Postal Dis-Service

I'm sure there are business professors on college campuses out there who use the United States Postal Service as the epitome of how not to run a real capitalist for profit company. However, being a taxpayer subsidized monopoly means that the normal rules don't really apply to it; so maybe such a comparison isn't fair. However, the head honchos of the USPS keep telling our rulers in Congress that their goal is to make it self sufficient. If so, they are again heading in the wrong direction.

I could write endlessly on the idiotic mistakes they continue to make. However, I will limit myself to a few recent ones.

Raising Rates
The PO allegedly needs more money because of the losses it suffered after the 9/11 attacks. The geniuses at the USPS automatically jumped to raise their rates. As with almost every government policy, the result will be exactly opposite from the stated goal. Anyone with even the most basic understanding of elementary economics knows that an increase in prices for a product or service will result in lower consumption. With plenty of alternatives to sending things through the mail (fax, e-mail, FedEx, etc), the actual revenue will drop. Idiots.

I'm not a big fan of the GAO (General Accounting Office); but even they acknowledge that the USPS business model is destined for failure according to this press release from Citizens Against Government Waste.

Delivery Time
The PO has a nice website. They even allow you to order stamps online. However, what's wrong with this picture? This is an actual quote from the USPS site:

Question & Answer Page
Question: How soon after I place my order will it arrive?
Answer: Please allow 3 to 5 business days for processing and delivery. Please allow 3 weeks to receive orders sent to foreign addresses.

If anyone has a head start in trimming delivery times, it would be the Post Office. Why is it that I can order a hard drive from a company on the Left Coast and receive it the very next day; but if I order a roll of stamps, I have to wait three to five days? Incompetence doesn't even begin to describe this situation.

Anonymous Stamps
It's always irked me when buying stamps around the time of a postage rate increase and finding that the stamps have a letter instead of the amount of postage. I'm sure we're not alone with a drawer cluttered with lettered stamps and no idea of how much they are worth. Showing that there is no limit to stupidity with the PO, they have outdone themselves this time. Sherry just bought a roll of new 37 cent stamps and they have no number or letter. Just a picture of a US flag. How stupid is that?

It's not easy to find, but I was able to locate the values of the previous lettered stamps from the USPS website. They call them Nondenominational Postage. I seriously doubt if our local PO knows these amounts; so I will be writing the amounts next to the stamps I use.

A breakdown of the A-H stamps with their denomination is as follows:
A $0.15
B $0.18
C $0.20
D $0.22
E $0.25
F $0.29
G (Old Glory) $0.32
G (postcard) $0.20
G (Dove) $0.03 (MAKE-UP)
H (Hat) $0.33
H (Rooster) $0.01 (MAKE-UP)

It would be good to print this out & keep near your stamp collection.

KMK
- posted by Kerry M. Kerstetter, MBA~CPA~ATP~ATA @ 6/28/2002 06:00:00 PM Send this post: