The U.S. Postal Service unveiled gopost, a new self-service parcel locker, Thursday April 19, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony witnessed by hundreds of shoppers and retailers at the Ballston Common Mall in Arlington, Virginia. Designed for today’s on-the-go lifestyles, gopost contains dozens of individual parcel lockers that Postal Service customers can use to receive or ship packages while they are out shopping or doing other errands. [more from postal technology international magazine]
North American Postal News
US Postal Service unveils GoPost – self-service parcel locker
April 23, 2012 by Bernard Markowicz in North American Postal News
Postal Reform Act of 2011 would save about $20B according to the CBO
April 9, 2012 by Bernard Markowicz in North American Postal News
H.R. 2309, also known as the Postal Reform Act of 2011, would change the laws that govern the operation of the Postal Service by:
- Allowing the Postal Service to deliver mail five days per
- Transfering about $11 billion in surplus retirement contributions from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF) to the Postal Service Fund;
- Reducing the contribution made by the Postal Service for employees’ health and life insurance premiums;
- Changing the payments that the Postal Service is required to make to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund (PSRHBF); and
- Eliminating annual appropriations made to the Postal Service for free and reduced rate mail.
In addition, other provisions of H.R. 2309 would help the Postal Service reduce its costs and increase its income.
CBO estimates that enacting the bill would result in off-budget savings totaling about $28 billion and on-budget costs of about $8 billion over the 2012-2022 period.
H.R. 2309 would impose intergovernmental and private-sector mandates, as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA), on some groups of mailers by increasing postage rates. CBO estimates that the costs to the private sector to comply with the mandates would fall below $146 million in 2012, adjusted annually for inflation,which is the annual threshold for private-sector mandates established in UMRA.
The bill also would impose an intergovernmental mandate on the state of Alaska by requiring the state to reimburse the USPS for costs it incurs to provide bypass mail service in Alaska. For more details, see the CBO Cost Estimate Report here.
USPS gopost is a go….
March 25, 2012 by Bernard Markowicz in North American Postal News
I received a lovely mailer in my home mailbox for USPS’ new parcel terminal service, gopost, asking me to register online for an account. I thought the privacy policies were a little loose – allowing USPS to share my info with any service partner. The service also require me to physically go to one of a few local post office to get my ID validated before my account will become active. I am anxious to try this out, and find out whether the parcel terminals are generally accessible, or locked out of reach after hours.
U.S. Postal Service Recognizes Direct Mail Success
May 7, 2011 by Bernard Markowicz in North American Postal News / trendsights
WASHINGTON – May 3rd, 2011 — The U.S. Postal Service today honored Ohio-based branding agency Mlicki with a Marketing Achievement in Innovation and Leadership (MAIL) Award for a direct mail campaign that attained a 10 percent response rate.
Recognized for creative and effective use of direct mail to achieve business goals, Mlicki won the MAIL Award for its Blue Octo Classified Dossier. The “dossier” direct mail piece was part of a multichannel marketing campaign to launch Blue Octo, a line of industrial waste-water pumps manufactured by Gorman-Rupp, Mansfield, Ohio. The Blue Octo Classified Dossier direct mail piece was sent to 3,000 prospects, generating 300 sales.
“The Postal Service is pleased to honor Mlicki with the first MAIL Award,” said Paul Vogel, president and chief marketing/sales officer. “Their fun and creative use of direct mail is sure to inspire other companies to take advantage of one of the most effective ways to promote new products and prospect new customers.”
[USPS Press Release]
[Deliver Magazine Article]
[Video on the Mlicki Website]
PRC grants USPS conditional approval to reclassify parcel products
March 5, 2011 by Bernard Markowicz in North American Postal News
Back in August 2010, the Postal Service filed a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to transfer its commercial Standard Mail Fulfillment Parcels product from the market dominant product list to the competitive product list in the Mail Classification Schedule (MCS) on file with the Commission. On March 2, PRC came back to the USPS with a favorable reply, when it filed an order to conditionally grant the request to transfer Commercial Standard Mail Parcels to the competitive product list.
PRC noted the following conditions:
- USPS must file a notice of competitive price adjustment for Parcel Select rates, including Lightweight Parcel Select parcels, that demonstrates that the rates cover costs; and
- PRC must issue an order finding that the Parcel Select rates in the USPS’ filing mentioned above cover costs.
According to Logistics Management, “assuming the PRC’s conditions are met, effective April 17, qualifying customers will receive Commercial Base Pricing for parcels weighing 13 ounces or less and can receive Commercial Plus Pricing for parcels weighing less than one pound. Commercial Base and Commercial Plus offerings are specifically geared towards shippers. These changes could be a boon for the USPS”…
Obama Administration’s Proposed 2012 Budget Seeks to Protect USPS
February 17, 2011 by Bernard Markowicz in North American Postal News
Tagged in budget, USPS
From article by Ed O’Keefe in Washington Post
President Obama’s proposed 2012 budget tries to remedy the U.S. Postal Service’s perilous financial condition by recommending about $11 billion in relief. The budget would allow the agency to pay $4 billion less toward future retiree health benefits than otherwise required. The mail agency would have to pay about $1.5 billion of those costs in fiscal 2012 and make up the difference in later years.
