No, Really: Postal Rate Increase Causes Confusion, Anger

Turns out I was wrong; the post office apparently can’t handle a little postal rate increase without mass chaos and looting after all!

Today is the official day of the long-awaited move to a 41-cent stamp. (For philatelists across the country, this is their Christmas. Uh, I guess.) That move is expected to be rather simple besides a few returns to sender. But for pretty much everything else, it’s going to be a disaster.

The post office is changing rates based on not just the weight of an item but also the shape. And they’re pissing off junk mailers¹, which means you know it’s a good idea.

The Direct Marketing Association in New York is “very, very unhappy,” said spokeswoman Stephanie Hendricks. “The rates go into effect on Monday under protest.”

If the protest is upheld by the commissioner, the game will restart in the sixth inning with the score tied at 3 and two men on for the Direct Marketing Association.

But just because the new regulations are kind of confusing doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it, according to Postal Service spokesman Dave Partenheimer:

“Before, thickness didn’t matter,” he said. Now, “thickness does come into play. If it gets too thick you create a new shape.”

See, it’s just like we’re kids again: We get to work with shapes!

Size matters, so does shape under new postal rates [AP/CNN.com]
May 11: Postal Rate Increase To Cause Confusion, Panic

¹ The Post Office used to have this hilarious website where it responded to every last knock on the United States Postal Service with a snippy letter. It seems to be gone now, but one I can remember asked the paper to refer to junk mail as “commercial mail.”