The Post Office Told Me They Didn't Want My Business

Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan--

The United States Post Office (USPS) is an fascinating business model.  It's not really a government agency.  More than anything it resembles a monopoly.   It's not publicly owned and yet, it's certainly not a private enterprise.

The USPS is doing a much better job marketing its services recently, but they still have a long way to go.   Gone are the long lines and the sour attitudes.  Most of the locations have been spruced up and decorated a bit.

But the recent price hike/procedure change has been the last straw for many customers.

Like most people, I would like to avoid putting two 39-cent stamps on a First Class letter that now requires 41 cents in postage.  The solution, of course, is to purchase the 2-cent differential stamp until I use up the 39-cent stamps.  I had to drop off some mail, so I parked my car and went in to buy 25 2-cent stamps, which cost me a lousy 50 cents. 

Guess what it cost me to park?  That's right, 50 cents!!  How crazy is that?!?

As e-mail (the competition) remains free and easier to use than ever, the USPS continues to raise the rate of mailing a simple letter.  The Post Office would like to have a bigger piece of the shipping business, but chose to enter into an agreement with Fedex to--get this--install a Fedex drop box outside every Post Office location. 

We have so many choices now.  Companies that make it harder to do business with them might as well hang a sign out front that reads, "WE DON'T REALLY WANT YOUR BUSINESS."