Itty bitty suck

[The Grim Shipper]

This wasn't a huge one, but I thought this merited a quick mention. We're a small postal store. We surcharge our stamps because we've got to keep the lights on, the counter manned, and the rent paid. The surcharge on a single stamp is four cents, meaning we sell a $0.44 stamp for $0.48. I just had a lady tell me this was "highway robbery". She was entirely serious and very vocal in her disapproval. As she's leaving the store, she calls over her shoulder "A forty four cent stamp is a forty four cent stamp! Not forty eight!"



Damn, I was planning to run straight to the bank with that four cents. I could've shut down for the day!

[TheSHAD0W]

You might want to check with your post office; I think they have a program where they will sell stamps at a small discount to resellers. (Some of the warehouse stores I go to sell books of stamps at slightly under their face value.) You may also be able to print postage for people who are mailing out letters then and there, and get a discount on the postage while charging them full price.

[bhskittykatt]

It's perfectly legal for a retailer to sell stamps for a surcharge. A 44-cent stamp is a 44-cent stamp at the post office, but if you go to the grocery store or an office store, it's going to be more because they must make a profit.

Snopes covers it all here: http://www.snopes.com/legal/postal/resellstamps.asp

[Megg]

My local place (the only one that sells single stamps at all) charges 50 cents. I bet that lady would have a hemorrhage all over that poor guy! Personally, I see it as the price I pay for being too lazy to hit the post office, but I guess I am not an SC ...

[EvilEmpryss]

Ah, Snopes.com. The site of truth and reason for the deluded and unreasonable.

I'd hate to hear what that lady would have said if she'd tried to buy a whole book from you!

[Alteran Ancient]

There's no such thing as reselling here. It has to come from the post office.

It's 32p for your Everyday 2nd Class Letter, 41p for your Everyday 1st Class Letter, 51p for a Large 2nd Class and 66p for Large 1st Class. Then there are individual value stamps for more obscure items, including values of 1, 2, 5, 9, 10, 20, 50, 60, 67, 97, £1.00, and several larger ones. Some interesting values there, but those ones with odd or non-square values are intended for airmail.

You can buy them individually, in books of 12, or wallets of 50 of them. Or if you're a big business who sends large amounts of mail regularly, you can get a franking machine, top it up with cash, and feed your letters through that instead.

...and keep in mind, that this is a government-operated postal service that is actually operating on a loss. They're considering privatisation. The employees don't like the idea, but I do. With privatisation, there comes improvements and efficiency, with a motivation to make profit.

[Mikkel]

With privatisation, there comes improvements and efficiency, with a motivation to make profit.

Like the railroads?

[EricKei]

Like the railroads?

Oy AmTrak, the US-national railroad company (read: the ONLY major passenger rail service) has been operating at a loss for decades. The government keeps it shored up financially.

[Lady Legira]

...and keep in mind, that this is a government-operated postal service that is actually operating on a loss. They're considering privatisation. The employees don't like the idea, but I do. With privatisation, there comes improvements and efficiency, with a motivation to make profit.

I'm with the employees on this one. I'm a post office widow (I currently recieve a small pension from them). The service runs amazing well dispite the issues they have (old machines, unions (believe me they are a problem) and other things).

Customer was odd bird. :S I've payed worse for things with a small overchage just for convieance but then I'm sensible.

[Captain Trips]

Like the railroads?

Like the USPS?

Privatization had come to the U.S. Postal Service decades ago, and there was no improvement in efficiency or quality, and the union is almost useless until you've had years of seniority. (But what do you expect when the union is run by the same company? The USPS union is run by the USPS!)

Been there - back in '88. Got through 2 weeks training with flying colors, at the top of my class. Got assigned to the station in town with the worst reputation, and got assigned to the worst route they had (read: almost 2 routes in one), ended up in a situation where the day's work would not be done in under 10 hours by an experienced carrier, and I, a novice, got it done in 10.5 hours. But it was never good enough - my supervisor chewed me a new asshole every day I went over 8 hours on the clock, which was every day and unavoidable. (As I said, an experienced carrier could do hardly better than I!)

Privatization? That just means LESS oversight, and more chance for the power-hungry supervisors to get away with more crap. (That's just my opinion, your mileage may vary.)

[Mikkel]

Oy AmTrak, the US-national railroad company (read: the ONLY major passenger rail service) has been operating at a loss for decades. The government keeps it shored up financially.

Sure, but Alteran Ancient is British. The railroads there have been privatised for many years.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Something to keep in mind here is that the US Postal Service is an independent agency of the US Government, and Amtrak is a government-owned corporation. They are still run by the government, and are not private companies.