Postal rates to change May 12

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Shanda L. De Anda
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  The United States Postal Service will adjust rates May 12; the price of first-class correspondence will reflect a one-cent increase, but there will be reduced rates in several other areas.

By adjusting charges for services, USPS customers may pay less for Express Mail shipped to locations closer to home; save on domestic and international online Express and Priority mail postage prices; benefit from price rebates for frequent shippers of volume Express Mail; and reduce costs by using flat-rate boxes for Priority Mail.

"With the dramatic price increases in fuel, food and other items, I tend to use the flat-rate boxes more often," said Staff Sgt. Crystal Jacquot, 28th Bomb Wing information management NCO in charge and supporter of a deployed Airman. "It's convenient and makes budgeting a little easier; saving money on the weekly care packages my daughter and I send to her father in Iraq will be a nice added bonus."

Savings will also be evident in other areas, to include zone-based pricing for Express Mail, an average 3.5 percent savings for those who use electronic postage for Priority Mail and weight-based pricing for returned items.

"Pricing to fit our customer needs has always been important to the postal service," said Dave Partenheimer, USPS spokesman. "Now, with greater price flexibility than ever, our customers have more choices, and we can now set shipping prices more quickly in response to customer needs and the market place."

The average increase by class of mail is at or below the rate of inflation. However, even with these increases, customers have the flexibility to invest in the cost of Forever Stamps, which hold their value independent of rate increases.

"I don't mail letters as often as I plan to, but I tend to send out a lot of cards for the holidays. In anticipation of the price increase of stamps, I bought a coil," said 1st Lt. Frederick Fry, 28th Bomb Wing executive officer. "I saved $30 on something I know I will use all of and now I don't have to worry about the price of postage until I run out."

According to the USPS, there are 5 billion Forever Stamps in stock to meet increased demand before the price change from 41 cents to 42 cents. Stamps purchased at the lower price will continue to hold their validity for first-class postage as postal rates increase.

For more information about postal rates and the pending changes, please visit the USPS Web site at www.usps.com/prices. (Information from the United States Postal Service contributed to this article)