Estimates by the Office of Personnel Management suggest that USPS has overpaid the federal retirement fund by about $6.9 billion. Obama’s budget would refund that amount over 30 years, beginning with a $550 million payment in fiscal 2012. Combined, the steps outlined would “provide USPS with the breathing room necessary to continue restructuring its operations without severe disruptions” as it faces pressures that include decreased volume and customer demands for better service, according to the budget. [more]
Correos de Mexico seeks growth through efficiency
February 9, 2011 by Bernard Markowicz in North American Postal News
(From Post and Parcel Info) Mexico City – Feb 8, 2011. Mexico’s postmaster general José Ignacio García Olvera said yesterday that his company would achieve growth in the postal market even with competition from internet communications. However, Correos de Mexico is looking to make changes in its working culture and while maintaining its presence across the country, consolidate its operations in order to deliver safely, in a timely fashion and at a lower price. [more]
H.R. 2309, also known as the Postal Reform Act of 2011, would change the laws that govern the operation of the Postal Service by:
- Allowing the Postal Service to deliver mail five days per
- Transfering about $11 billion in surplus retirement contributions from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF) to the Postal Service Fund;
- Reducing the contribution made by the Postal Service for employees’ health and life insurance premiums;
- Changing the payments that the Postal Service is required to make to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund (PSRHBF); and
- Eliminating annual appropriations made to the Postal Service for free and reduced rate mail.
In addition, other provisions of H.R. 2309 would help the Postal Service reduce its costs and increase its income.
CBO estimates that enacting the bill would result in off-budget savings totaling about $28 billion and on-budget costs of about $8 billion over the 2012-2022 period.
H.R. 2309 would impose intergovernmental and private-sector mandates, as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA), on some groups of mailers by increasing postage rates. CBO estimates that the costs to the private sector to comply with the mandates would fall below $146 million in 2012, adjusted annually for inflation,which is the annual threshold for private-sector mandates established in UMRA.
The bill also would impose an intergovernmental mandate on the state of Alaska by requiring the state to reimburse the USPS for costs it incurs to provide bypass mail service in Alaska. For more details, see the CBO Cost Estimate Report here.
I received a lovely mailer in my home mailbox for USPS’ new parcel terminal service, gopost, asking me to register online for an account. I thought the privacy policies were a little loose – allowing USPS to share my info with any service partner. The service also require me to physically go to one of a few local post office to get my ID validated before my account will become active. I am anxious to try this out, and find out whether the parcel terminals are generally accessible, or locked out of reach after hours.
WASHINGTON – May 3rd, 2011 — The U.S. Postal Service today honored Ohio-based branding agency Mlicki with a Marketing Achievement in Innovation and Leadership (MAIL) Award for a direct mail campaign that attained a 10 percent response rate.
Recognized for creative and effective use of direct mail to achieve business goals, Mlicki won the MAIL Award for its Blue Octo Classified Dossier. The “dossier” direct mail piece was part of a multichannel marketing campaign to launch Blue Octo, a line of industrial waste-water pumps manufactured by Gorman-Rupp, Mansfield, Ohio. The Blue Octo Classified Dossier direct mail piece was sent to 3,000 prospects, generating 300 sales.
“The Postal Service is pleased to honor Mlicki with the first MAIL Award,” said Paul Vogel, president and chief marketing/sales officer. “Their fun and creative use of direct mail is sure to inspire other companies to take advantage of one of the most effective ways to promote new products and prospect new customers.”
[USPS Press Release]
[Deliver Magazine Article]
[Video on the Mlicki Website]
Back in August 2010, the Postal Service filed a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to transfer its commercial Standard Mail Fulfillment Parcels product from the market dominant product list to the competitive product list in the Mail Classification Schedule (MCS) on file with the Commission. On March 2, PRC came back to the USPS with a favorable reply, when it filed an order to conditionally grant the request to transfer Commercial Standard Mail Parcels to the competitive product list.
PRC noted the following conditions:
- USPS must file a notice of competitive price adjustment for Parcel Select rates, including Lightweight Parcel Select parcels, that demonstrates that the rates cover costs; and
- PRC must issue an order finding that the Parcel Select rates in the USPS’ filing mentioned above cover costs.
According to Logistics Management, “assuming the PRC’s conditions are met, effective April 17, qualifying customers will receive Commercial Base Pricing for parcels weighing 13 ounces or less and can receive Commercial Plus Pricing for parcels weighing less than one pound. Commercial Base and Commercial Plus offerings are specifically geared towards shippers. These changes could be a boon for the USPS”…
From article by Ed O’Keefe in Washington Post
President Obama’s proposed 2012 budget tries to remedy the U.S. Postal Service’s perilous financial condition by recommending about $11 billion in relief. The budget would allow the agency to pay $4 billion less toward future retiree health benefits than otherwise required. The mail agency would have to pay about $1.5 billion of those costs in fiscal 2012 and make up the difference in later years.
Estimates by the Office of Personnel Management suggest that USPS has overpaid the federal retirement fund by about $6.9 billion. Obama’s budget would refund that amount over 30 years, beginning with a $550 million payment in fiscal 2012. Combined, the steps outlined would “provide USPS with the breathing room necessary to continue restructuring its operations without severe disruptions” as it faces pressures that include decreased volume and customer demands for better service, according to the budget. [more]
(From Post and Parcel Info) Mexico City – Feb 8, 2011. Mexico’s postmaster general José Ignacio García Olvera said yesterday that his company would achieve growth in the postal market even with competition from internet communications. However, Correos de Mexico is looking to make changes in its working culture and while maintaining its presence across the country, consolidate its operations in order to deliver safely, in a timely fashion and at a lower price. [more]