Shipping

Starting today, Walmart plans to offer free shipping on its website, with no minimum purchase on almost 60,000 gift items, including many toys and electronics. The offer will run through Dec. 20, when Walmart said it might consider other free-shipping deals.

In early October, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) was applauded by the mailing industry when it denied the USPS its exigent price increase, which would have taken effect in January 2011 for an average increase of 5.6 percent, with specific products receiving higher or lower increases (catalogs were expected to see increases ranging from 4 percent to 10 percent).

The U.S. Postal Service is temporarily suspending acceptance of inbound mail from Yemen in response to potential terror threats from the country.

After nearly 10 years as U.S. Postmaster General and CEO of the U.S. Postal Service, John E. Potter today announced that he will retire on Dec. 3, after 32 years of service.

I don’t know how much more I can do or say about the U.S. Postal Service and its stupidity. I've made all kinds of suggestions on how it can increase its revenues, incentivize companies to try mail and win back customers who have abandoned the channel. I even wrote a fake testimonial letter from an online marketing company thanking the USPS for helping it build their business. And yet the madness continues.

Direct marketers aren't getting slammed with another 5 percent-plus postage rate increase in January. Big whoop-de-doo. Postage is still the biggest expense in all my clients’ mail campaigns. And the cost of mailing vs. the risk of the unknown is still the biggest reason marketers shy away from the direct mail channel.

With yesterday's decision by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to reject a postal rate hike proposed by the U.S. Postal Service, business mailers — and the trade groups that represent them — have reason to celebrate. At least for now.

Postal regulators Thursday denied requests by the U.S. Postal Service to raise postage rates in January beyond the rate of inflation, ruling that the mail agency's recent financial woes were caused by a flawed business model and not the recent recession.

Legislation introduced today by Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) is a roadmap to recovery for the Postal Service, said Postmaster General John Potter. It incorporates many of the key elements we have identified as necessary and essential to allow the Postal Service to meet the changing needs of its customers.