order a product that is shipped via our competitors, you can log onto their website and watch its movement to your house….in most instances you will know what day it will arrive by watching its movement. We have the technology in place with the track and confirm system. We put a tracking number at point of shipping but don't report its movement until it reaches the destination office. A package can move 300 miles and should be there overnight, but sometimes it takes 3-4 days. You look at track and confirm and there is no historical record of where it goes or what happened to it on the way! If it’s delayed at a BMC or P&DC, there are no scans to show the delay. USPS officials say we have such a product, it’s called Express mail and you can see that detail. Why should a customer have to pay $20 to get this kind of service! Express mail was designed to move mail faster…not be a tracking system. Yes it may take a little more processing time, but with mail volumes dropping….adding this extra step will help us keep our customers from going to our competitors!