In an earlier post, below, I wrote about, among other things, paying bills online. There exists a very direct link between that practice and the recent announcement from the US Postal Service concerning its latest rate increases. A First Class stamp will go from the current 44 cents to 46 cents beginning on January first of next year. Among the reasons cited, diminished postal revenue due to increasing use of e-mail and online bill paying.
Predictably, many people and organizations have their shorts in a bunch over this increase. Not me.
Oh, I understand the impact this increase has on business users and on non-profits and other organizations. I operate a business and I send out plenty of mail. I am an officer in a not-for-profit that sends out a newsletter. A 4.5 percent increase in any cost is not to be dismissed.
But for individuals, the persons who might be sending a bill payment to the plumber or a birthday card to Aunt Millie, 46 cents remains a bargain.
I look at it this way: I have in my hand an envelope that needs to go from New Jersey to Denver. How do I get it there? I engage a courier to take it there for me. That courier charges me 46 cents. 46 cents to carry my envelope across town or across the country. It’s a steal.
Despite the incredible convenience and timeliness of e-mail and web-based delivery, there are still plenty of occasions for which a physical envelope needs to be sent. For those occasions, I am perfectly happy to pay the USPS their First Class rate.
Predictably, many people and organizations have their shorts in a bunch over this increase. Not me.
Oh, I understand the impact this increase has on business users and on non-profits and other organizations. I operate a business and I send out plenty of mail. I am an officer in a not-for-profit that sends out a newsletter. A 4.5 percent increase in any cost is not to be dismissed.
But for individuals, the persons who might be sending a bill payment to the plumber or a birthday card to Aunt Millie, 46 cents remains a bargain.
I look at it this way: I have in my hand an envelope that needs to go from New Jersey to Denver. How do I get it there? I engage a courier to take it there for me. That courier charges me 46 cents. 46 cents to carry my envelope across town or across the country. It’s a steal.
Despite the incredible convenience and timeliness of e-mail and web-based delivery, there are still plenty of occasions for which a physical envelope needs to be sent. For those occasions, I am perfectly happy to pay the USPS their First Class rate.