Sunday, January 27, 2013
First-class postal rates are going up for the second time in two years.
While the volume of first-class mail has dropped sharply, from an all-time high of 213 billion pieces in 2006 to only 168 billion in 2011, according to New York Times story, the United States Post Service (USPS) is struggling, showing a loss of $36 million per day. The most prominent way for the USPS to recover revenue is to raise postage and mailing rates. Since 1885, when the price for the first ounce of a first-class letter was $0.02, rates have increased 24 times and will jump to $0.46 as of Sunday, January 27, 2013. According to a press release from the USPS, the price of a Forever Stamp - which allows a customer to send a one-ounce letter anywhere in the United States - will go up one penny to $0.46. Each additional ounce of a …
Monday, January 7, 2013
Montgomery County police are investigating a string of thefts involving outgoing mail containing checks.
Police are investigating a string of thefts where victims have placed outgoing mail in mail boxes, often containing checks to pay bills, only to have it stolen and the checks altered and cashed at local banks. The thefts began in November 2012 and have occurred throughout the county, according to a police release. “Police are recommending that citizens drop important outgoing mail at local post offices or in a U.S. Postal Service mailbox,” the release states. “Another option to consider is not using the ‘flag’ on your mailbox as an alert that there is mail waiting in your box.” Residents can report suspicious situations or individuals by calling 9-1-1 or using the police non-emergency number, 301-279-8000.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Take note of these holiday shipping deadlines, and plan accordingly.
Time is running out for holiday gift and card shipping through the U.S. Postal Service. Mail parcels and packages by Dec. 14 for parcel post delivery by Christmas, and cards by Dec. 21, the post office's blog advises. If you miss those days, though, you're still OK—as long as you're fine with paying a little extra. Here are the absolute-last-day deadlines to keep in mind, according to the U.S. Postal Service's holiday calendar: One more date to keep in mind is Monday, Dec. 17: Traditionally, the post office's "busiest day is ... the Monday before Christmas as people mail cards and packages they prepared over the weekend," The Huffington Post reported last year. A good way to cut down on time spent waiting in line is to order your holiday …
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Postal patrons can now park in the Adagio garage and have their tickets validated, The Gazette reports.
Patrons of Bethesda's new downtown post office are now able to park in the Adagio garage and have their parking tickets validated, The Gazette reports this week. The garage is located at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Bradley Boulevard, beneath the Adagio condominium complex, PetSmart and CVS. The United States Postal Service has been criticized by the community and U.S. Rep. Christopher Van Hollen (D) for opening the new Wisconsin Avenue post office with no dedicated parking. USPS closed the two downtown Bethesda post offices at 7001 Arlington Rd. and 7400 Wisconsin Ave. and consolidated them at the new location at 6900 Wisconsin Ave. early this summer. Without parking, however, postal patrons were forced to hunt for metered spots or …
Honey
4:47 pm on Tuesday, November 27, 2012
This is ridiculous! Who planned this? My elderly neighbor went to the previous location on Arlington Road and just thought the office was closed for the holiday. She said there was no sign there redirecting. I cannot confirm that, but it is a shame. I did an extensive web search and most of the sites still have the old addresses on them. Completely inadequate for the community's needs and very, … more ›