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	<title>USPS OIG</title>
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		<title>Betting on the Postal Service?</title>
		<link>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2469</link>
		<comments>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2469#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:00:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>RARC host</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Ideas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Incentive System]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Information Systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prediction markets]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2469</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
How can companies harness hidden knowledge located throughout the enterprise?  Supporters of prediction markets claim they offer a way.  Prediction markets resemble financial trading sites, but instead of buying and selling stocks, traders buy and sell predictions.  A company that wants to operate a prediction market can provide their employees virtual cash [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>10</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Disappearing Collection Boxes</title>
		<link>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2445</link>
		<comments>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2445#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>RARC host</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Delivery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Finances]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mailing Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mail boxes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[postal service]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2445</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
News about disappearing collection boxes is everywhere these days.  Even BBC News ran a story on the decline of the blue collection box in the United States.
The Postal Service argues that picking up mail from collection boxes is expensive.  Removing underused boxes is a cost savings move and a reasonable response to the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>55</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Are There Other Viable Alternatives for 6-Day Delivery Operations?</title>
		<link>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2422</link>
		<comments>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2422#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:42:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Delivery host Atlanta</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Delivery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mailing Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[financial operations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[postal service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[services]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2422</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In these challenging times, reducing the cost of delivery operations — one of the Postal Service’s largest expenses — could save millions.  One option the Postal Service is considering is to discontinue Saturday city and rural delivery and collection services.

Saturday is said to be one of the lowest mail volume days.  It’s also [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>59</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Modes of Delivery</title>
		<link>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2370</link>
		<comments>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2370#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:16:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Delivery host Rosslyn</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Delivery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Delivery modes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2370</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Providing mail delivery is central to the Postal Service’s mission.  Delivery is the Postal Service’s largest operational function and accounted for approximately one-third of its nearly $78 billion in total expenses during 2008.  Postal Service management is working hard to reduce delivery costs while continuing to deliver to 149 million[1] addresses in the most efficient [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>19</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Year 2</title>
		<link>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2352</link>
		<comments>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2352#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 13:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>RARC host</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[OIG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Top Stories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[comments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[views]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Year 2]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2352</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Pushing the Envelope officially launched on October 14 last year.  Since that time, the blog has posted more than 49 topics including this one and more than 1,700 comments.  Some topics have been more popular than others, and those covering issues of interest to Postal Service employees have generally received the most attention. [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Competition</title>
		<link>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2306</link>
		<comments>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2306#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:22:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>RARC host</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Mailing Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shipping Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[competition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[competitive market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parcels]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2306</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
When the topic of competition for the Postal Service comes up in casual conversation, the discussion usually involves FedEx or UPS. However, packages are a relatively small part of the Postal Service’s business. Certainly, these firms are direct competitors, but are there other competitors for Postal Service business?

What alternatives compete with each of the various [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>13</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Penny for Your Thoughts?</title>
		<link>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2288</link>
		<comments>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2288#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:00:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>RARC host</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cost, Revenue, and Rates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mailing Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[price cap]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stamps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whole-cent]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2288</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Stamp prices are traditionally in whole cent increments.  That means it is difficult to target a particular percentage increase.  For instance, a one-cent increase on the 42-cent stamp would have been 2.4 percent; while the two-cent increase was 4.8 percent.

Postal price increases are now limited by an inflation-based “cap” for each class of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?feed=rss2&amp;p=2288</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>13</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Silly Rules</title>
		<link>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2259</link>
		<comments>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2259#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Blog Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Rules and Policies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rules]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[silly rules]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2259</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Silly Signs, Silly Rules –- Know Any?
Workplace rules exist for a reason. Some rules are designed to protect employees’ rights and their safety, while others protect the employer and workplace. Then there are some rules that are just plain silly, and we ask ourselves why are they even are in place.
Sometimes the best way to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?feed=rss2&amp;p=2259</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>181</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Should the Postal Service Eliminate Sunday Mail Processing Operations?</title>
		<link>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2243</link>
		<comments>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2243#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Network Ops host</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Processing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sunday operations]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2243</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Keep Sunday Operations?
We’ve all heard the bad news.  Mail volume in fiscal year (FY) 2008 totaled 202.7 billion pieces, a decline of 9.5 billion pieces or 4.5 percent compared to the previous fiscal year.  Mail volume has declined even further this year.  At the end of the last quarter, mail volume was [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?feed=rss2&amp;p=2243</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>87</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mystery Shoppers</title>
		<link>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2223</link>
		<comments>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2223#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:00:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>RARC host</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Retail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sales and Service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mystery Shopper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[upselling]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?p=2223</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Like most retailers, the Postal Service uses mystery shoppers — customers unknown to the retail staff who fill out evaluations on their shopping experience — to determine how well retail units are performing.  Not every postal retail unit is visited by mystery shoppers.  Only units with a certain amount of revenue are included [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blog.uspsoig.gov/?feed=rss2&amp;p=2223</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>37</slash:comments>
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