Poll: Why doesn't the US Postal Service just raise the rates to mail a letter to $0.50? Should they raise it?

Ryan

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
27,519
2
81
Sorry, this is one of those toilet thinkers kind things - I remember hearing about how the USPS is in a finacial slump, haivng to close some post offices, etc. The price to mail a letter is 37 cents. Why not just raise that to an even 50 cents?

The price of everything has risen substantially over the past few year - hell, you'd be hard pressed to find a pay phone that doesn't cost 50 cents to make a phone call. With the amount of items sent through the mail, this should help profits greatly (although, the USPS should need any profits, anything that it actually makes should go towards research to study ways of making the USPS more efficient).
 

Jhill

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2001
5,187
3
0
I think they should. To prevent my ass from being shot one day from a postal worker trying to make 33,333.76 deliveries a day.
 

amnesiac

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
15,781
1
71
NO NO NO NO NO.

13 cents a letter raise = $200/month extra in expenses for postage for my business. NOT COOL.

Instead, how about they stop mismanaging their money and bring prices back down to 25 cents a letter?
 

her209

No Lifer
Oct 11, 2000
56,336
11
0
They should raise to $1.50. It will curtail a lot of the junk mail I get.
 

takeru

Golden Member
Jan 1, 2002
1,206
8
81
i remember 20/20 doing a special about what the post office does with their money. like how they squander so much of it. have a read here.

one memorable quote was:
"The Postal Service claims it makes money selling things like phone cards, mouse pads and stationery. But when the General Accounting Office looked at the post office's outside businesses, it found they had LOST $80 million."
 

Ryan

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
27,519
2
81
Originally posted by: amnesiac
NO NO NO NO NO. 13 cents a letter raise = $200/month extra in expenses for postage for my business. NOT COOL. Instead, how about they stop mismanaging their money and bring prices back down to 25 cents a letter?

One thing I don't understand is why don't they give businesses a discount on shipping? It should be a step-ladder system, send out x amount of letters - pay 34 cents, send out 2x or more amount of letters - pay 30 cents, and so on (of course there would be a cuttoff at 30 cents) . It seems like it would promote more businesses to use the USPS, and give a nice increase in profits from John and Jane down the street sending off their christmas letters......
 

amnesiac

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
15,781
1
71
Originally posted by: rbloedow
Originally posted by: amnesiac
NO NO NO NO NO. 13 cents a letter raise = $200/month extra in expenses for postage for my business. NOT COOL. Instead, how about they stop mismanaging their money and bring prices back down to 25 cents a letter?

One thing I don't understand is why don't they give businesses a discount on shipping? It should be a step-ladder system, send out x amount of letters - pay 34 cents, send out 2x amount of letters - pay 30 cents, and so on. It seems like it would promote more businesses to use the USPS, and give a nice increase in profits from John and Jane down the street sending off their christmas letters......

Bulk mail rates are available for HUGE amounts of letters mailed at once. Also they must be presorted by zip code. Small businesses get the shaft.
 

Ryan

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
27,519
2
81
Originally posted by: amnesiac
Originally posted by: rbloedow
Originally posted by: amnesiac NO NO NO NO NO. 13 cents a letter raise = $200/month extra in expenses for postage for my business. NOT COOL. Instead, how about they stop mismanaging their money and bring prices back down to 25 cents a letter?
One thing I don't understand is why don't they give businesses a discount on shipping? It should be a step-ladder system, send out x amount of letters - pay 34 cents, send out 2x amount of letters - pay 30 cents, and so on. It seems like it would promote more businesses to use the USPS, and give a nice increase in profits from John and Jane down the street sending off their christmas letters......
Bulk mail rates are available for HUGE amounts of letters mailed at once. Also they must be presorted by zip code. Small businesses get the shaft.

Well that sucks.......
 

MagicianBdotCom

Senior member
Nov 30, 2002
610
0
0
Uhh the post office is losing money 'cause people send less letters these days. Just think about how many more people will stop sending letters if they raise it even more.
 

AvesPKS

Diamond Member
Apr 21, 2000
4,729
0
0
What you guys don't understand is that the USPS is a federal entity. They have to budget just like every other federal entity; years in advance.
 

bob4432

Lifer
Sep 6, 2003
11,724
45
91
when the postal service wants to raise the price of postage, there are hearings about it. they can't just raise the letter to whatever they think is correct. it takes atleast months, sometimes a year or more to raise just a couple of cents.

bulk mail gets a large discount, but then again their mail is not treated as good (it doesn't get to its destination quite as fast) as first class/priority or express.

despite what many think, mail volume is up, maybe not exactly at the same ratio as population growth, but it is up.

mismanagement is a problem

the post office is an extremely effiecient machine, with tons of automation and machines that can sort 45000+ letters an hour. the machines will even put the mail into the walking route for the mailperson so they doen't have to do it manually.

mismanagement is a problem

postal shootings are down, when was the last time you heard of one?

the people sending junk mail would still send it, because you say to make the price $1.50, that would just be first class and "junk" mail is third class, which is cheaper. sign up for more junk mail, then the post office will make more money...

they do have to budget in advance and can't control certain problems out far into the future

if you can get a tour of a large post office plant in your area, you should. you will be impressed.
 

bob4432

Lifer
Sep 6, 2003
11,724
45
91
Originally posted by: DaWhim
privatize the USPS! damnit


that would be the worst thing the postal service could do for the american public. i am not going to go on on this one, just think about this one small portion of the postal service -> ever wonder why most of the mail doesn't get stolen? i know in some parts there are problems, but for the vast majority the mail is there every day, it is the postal inspection service. if it goes private, i bet you would be lucky to get 1/2 your mail. you would not believe what kind of security the postal service gives to your mail.

if it were private, it would go under. the private sector would not put nearly as much $$$ into the security of the mail

part of the reason the mail security is so high is that postal employees make pretty good $$$ for what they do, and one of the only ways to get fired is by stealing mail, so if you steal mail, you lose your job. not much, if any internal theft of mail. if it were to go private and people are paid $7/hour with no benefits, who cares if you lose your job
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
50,419
8
81
Originally posted by: amnesiac
NO NO NO NO NO.

