Some Valley consumers balk at 2-cent increase today

By Jon Moffett

Postal Service officials counter that the adjustment is needed to operate their business.

1The cost of a first-class stamp will increase from 42 cents to 44 cents today.

The U.S. Postal Service says it’s part of an annual price scale adjustment.

Consumers were not afraid to give their two cents on the increase. Many locals said the price change was “ridiculous” and “unnecessary” given the economic climate.

“It’s kind of ridiculous because it seems like every time you turn around the price is going up,” said Helen Ford, 50, of Boardman. “And they wonder why people are e-mailing more.”

Ford says she uses the mail often. She pays her bills and sends letters through the postal service because she doesn’t trust “online hackers” with her personal information. She said sending out her bills, about 11 each month, is getting costly with the increases.

In 2006, Congress signed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act into law, ensuring a cap on the rate in which postage can be adjusted.

“Generally, with the 2006 law, we are able to increase the rates annually,” said Vic Dubina, spokesman with the USPS. He added that the adjustment is determined by the inflation rate.

The postal laws divided the office into two sections, mailing and shipping. The shipping side had rate adjustments in January.

Dubina said the bad economy and an increase in Internet communication contributed to falling revenues.

“We’re charged by Congress to operate as a business, meaning we do operate on revenue,” he said. “We’re not immune to the same pressures everyone else is facing as costs go up.”

He added that the USPS has seen a decrease in volume over the past few years. People are sending more e-mail and paying bills online rather than through the postal service, he said.

“That’s the reality, and we’re not going to change it,” he said. “We still have a responsibility to deliver mail, so we’re looking at how to be more efficient yet still deliver mail to addresses six times a week.”

Dubina estimated that letter carriers visit about 150 million homes across the country each year. He said the USPS is looking into route redirection and the possible use of electric vehicles for carriers to cut costs. Another option is the cancelation of Saturday delivery, but Dubina said it would take congressional action for that to happen.

Monique Arocho, 21, of Youngstown, pays most of her bills online, she said. But the Walgreens employee has noticed a decrease in mailable items like cards.

“No one is buying cards anymore, because they can’t afford them,” she said. “The card itself is like $4 and then the stamp is almost $1. It’s just too expensive.”

She added that her grandmother, who does not use the Internet, spends about $100 a month on stamps.

William Morley, 52, originally of Youngstown, rode his bike a few miles to the post office. Even with a good workout, he didn’t sweat the minimal change.

“I understand that they have to do it,” he said. “But they’re almost encouraging the use of alternative methods of communication.”

Morley said he pays his bills online because his job requires him to travel a lot and the Internet is more convenient.

Alex Masters, 21, of Canfield, said he has not been to the post office in two years.

“I do all my banking online, so this doesn’t really affect me,” he said.

Masters agreed with Morley, on the convenience of online banking.

Morley said even though he pays most of his bills online, he’s always had pleasant experiences with the post office. But changing prices in a bad economy could make people resent the post office, he said.

One option for the cost-conscious mailer is the Forever Stamp. The Forever Stamp costs the same as a regular stamp, but is valued the rate of the current first class stamp. For example, a Forever Stamp purchased today at 44 cents will be acceptable even if the price increases.

For more information on the changes, visit www.usps.com.

jmoffett@vindy.com