Service Talk for All Employees

On Sunday, January 18, 2009, the Postal Service™ will adjust prices for shipping services, which includes Express Mail^®, Priority Mail^®, Parcel Select^®, Par­cel Return Service (PRS), Global Express Guaranteed^® (GXG^®), Express Mail International^®, Priority Mail International™, and International Direct Sacks (Airmail M-bags). These changes are consistent with the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006. We will not change prices for the First-Class Mail^® stamp and other mailing services on January 18.

Additional changes include:

• New small Priority Mail flat-rate box for Priority Mail and Priority Mail International items.
• New Country Price Group Category “10” to include Australia and New Zealand for Express Mail International and Priority Mail International.
• Commercial Plus prices for shippers of Express Mail and Priority Mail items who meet a minimum volume threshold.

All postal employees should be aware of the opportuni­ties these changes offer our customers and the Postal Service. Many recent USPS News LINK articles provide detailed background information on the upcoming changes and what they mean. See the LINK Online News Archive at https://liteblue.usps.gov/news/link/2008/nl_archive04.htm; click November 2008 or December 2008, or go to www.usps.com/prices for additional information.

Some of the highlights of the price changes are as follows:

Domestic Mail

• Express Mail prices will increase an average of 5.7 percent, and Priority Mail prices will increase an average of 3.9 percent.
• Prices for Parcel Select and PRS, generally used by larger mailers, will increase by approximately 5.9 per­cent for Parcel Select and approximately 5.3 percent for PRS.

International Mail

• Prices for International shipping services—Global Express Guaranteed, Express Mail International, Priority Mail International, and Direct Sacks (Airmail M-bags) will also be adjusted on January 18.

Note: The price of a 42-cent stamp for a 1-ounce First–Class Mail^® letter will not change. We plan to adjust prices for mailing services, including First-Class Mail stamp prices, in May.

Postmasters and retail associates should have more detailed information available for customers. Customers can also view the new prices for shipping services online at www.usps.com/prices.

The upcoming changes provide many opportunities for you to promote the benefits of using postal services and products to customers, family, and friends. Please take advantage of these opportunities.