> We all know the cost to mail a letter just went up by one cent, but
> did you all know that at the same time, the cost of Priority mail as
> much as nearly doubled?
That is about as inaccurate a statement as you could make given the actual
facts.
> I just mailed two identical packages via Priority mail - one going to
> an address here in NYC, and one to Seattle. The NYC one cost $4.80,
> and the Seattle one cost $8.25! Holy cow. Also, the receipt said NYC
> was Zone 0, and Seattle is Zone 8.
Anything mailed to the ZIP Code area you live in is Zone 0. Seattle from
New York is Zone 8. No change today from what it was 20 or 30 years ago.
Zones have always been a factor in mailing.
> So they've added some damned zoning system and increased the cost
> depending on how far it's going. That's a major change from how they
> used to do it, where it was the same cost no matter how far it was
> going. If they had lowered the cost somewhat for packages that were
> travelling a shorter distance it would be easier to swallow., but of
> course they wouldn't do that. As usual, it's just a way to increase
> revenue as much as possible, not more accurately reflect actual costs.
As explained above, zones have always existed. It obviously costs more to
transport and deliver mail 3000 miles away than it does across the city.
The only change is that zone rated mail has been implemented for smaller
weights. Used to be it had to weigh over two pounds. Now it is less. Your
rant is way off base concerning increasing revenue versus actual costs. The
increase are proportional to actual costs.
> Damn, I think they kept this change pretty hush-hush. What it means is
> that from now on I'm going to remember to mail early and just use
> regular First class. (I still maintain that when they began the
> Priority Mail service they slowed down the First class service, but
> that's another conversation.) I hope they haven't done this for 1st
> class postage too. The clerk did say they've also done it for Express
> Mail. That blows.
You might be in for a major cultural shock depending upon the weight of your
article. Priority Mail is a class of service that can be used for light
weight correspondence improving its delivery time. OTOH, there is a point
where it will be Priority Mail simply because of its weight. Remember,
Priority Mail is simply zone rated First Class Mail. The standards for
handling Priority Mail and First Class Mail are not identical. Priority
Mail has preferential handling which was an added benefit when the service
was introduced. Nothing has been slowed down for First Class Mail. Your
clerk either is misinformed or you didn't understand the clerk. Express
Mail prices are actually reduced for articles mailed to nearby areas.
Compare the cost to mail say a five ounce envelope to Seattle and one to
Niagra Falls. You might begin to appreciate how costs under those
circumstances.
Obviously, you do not mail often if you are just now noticing the change in
pricing that took place on May 12.
