Posts by Blog Editor

Returning Purchases through the Postal Service

on Feb 9, 2009 in Products & Services | 6 comments

Merchandise Return Service and Parcel Return Service allow merchants to pay the shipping charges for their customers’ returns. Merchandise Return Service is the end-to-end version, and Parcel Return Service provides workshare discounts for mailers willing to pick up the packages within the Postal Service’s network. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General independently audits the efficiency and effectiveness of Postal Service programs such as Merchandise Return Service and Parcel Return Service. However, OIG employees are also customers of the Postal Service with their own experiences. Nicole, an OIG employee, recently used Parcel Return Service. She agreed to share her experience on Pushing the Envelope.

The Postal Service’s Financial Crisis

on Feb 2, 2009 in Finances: Cost & Revenue | 19 comments

The Postal Service lost $2.8 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2008. This year, the Postal Service is concerned its loss could grow to $6 billion or more. Since the Postal Service is limited by law from borrowing more than $3 billion per year and the Postal Service started 2009 with only $1.4 billion cash on hand, there is a danger the Postal Service could face a liquidity problem as payroll and benefits alone are about $54 billion a year.

Last Wednesday, Postmaster General Potter testified to the Senate subcommittee that oversees the Postal Service. (Click here to view that testimony.) The Postmaster General asked for two forms of relief:

Voting by Mail

on Jan 26, 2009 in Products & Services | 4 comments

More than 31 million ballots were expected to have been mailed in the recent 2008 election — nearly twice as many as in 2004. Voting by mail has expanded as more states offer “no excuses” absentee ballots or conduct elections through the mail. Oregon has voted by mail since 1998 and has saved 30 percent of its election costs by eliminating polling places.

Mail Volume: What Goes Up…?

on Dec 12, 2008 in Mail Processing & Transportation | 21 comments

In 1970, the Postal Service delivered fewer than 85 billion pieces of mail. Thirty years later, mail volume had more than doubled to nearly 208 billion pieces of mail — average growth of about 3 percent per year. The Postal Service relied upon this dependable growth in mail volume to finance the expansion of its network. The traditional business model worked.

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