Postal Rate Case 2006-1 had yet to be approved as of press time. But regardless of what, if any, additional tweaking is done, we can safely say that it’s the most wide-sweeping rate case in decades. For catalog mailers and parcel shippers, it’s also a particularly vexing case. Because the U.S. Postal Service is changing its criteria for discounts and surcharges, what might have been an automated flat on May 5 could be a not flat-machinable piece on May 6, the day the rates are expected to go into effect. As a result, the same piece could cost four or five times as much to mail. This supplement, based on the Postal Regulatory Commission’s March recommendations on the case, is designed to help you assess and prioritize the options that exist for managing the rate increases. In the meantime, Multichannel Merchant will continue reporting on the rate case and providing you with tactics to thrive amid this challenge — and any other challenges — that may arise.
How the proposed rate case changes some key requirements for receiving discounts
The Shape of Parcel Efficiency
Preparing for shape-based, rather than weight-based, rate structures
Softening the Blow
Steps you can take to help ease the pain