They have been shrinking already but now it will be even more. https://blog.stamps.com/2021/10/15/...8HCCrzmoqeU8Z-VqqiDPDrMcpP-Fx_J_an3Xj6by1n1so
Quite a business model - reminds me of Eddie Lampbert buying up Sears and K-Mart and slowly but surely killing them by not updating, giving the customers less - turning the lights down, the air off in the summer etc. But Louis DeJoy is doing to an institution that goes back to the earliest days of American history. Slowing mail down, charging more and giving the customers less will kill it off quickly.
Free priority mail boxes was a great idea, I'm sure a lot of people opted for paying the premium shipping over Retail Ground because of the free box. But now that the cost differential between between the two is so small, I expect it won't be long before we see USPS charging for priority mail boxes. Wish they wouldn't insult the general public by claiming that the boxes are smaller because its more efficient.
Most are being downsized by 1/4 " or less. except fpr the regional boxes (which few use anyway). The only Flat Rate Box being reduced is the Large one by 1/4". I really don't think many people will notice the difference. Looks like they are bringing coxes down to the 12" size for better automated processing.
Wish I'd picked up more of the full-size ones before this. Apparently they've been distributing the shrunken ones since the end of last month. "This item doesn't fit into the box" is pretty hard to miss. "Shipping on this will be an extra $10 because it doesn't fit into a standard box" is pretty hard to miss, too. I had some magazines I was thinking of selling, and it seemed like I'd found one of the flat-rate boxes that I could pack quite solidly with them. Guess I'll need to start over if I decide to complete that project. Now, if this is really about being able to process the smaller packages more efficiently, with less need for manual "sortation", then the new packages should ship for a lower price, right? I'm off to look for the press releases about the new reduced flat-rate shipping fees.
It actually is though. Part of it is obviously to save money but it's not a lie. They should probably get rid of those or have them just for businesses. I don't think I've ever actually seen one be used
Prices will never come down especially not when they're losing money from mail being reduced, airlines charging insane rates for cargo space, more drop shipping from more packages etc. Saving money should be a priority for them and just because that's one benefit doesn't mean the other cant be true as well
The best hope (although still a stretch) is that all of these changes will save the post office enough money that they won't need a huge bailout. Using a slightly smaller box or paying a bit extra for each package will be a lot lower of an expense than the taxes needed out of your paycheck to make the post office solvent without any changes. We also have to remember that items like priority mail flat rate are the same price regardless of location. Mailing to place like Guam, Alaska, Hawaii, etc costs more than mailing to New York or LA. I'm not a fan of paying more but so far the changes are no where as drastic as they could be (and much tamer than other price increases we have been seeing throughout 2021).
That's a pretty poor comparison. Dejoy comes from a logistics background and has a task to make the USPS function more efficiently within government constraints. Lampert came from a hedge fund/investment background where stripping a company and turning a profit without any other consideration was the norm.
Agreed. It's not ideal but these changes were LONG overdue and it's nice to actually see the USPS being run competently for once. I have no idea how long the contracts last for but I hope that someone competent is in charge next time an Amazon or UPS/Fedex contract comes up for bid. The discounts they get are absolutely insane even for their volume. I still will never understand the logic of the drop shipping for UPS/Fedex either, you're doing the most expensive part for a competitor for pennies on the dollar. If you're going to do that you need to charge full price or close to it instead of helping them steal business.
