Your 2 Cents Worth: Postage Goes Up

May 11, 2009

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The price of a first-class stamp  increased by 2 cents on Monday, rising from 42 to 44 cents.e.

The increase is due to rising costs and inflation, according to the USPS. The rate increase was announced in February and that the U.S. Postal Service now regulates prices incrementally each year, as opposed to rising prices every few years.

According to the new prices, it will also cost a penny more to buy a postcard stamp, bringing the total to 28 cents. Costs for the first ounce of a large envelope and the first ounce of a parcel both increased by 5 cents, bringing the totals to 88 cents and $1.22 each.

The post office will still accept Forever Stamps and that an additional ounce of first-class mail will remain at 17 cents.

Earlier this month, the USPS announced that it had ended its second quarter with a net loss of $1.9 billion.

Pictured: The Simpsons are honored a new 44 cent stamp.

Comments

7 Responses to “Your 2 Cents Worth: Postage Goes Up”

  1. Ken on May 12th, 2009 11:30 pm

    E.M.D. this made nation headlines about a week ago,The USPS purchased a home up north end of the country for I believe it was 1.3 million and of course the media got a hold of it and it went from there, You know how that goes,but any way the media got a list of people that the USPS had purchased homes for it was astounding,Haven’t seen the news in a couple of days so I don’t know any more than that,I hope this sheds some new light on this.

  2. E.M.D. on May 12th, 2009 11:44 am

    Ken,

    Where did THAT come from? !!! My inquiring mind wants to know.

  3. Ken on May 12th, 2009 8:37 am

    Well maybe if the US Postal Service would stop purchasing million dollar homes for their employs the price on the stamps wouldn’t go up every 6 months, LOL !!!

  4. L.D. on May 12th, 2009 8:03 am

    Hey fishhook240….my question to you is…have you ever been a postal worker/mail carrier or known personally anyone who has? Where did the hourly pay figures come from? I’ve been a carrier for almost two years now and I’m not near that rate of pay! Also before you go and talk about how people are “overpaid” you might should try doing the job yourself and see how you feel about that! And btw NO we don’t ALL agree! Also salaries are not necessarily the problem with the postal service and their bottom line….Have you ever thought about the fuel that has been used in one day to deliver mail to almost every home in the United States? I am only one of many routes and I use aroung 6 gallons every day…..HMMMMM……Go figure!!!!!

  5. E.M.D. on May 11th, 2009 1:33 pm

    One who has not worked in this capacity, or been married to one who does, does not have a real accurate picture of what goes on in their work place. See if they will let you observe inside and outside on a walking route, and ride with one of the carriers, and get a sense of things that are hazardous duty. I doubt they would, but you could try.

    Also, the postal service gives veterans top priority. I think it is good that those retired from the military can make a decent 8 hour wage when they retire with honor, from a job that had them working or on call 24 hours a day.

    Seems we all think he other pasture is greener. This is usually not the case.

  6. dlj on May 11th, 2009 1:02 pm

    Fishhook240, I am a 15 year veteran of the U.S. Postal service, I can assure you that Postal Clerks and Letter Carriers do not make $25 per hour. You, like so many people, who don’t work for the Postal Service are so misinformed. 15 years ago, starting pay for a rural carrier was $10.55 per hour. Now after 15 years of staying out of trouble, and cost of living raises and step increases, I still don’t make $25 per hour. One more fact you should know, is U.S. Postal rates are the lowest in the Free World, Just thought you needed to know.

  7. Fishhook240 on May 11th, 2009 7:41 am

    Does anyone know how much a postal worker makes . If they been there for a few years they make around $25.00 hrs. plus benefets. This is why they have to raise the cost. They are over paid. I thought that you got paid more for your knowledge not just because its a federal job!!! “LOL” A kid straight out of high school could be taught to deliver mail and a good pay would be around $10.00 to $12.00 dollars Don’t You all agree!!!