Mailbag Wednesday! The USPS Announces the Release of a Special Edition Stamp Booklet to Commemorate 250 Years of National Service USPS is doing its best to maintain a brave face and carry on with business as usual despite impending changes that may well convert its entire organizational structure to a private sector entity from that…

Mailbag Wednesday! June 2025: Trump Admin & Dept for Govt Efficiency Move Ahead with USPS Reform Talks”(1) For years, Donald Trump has made no secret of his disdain for the current incorporated set-up of the US Postal Service. A vocal proponent of privatization, Trump has advocated for the USPS to be spun off as a…

Mailbag Wednesday! Short of offering real leadership or avail demonstrable business practices regarding organizational governance, the USPS decides to raise rates yet again in mid-2025.   If you were to read the official U.S. Postal Service press release in April 2025 (ref: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2025/0409-usps-recommends-new-prices-for-july-2025.htm#), you would know instantly that yet another price hike is on the…

Mailbag Wednesday!   “The APWU asks its members and the public to ‘Stand in solidarity with APWU. Hands off our public Postal Service!” Hosted by the New York State AFL-CIO, a protest rally at the Rhinebeck Post Office took place on June 3rd. You might have missed it, so here is what all the fuss…

Mailbox Wednesday! The USPS is a farm-friendly organization that allows some perishables to be mailed.   “Yes, Virginia, you may mail a potato to grandpa.” While the USPS DMM (Domestic Mail Manual) doesn’t specifically have a potato mailing section, it doesn’t prohibit the practice, so American postal customers with wry senses of humor occasionally take…

MAILBAG WEDNESDAY – Did you know that Santa has his own ZIP Code? Why, yes… yes he does!   Not only does the USPS have to accept letters to Santa, but they also want kids to write letters to Santa! Enter “USPS Operation Santa”. Many of you might remember the movie scene from 1947’s “Miracle…

MAILBAG WEDNESDAY! With direct mail, we continue to see technology leading the way into 2025 and dragging direct mail along with it. Here are some of the trends which we’ve noted in 2024 and we expect to see expanded in 2025: (1) Expanded Personalized Messaging on both sides of postcards, often using sophisticated reverse fonts,…

MAILBAG WEDNESDAY! Discover the Unique Services of Japan Post! You may have heard that you can get all sorts of services at Japanese Post Offices (ref: https://www.post.japanpost.jp/index.html). And, you’d be correct. If the USPS ever wishes to maximize the value of its well-distributed service locations, perhaps it could take a glance at what Japan is doing,…

MAILBAG WEDNESDAY In March of 2024, the Business Research Company released its really expensive “Direct Mail Advertising Global Marketing Report 2024” for an eye-watering $4K. Thankfully, some of the summary information is nonetheless helpful and available. Here are some takeaways: – Direct Mail (globally) continues to grow, with a projected compounded growth rate of 3%…

Mailbag Wednesday! As per the official USPS™ September 2024 Press Release, “The Postal Service™ is temporarily suspending international mail acceptance for certain destinations due to impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other unrelated service disruptions. Customers: please refrain from mailing items addressed to the countries listed here, until further notice.”    Here is your list…