Go! No Wait, Stop! Postal Service Delays April 2015 Price Change

The USPS decided on March 27 to delay the implementation of new market-dominant and competitive rates and classification changes until all of the proposed market-dominant changes are approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission (“PRC”). This decision was primarily motivated by a desire to eliminate potential adverse impacts on postal customers that might result from a staggered implementation of the new prices. After considering the complexity of the required PRC programming changes, the specific complications that the USPS customers might face; the potential cost to the supply chain as a whole from staggered implementation, the Postal Service has delayed implementation until all of their proposed rates and classification changes can be implemented at one time.

While proposed prices for First Class Mail, Special Services and Competitive Products have all been approved by the PRC, prices for the Standard Mail, Periodicals and Package Services classes have twice been remanded back to the Postal Service by the PRC for a wide array of technical and other concerns that are primarily related to the complexities of the price cap and the manner in which it is calculated. The Postal Service has decided that the best course of action would be to wait until their complete price proposal is approved by the regulators. A USPS representative says, “they have no desire to saddle our valued customers with the additional costs and burdens of a staggered implementation while we work with the PRC to obtain final approval of our remaining prices.”

No new implementation date has been set yet.

Parts quoted from the USPS