A Mailer's Take on the State of Postal Mailings, Part 2

This is a time of challenge and opportunity. If the catalog community doesn't participate in the ongoing dialog on the future of the Postal Service, changes will be made that hurt our ability to use the mail even more.

If the USPS isn't successful in dramatically reducing its costs, and economic conditions remain stagnant, I anticipate an exigent (emergency) rate case in the next few years, maybe even later this summer. This type of rate-setting procedure has no CPI cap and reverts to many of the processes existent under the old rate-setting methodology. It becomes “dog eat dog” with all of the competing mailing interests fighting for their own self-interest. If this occurs, catalogers will require a significant war chest to make certain that we're not once again victims of exorbitant rate increases.