You can rest easy and stock up on booklets of Simpsons stamps instead of boring old Forever stamps. The United States Postal Service assures us that it is not planning any stamp price increases in 2010.
post office
US Postal Service Redefines "Contiguous" United States
By 10.2.09
Steve was mailing some packages from his home in Virgina to various points in the country, and noticed something strange on his receipt. The packages destined for Pennsylvania and Washington state are leaving the contiguous United States. What?
Ask The Consumerists: Should I Report My Package-Rolling Mailman?
By 9.9.09
Jeff has a quandary. He spotted his neighborhood mail carrier delivering his package in a way he didn’t like. Jeff wants to know whether he should report his friendly, package-tossing mailman to the post office, or whether he should expect retribution.
Postal Service Gettin' It On With eBay
By 6.17.09
The USPS is getting all modern-like, hooking up with eBay to let sellers be billed later for postal services rather than pay immediately. Also, a new tool will let sellers roll streamline the shipping process by letting them buy and print labels without having to juggle accounts or wait in line at the post office.
Reminder: Don't Pay Private Companies For Postal Jobs
By 5.27.09
For those readers who are job-hunting for the first time, or for the first time in a long time, let this serve as a reminder: you do not need to pay a private company to get a job with the post office. No study guides. No sample exams. As T.J. learned, these companies will be happy to sell you all kinds of unnecessary exam-taking supplies…whether there are any postal jobs available or exams planned near where you live, or not. Multiple companies are masquerading as hiring for the post office.
UPDATE: USPS Agrees To Pay Insurance Claim On Lost Laptops
By 5.8.09
After our story about USPS losing a reader’s five insured computers then only valuing them at $74 generated a lot of response (and turned into a vowel-less debate on health care), a couple readers sent us the contact info for the insurance agent who denied our reader’s request.
USPS: Your Five New, Insured Laptops That We Lost Are Worth $74
By 5.7.09
The US Postal Service lost five new Lenovo laptops that Pedro’s friend bought and shipped to him. Pedro expected that this might happen, so he wisely insured the package for $3,000. After stalling for about two months, USPS finally agreed to pay his insurance claim, but reduced the payment, claiming his merchandise was only worth $74.
It's Tax Day! Here Are Some Post Offices That Are Open Late…
By 4.15.09
Today is the day, folks. You’ll need to finish up your taxes and send them on their way to the IRS.
USPS Wants To Cut Back To Five-Day Work Week
By 1.30.09
A $3 billion deficit and expected losses of $6 billion more have led the Postmaster General to suggest cutting mail delivery from six to five days.
Woot! Replaces Shirt Stolen By The U.S. Post Office
By 1.23.09
Two weeks ago I wrote that Woot! hadn’t replaced a shirt stolen by the U.S. Post Office. Well, I was wrong. Unbeknownst to me, Woot! shipped out a brand new replacement shirt, just as I had requested.
The Post Office Stole My Woot! Shirt!
By 1.10.09
I ordered an awesome shirt from Shirt.Woot! How awesome? Awesome enough for the U.S. Post Office to tear it right out of the super-durable SmartPost package Woot uses to protect their shirts. The Post Office, bastion of empathy that it is, didn’t want me to miss my order completely, so they delivered my ripped empty package wrapped in an obnoxious “WE CARE” apology bag. Heartbroken, I tried emailing Woot for help…
Postal Employees Ordered To Stop Offering First-Class Mail
By 9.21.08
Postal employees have been ordered to upsell pricey express or priority mail services to anyone sending anything more than a letter, according to an anonymous tipster. The directive comes straight from Washington to help combat the Post Office’s $1.1 billion operating deficit. To avoid the upsell, specifically ask if there is a cheaper way to ship your package. The anonymous tipster’s letter, inside…
The Post Office Wants Their Penny Dammit!
By 7.17.08
Reader Joe wrote to us with a heads-up about not short-changing the U.S. Post Office. His postman left him a serious-ass invoice charging Joe with 1¢ postage due. According to Joe’s rough numbers, the PO spent at least $.25 to pay the postman for the estimated minute it took to write the invoice. Joe’s letter and photos, inside…
Don't Reuse That USPS Priority Box, It's Illegal
By 5.1.08
7 News in Denver reports that a Colorado man has been officially warned that reusing a United States Postal Service “Priority Mail” cardboard box is a violation of federal law. We’re not even talking about mail fraud but simply reusing them for other types of shipping. Could reusing these boxes actually be a federal crime? Find out more about this outlaw…
Post Office Offers Refund In Stamps After Delivering Priority Mail Package Five Weeks Late
By 1.26.08
“I wanted to let you and my fellow readers know about the agonizing experience I had with the US postal service recently. They didn’t quite lose my “2 to 3 day” Priority Mail package, but inexplicably shipped it back and forth across the country for over 5 weeks, missing Christmas by over a week, and then told me I did not deserve a refund!”
Attention Shoppers: Please Report For Jury Duty
By 1.13.08
A Vermont judge sent his sheriff to the mall to round up a jury that could fairly try a child molester.
They stopped passers-by and asked if they were residents of Caledonia County; a “yes” answer won a summons to appear at the courthouse for jury duty immediately, right now, this minute. They rounded up 45 people that way in all, to join the 34 already at the courthouse.
Check With The Postmaster Before You Install A Mailbox, Or Else
By 4.1.07
John Conway paid $1,300 for a lamppost and matching mailbox, but the Thiensville, WI postmaster refuses to provide service because the mailbox is on the wrong side of the street. The disputed mailbox is part of a new housing development located twenty minutes north of Milwaukee.
“I’m sort of the guy who set the pace here,” Conway said, pointing out that he and his wife are the first residents of Concord Creek. “I’m cemented in.”
The Conway’s concrete stance has the post office in a tizzy. They have refused to answer the Conway’s phone calls, and a local paper quoted one postal supervisor threatening to mark the Conway’s mail “return to sender.” A killjoy postal spokeswoman later retracted the statement, adding “We don’t do that.”
Adventures In Everyday Consumerism
By 9.5.06
Jennifer’s letter is perfectly ordinary. It’s the tale of one day in the life of a consumer, a mother, trying to run some errands. Her ToDo list reads: Send letter at post office, return grandma gifts at Walmart, shots at Kaiser. Of course, it’s not as easy as that, because nobody knows how to do their jobs anymore and the dang sauce pitchers exploding off the shelves and whatnot.
