1st-class postage to go up a penny : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis

At a time when every penny counts, post office customers can prepare to lose one cent more with each lick of a stamp.

The price of postage for first-class mail will increase by one cent to 45 cents on Sunday, the U.S. Postal Service's first price adjustment since May 2009. Prices for standard mail, periodicals and package services also will increase.

K.G. Curtis of Raleigh was aware of the price increase because he's been visiting downtown's Century Station post office regularly since 1948, when he opened his post office box there.

"I can remember the penny postcard," he said. "It's been a stair-step process since then."

That same postcard will cost 32 cents to mail by Monday morning.

Curtis still has the same post office box. His visits have become increasingly frustrating over the years, he said.

"They claim they're broke," he said. "All it is is management and inefficiency. There's something wrong."

No signs were displayed about the increase at the Fayetteville Street location, though staff said they would be posted by Monday morning.

Mary Ellen Zino of Cary didn't know about the increase but said it was only a minor inconvenience because she -- like an increasing number of Americans -- doesn't do much personal mailing.

"It's just another thing that the government is wanting to increase," said Zino, who was mailing items for work. "It just adds up."

The price increases, which were announced in October, are the latest attempt to help alleviate the postal service's financial woes.

The money-losing postal service doesn't receive tax dollars for its operating expenses, depending on sales of its postage, services and other products for funding.

In December, postal officials proposed cuts aimed at saving $20 billion by 2015. One plan would add a day to first-class mail delivery -- which is composed of items such as private letters or cards -- cutting 28,000 mail-processing jobs and closing post offices.

billhpt200909

January 21, 2012 - 9:52 am EST

As a postal worker, I can attest to the bad management. However, the huge issue driving the Postal Services tremendous losses is one caused by Congress. Back about 2005, the Congress was looking for money and found that USPS had CASH - lots of it. They passed a law requiring USPS to pre-pay its retirement benefits 75 years in advance. (That's right, pay today for retirees who haven't even been born yet!) So when you hear the gloom & doom of USPS about to default on $5 billion in payments owed to the US Government, that's it. The whole purpose of that law was simply to suck up USPS' cash to help finance another President's foreign wars and tax cuts. Congress can fix this and USPS can fix its problems, but no company can continue being forced to pay for retirees who haven't even been born.

newshound

January 21, 2012 - 6:18 pm EST

billhpt200909, as a postal worker can you attest to the bad workers who management can't get rid of that has led to the downfall of the postal system? Can you attest to management's workday consisting of handling idiotic grievances all day from workers who don't want to perform their duties or come to work? Can you attest to all the workers who use FMLA to go on vacation; to party; or for long weekends? And don't forget about all of the workers who are on Workman Comp. Every one wants to blame Congress or management but there have been enough errors from both sides including employees who don't give a hoot other than receiving a paycheck and the more overtime the better.

hgals01

January 21, 2012 - 9:56 am EST

And some people want the Government to run our Healthcare systems? The USPS would be better served with a public-private partnership.

Waldo Leidecker

January 21, 2012 - 1:54 pm EST

More Teanut drivel paid for by the Corporate Welfare System our friend the Republicans are responsible for. If you don't like the system in this country then go someplace else! (Seems I heard the same refrain from the Republinazis when Mr. Flight Suit and his ilk were busy selling out America for a couple of bucks.)

January 21, 2012 - 2:37 pm EST

Hey Buddy your side is really working here in Greensboro. I real unemployment rate is 15% over the past three years. I have a few tax bills you can pay! Where are the jobs? You ask any business owner here in Greensboro if they are satisfied with Government for the past 3 years!

January 21, 2012 - 6:25 pm EST

Were you satisfied with the Bush era years? Of course because you had no knowledge of how deep we were sinking until we sank. Congress needs to help the POTUS get us out of the mess that the previous years got us into.
Do you think that Obama could get us out of 8 years of nothing but trouble? If you do, I wonder what kind of business you are running.

ravencottage

January 21, 2012 - 10:19 am EST

Of course the union and those who allow it to exist have absolutely no responsibilty for this mess.

January 21, 2012 - 1:46 pm EST

Teanut drivel.

bobberpopper

January 21, 2012 - 11:23 am EST

Thank god for email and online bill pay.

January 21, 2012 - 1:48 pm EST

And you're not paying anything for those services, are you? Think again.

Linus_61

January 21, 2012 - 12:49 pm EST

So now it is another penny-well how come I am receiving a package from UPS and it is being handled at this end by the Post Office-they are not even doing the hwole job for some packages-why not???

kurgun

January 21, 2012 - 1:24 pm EST

I will admit congress is not very popular these days, but look at what they have done, and continue to do for USPS. Every time they call for a price increase on stamps or anything else they provide services for, it always goes through without delay. Now the USPS wants congress to bail them out, where it would appear congress has been doing that. It reminded me of when Obama chose to send troops to Libya without congress permission and then wanted a speedy decision on the debt ceiling. You can't always have it both ways, if the USPS would have negotiated with congress about prepaying retirees and figured out a more sensible solution they wouldn't be backed into a corner now would they? It would seem to me many of the postal services people just go along with whatever is decided for them, and then walk on egg shells, they should have seen this coming and taken the right actions.

Mycroft

January 21, 2012 - 6:15 pm EST

The problem with the USPO is its run like a most other government agencies, however its funded like a private business. Its a clear example of how long your business would stay solvent if you ran it like the government.

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