United States Postal Service

U.S. Postal Service Announces Holiday Rate Increase
August 17, 2020 at 8:50 am

Last Friday, the U.S. Postal Service announced temporary price increases effective Oct. 18, 2020 through Dec. 27, 2020. Increases are quite significant, as follows: Parcel Select (DDU entry): Up to 7.5 percent Parcel Select (DSCF entry): Up to 9.1 percent Parcel Select (DNDC entry): Up to 6.7 percent Parcel Return Service: Up to 7.9 percentโ€ฆ

U.S. Postal Service Announces its First Loyalty Program
July 28, 2020 at 3:08 pm

The U.S. Postal Service announced a loyalty program designed to help smaller businesses, according to a press release obtained by Total Retail. Registered business users of USPS Click-N-Ship will earn credits by purchasing postal products they're already using for their shipping needs. Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express postage purchased online through Click-N-Ship will generateโ€ฆ

U.S. Postal Service Proposes Significant Parcel Rate Hike
October 12, 2018 at 11:37 am

The U.S. Postal Service has proposed a 9 percent to 12 percent increase in fees for its parcel select service, which is used by Amazon.com and many other retailers, as well as United Parcel Service and FedEx. The service is the last and typically most expensive step in the shipping process that gets packages to customersโ€™ doorsteps. Theโ€ฆ

NRF Forms a Package Coalition, and Shipping Tips for Retailers
August 10, 2018 at 10:27 am

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Caitlin Sullivan and Joe Keenan discuss the National Retail Federation's (NRF) new Package Coalition, a lobbying group in support of the U.S. Postal Service. The coalition is being led by Amazon.com and other retail businesses, including QVC and Columbia Sportswear. In addition to analyzing the meritsโ€ฆ

USPS to Halt Retail Sales at Staples
January 6, 2017 at 11:08 am

When the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and Staples announced a retail partnership in 2013, USPS said "itโ€™s time to celebrate.โ€ But now, that program has been shut down and it's postal labor leaders who are rejoicing. They're cheering the demise of a program that had been the target of a vigorous campaign by postal unions thatโ€ฆ

The End of Postage Discounting for Lower-Volume Shippers?
July 26, 2016 at 9:19 am

This is a guest post by Gordon Glazer, director of modal optimization and affiliate strategies at Shipware, a parcel audit and consulting firm. In the interest of full disclosure, Gordon recently took a small short position on Stamps.com after the two reports mentioned were published. Also, Shipware provides access to discounted postage pricing through oneโ€ฆ

USPS Touts E-Commerce Initiatives in Plea for Postal Reform
May 16, 2016 at 10:35 am

Postmaster General Megan Brennan called on Congress to enact legislation to help the Postal Service after releasing the agency's second-quarter financial report last week. She called the agency's challenges "serious but solvable." Brennan testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday, saying the USPS has worked with stakeholders on several provisions that canโ€ฆ