Thursday, February 12, 2009

Catalog Postal Rates Rise 2.3%, Periodicals rise 4%

The U.S. Postal Service released details yesterday of the next rate increase, which will take affect May 11. The postal rate for Standard Mail Flats (catalogs) will increase by 2.3%, while the average rate hike for carrier route flats is 4.3%. The postal rate for periodicals will increase 3.976%, which is more than any other class of mail. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is currently 3.8%, now caps postal rate increases. This year’s increase for catalogs is higher than last year’s 1%, but significantly lower than the 20%-40% rate increase in 2007.
The USPS is facing a $2.8billion deficit and total mail volume was down 9 billion in 2008.

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