Rewritten Article:
Holiday shipping prices will pinch your wallet, courtesy of USPS
Get ready to shell out more for your holiday packages, courtesy of the United States Postal Service (USPS). They're aiming to recover rising delivery costs by temporarily increasing prices on various services. If you're sending parcels like Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, or First-Class Package Service, expect an increase of 25 cents to $5 per package beginning October 3, 2021, and lasting until December 26, 2021, as mentioned by USPS.
This holiday season, accounting for these additional shipping costs in your inventory and shipping strategies is essential for businesses.
Last year's holiday rush presented challenges for USPS despite record-breaking package volumes and increasing Covid-19 cases among staff. In fact, some customers didn't receive their packages until January or February, leading to delays. So, prepare yourself for potential delivery delays.
Retailer-turned-viral-Influencer, Nick Casselli, shared that in December 2020, Philadelphia packages reached their maximum capacity, and he had never witnessed such a situation in his 35 years in the postal industry. The processing backlog further exacerbated delays.
To the relief of some customers in Tulsa, Oklahoma, James Seaman received late Christmas cards that had been sent in December. While expectant, Seaman acknowledged that during this season, it's challenging to guarantee delivery by post.
Enrichment Data
The precise price hikes for various USPS services during the 2021 holiday season include:
- Priority Mail: A 3.2% boost, with an initial fee of $10.10 for Flat Rate Envelopes, $10.65 for USPS Flat Rate Mailing Box, and $9.35 when utilizing personal boxes based on weight and zone.
- Priority Mail Express: A 3.2% rise, with the minimum charge of $31.40.
- USPS Ground Advantage: A 3.9% increase, with rates starting at $5.25.
These increases tie into USPS's ongoing $40 billion investments in its network as part of its 10-year plan, "Delivering for America," aiming to ensure the postal service remains financially sound. Instead of being based on the consumer price index (CPI) for Mailing Services, these rate adjustments are primarily reliant on market conditions.
