Through snow, rain, heat and gloom of night has been the saying for the U.S. Postal Service for nearly 250 years. Although that core task remains the same, that doesnt mean everything else stays the same in 2024.
Here are five things that will be different at USPS this year.
1. Stamp prices are going up
Like other businesses, the post office is passing along its increased costs to its customers. Effective Jan. 21, a first-class Forever stamp increased 2 cents to 68 cents. Across the board, prices increased about 2 percent. It plans to raise prices again on July 14, with first-class Forever stamps increasing 5 cents to 73 cents. A first-class stamp covers the cost to mail a 1-ounce letter; the cost of an additional ounce will rise from 24 cents to 28 cents.
2. ID is required for forwarding mail
It's about time! In an attempt to reduce identity theft and protect customers information, USPS is beefing up its procedures to verify your identity when you request a change of address. Now you must either show ID in person at your local post office or verify your identity online. A change of address request, or COA, has to be submitted 90 days before the date of your move or up to 30 days after your move.
If you are doing it in person, be sure to bring one of the following to your local post office:
- State issued drivers license or nondrivers license identification card (name and address must match the old or new address on your request)
- Uniformed Services Identification Card (requires a secondary form of identification)
- U.S. passport (requires a secondary form of identification)
Secondary forms of identification include:- Lease, mortgage or deed of trust
- Voter or vehicle registration card
- Home or vehicle insurance policy or card
- The name and address on any secondary ID must match the old or new address on your change of address request.
If you are doing it online ...
- An email address is required for online COA submission.
- A onetime passcode or verification link will be texted to your cellphone.
- A $1.10 credit card identity verification fee will be charged to your credit card.
- The billing address on the credit card must match either the old or the new address used in the COA request. Prepaid cards and gift cards are not accepted.
If the online verification fails, you'll have to visit the post office.
3. Four new stamps are being released, with more to come
In a nod to iconic games, legendary coaches, influential artists and American pastimes, USPS has a series of new stamps planned for 2024 that includes:
- Dungeons & Dragons: The stamp release marks the 50th anniversary of one of America's most famous role-playing board games. The pane of 20 stamps features 10 different designs highlighting characters, creatures and other elements of the game.
- John Wooden: Considered in many circles to be one of America's greatest coaches, John Wooden (1910-2010) led the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins to a record-setting 10 Division I men's basketball national championships. The stamp features a portrait of Wooden.
- Carnival nights: From roller coasters to hot dogs, carnivals are a staple of summertime fun for many Americans. Ten new stamps in a pane of 20 feature photographs capturing the energy and lights of a summer carnival at night.
- Ansel Adams: Showcasing the American landscape through photographs, Ansel Adams is among the most influential artists of the 20th century. To honor his art and contributions, USPS is releasing 16 stamps featuring some of Adam's most famous images.
​4. Declining mail volume will decline and more losses
USPS expected to lose $4.5 billion in fiscal 2023 but actually reported a net loss of $6.5 billion, thanks in part to declining mail volume, residual effects from previous pricing strategies and inflation. For 2024, USPS projects another net loss of $6.3 billion. Meanwhile, total mail and package volume is projected to be 107.2 billion pieces, down 7.7 percent year over year.
While first-class mail will be down, USPS foresees an increase in package delivery as it aggressively tries to grow its market share in that area. In the summer it launched USPS Ground Advantage, which is a cheaper way to ship packages in two to five business days across the United States.
5. They say there will be better service and speedier delivery
As part of its Delivering for America plan, USPS is consolidating its 19,000 delivery centers into new, larger and more centrally located sorting and delivery centers. So far, six facilities are operational. USPS is evaluating over 100 new locations across the country this year and says the actions will enable it to expand same-day/next-day shipping and improve on-time performance. No post offices will be closed or services impacted by the shake-up.
Note everyone agrees about the changes being made. Here are some of the stories coming out from the rank and file:
'One of the new facilities in Richmond, VA just badly failed an Inspector General Audit. One employee was found sleeping on a forklift. Four employees were fired for stealing mail. The Inspector General said there was no way they were going to achieve the projected savings. This was one of the initial "showpieces" of Post Master DeJoy's plan. Both of Virginia's Senators and the District's Congressman have joined the outcry of slow to nonexistant delivery and a Postal Investigation found parked trucks loaded with months old undelivered mail.'
'Postmaster General Louis De Joy wants to move mail processing for Northern Nevada from Reno, NV to Sacramento, CA which is 150 miles away over the Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Folks in northern Nevada are concerned that during the late Fall, Winter, and early Spring months, storms often blow in resulting in shutdowns of I-80 through the Donner Pass lasting hours or days due to unpassable conditions and accidents involving jack knifed semi trailer trucks. This would absolutely have a negative impact on timely mail delivery for anything mailed from and to Northern Nevada addresses during bad weather events as that mail would have to travel across the Donner Pass twice. Nevada's Congressional Delegation and Governor have all asked De Joy to exclude the Reno processing center from the plan as the annual savings would only amount to a drop in the bucket vs. the negative impacts to mail service in the area, but De Joy has so far refused.'
But how often does anything the government does make sense?