The postal service is raising rates once again. First class postage is going to 42 cents on May 12th.
Come May 12, the U.S. Postal Service "will adjust prices" for first-class stamps and other services. Stamps - including the "Forever" stickie - will rise a penny, to 42 cents. You can buy 41 cents Forevers until then.
A post card will rise one Lincoln head, to 27 cents. And purveyors of periodicals will pay more.
Coming next month: a price-hike announcement for Express Mail, Priority Mail, Parcel Select and International Mail.
And you can set your watch by future increases. Quoth the Postal Service:
"Consistent with The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, we will adjust our mailing services prices each May. By law, these prices can increase on average no more than the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. We plan to provide 90 days' notice of the new prices each year, to help mailers prepare for the change."
You can see how much you'll be gouged on all kinds of postage here. The postal service is top heavy with bureaucracy. Rate increases hurt small businesses, including writers. And now the postal service tells us that it's going to raise rates every year from here on out.
