Direct Mail Outlook : Mail Matters for Marketers

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS), beloved though it may be, is not earning any brownie points with the mailing community following the announcement that it was moving forward with its exigent rate increase request of 5.6 percent. But, you have to feel for Mr. ZIP, as this move wasn’t his idea.

As recently as this past August, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe told a quarterly meeting with major customers and industry associations that the U.S. mailing industry was “too fragile” for a major rate increase. However, last month the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) told the USPS it needed to commit, one way or another, to its request for an increase above the rate of inflation to avoid prolonging uncertainty for the mailing community (a rate increase would take effect Jan. 22, 2012).