13 cents a letter raise = $200/month extra in expenses for postage for my business. NOT COOL.

Instead, how about they stop mismanaging their money and bring prices back down to 25 cents a letter?
Wow... you mail ~1550 letters/mo? :Q

 

HOWITIS

Platinum Member
Apr 26, 2001
2,165
0
76
ya right. the postal service handles so much mail that they really don't have the time to pick at a specific piece of mail. and gold and dimond mines operate pretty good privatly. not to mention BANKS where you keep your actual money. thats just socialist hype, don't believe it.




the postal service's problem is that they pay people WAY too much. mailmen require no skill to walk around and put a letter in a box, why do they get payed so much???? its because of a stupid government who gives out money because they never had to make a profit. this is the real reason why people in the post office want it to be under gov control. in private buisness you get paid for your skills, and how much your worth.
 

bob4432

Lifer
Sep 6, 2003
11,724
45
91
Originally posted by: HOWITIS
ya right. the postal service handles so much mail that they really don't have the time to pick at a specific piece of mail. and gold and dimond mines operate pretty good privatly. not to mention BANKS where you keep your actual money. thats just socialist hype, don't believe it.




the postal service's problem is that they pay people WAY too much. mailmen require no skill to walk around and put a letter in a box, why do they get payed so much???? its because of a stupid government who gives out money because they never had to make a profit. this is the real reason why people in the post office want it to be under gov control. in private buisness you get paid for your skills, and how much your worth.

have you ever worked for the postal service?

 

HOWITIS

Platinum Member
Apr 26, 2001
2,165
0
76
The post office deserves to go under and give way to the rise of private companies. there has never been a more inefficient or overspending buisness.


and no i havn't worked there before, but i have worked in a Kentucky coal mine before, and if you try to tell me how hard your job is i may come to your house and kick your ass :)
 

bob4432

Lifer
Sep 6, 2003
11,724
45
91
Originally posted by: bob4432
Originally posted by: HOWITIS
ya right. the postal service handles so much mail that they really don't have the time to pick at a specific piece of mail. and gold and dimond mines operate pretty good privatly. not to mention BANKS where you keep your actual money. thats just socialist hype, don't believe it.




the postal service's problem is that they pay people WAY too much. mailmen require no skill to walk around and put a letter in a box, why do they get payed so much???? its because of a stupid government who gives out money because they never had to make a profit. this is the real reason why people in the post office want it to be under gov control. in private buisness you get paid for your skills, and how much your worth.

they pay some too much, but the workers do have skill. not the type of skill needed for most of the people's jobs that would be in here, but skill. mailmen are required to memorize hundreds of addresses and the people who live on their route, these addresses and names change constantly.
 

bob4432

Lifer
Sep 6, 2003
11,724
45
91
Originally posted by: HOWITIS
The post office deserves to go under and give way to the rise of private companies. there has never been a more inefficient or overspending buisness.


and no i havn't worked there before, but i have worked in a Kentucky coal mine before, and if you try to tell me how hard your job is i may come to your house and kick your ass :)

and people say the postal people are violent. i am not saying i work there, i just know alot about it. i will agree with the overspending, but it is extremely efficient. it is obvious that you have never stepped foot into a large postal plant.

 

HOWITIS

Platinum Member
Apr 26, 2001
2,165
0
76
they pay some too much, but the workers do have skill. not the type of skill needed for most of the people's jobs that would be in here, but skill. mailmen are required to memorize hundreds of addresses and the people who live on their route, these addresses and names change constantly



give me a break, anyone with half a brain could do this. secatarys do. i'm not saying its easy but NO job is. but you gotta pay for how much skill they have. you don't see anyone at mickey D making 20 bucks an hour do you? how much would a big mac cost if they did? think about it.


i don't blame ya though. if i was working at the post office i would do everything i could to make as much as i could and keep it that way. but the post office should have never let it get to this. a private buisnees wouldn't.
 

bob4432

Lifer
Sep 6, 2003
11,724
45
91
Originally posted by: HOWITIS
they pay some too much, but the workers do have skill. not the type of skill needed for most of the people's jobs that would be in here, but skill. mailmen are required to memorize hundreds of addresses and the people who live on their route, these addresses and names change constantly



give me a break, anyone with half a brain could do this. secatarys do. i'm not saying its easy but NO job is. but you gotta pay for how much skill they have. you don't see anyone at mickey D making 20 bucks an hour do you? how much would a big mac cost if they did? think about it.


i don't blame ya though. if i was working at the post office i would do everything i could to make as much as i could and keep it that way. but the post office should have never let it get to this. a private buisnees wouldn't.

you can think whatever you want, i am not going to beat a dead horse. i am shedding some real light from hard gotten facts about it. you are believing what you read on websites and 4 page magazine articles, which are all biased.