As an organization established to serve commercial mail producers, we’re sometimes asked why we’re concerned about the Postal Service’s Regional Transportation Optimization program, which primarily impacts retail customers. Our answer is simple: RTO violates the fundamental principle of universal service. By arbitrarily differentiating between those customers within a certain distance from a regional processing and distribution center and those farther…
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The issue of extended producer responsibility is a growing concern for commercial mail producers, so our legal advisors from Brann & Issacson have offered our subscribers some guidance on the matter. California’s Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility Program: Why Commercial Printers and Mailers AreOfficially in the Conversation For years, environmental compliance lived comfortably upstream – brand owners worried about it, packaging…
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Watching PMG David Steiner testify before the House Subcommittee on Government Operations last week made some impressions, good and bad, and perpetuated concerns over conditions not being addressed. The hearing was in a large room with the subcommittee leadership sitting on the top row, above many other empty rows, looking at the witnesses some distance below. The more unusual element…
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The practice of regime change – one way or another – has gained a certain popularity of late. Usually the initial change is replacement of the person at the top, followed by a winnowing of those in subordinate positions until holdovers from the prior regime have left – one way or another. Fortunately, the US had an orderly process for…
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On March 2, the White House sent to the US Senate three nominations to fill vacant positions on the Postal Service’s Board of Governors. No details about the nominees’ education, professional experience, or qualifications were included with the nominations, so any such information had to be gleaned from internet searches. The recent nominees join a fourth whose name was originally…
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It’s time to head to Texas! Every spring, the Mailing and Fulfillment Services Association holds its Annual Conference – a unique environment where fierce competitors come together as collaborators, promoting a sense of camaraderie seldom found in today’s business world. If you haven’t already heard, registration for this year’s conference is now open! Don’t miss this opportunity for fun, collaboration,…
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Management training essential for small business success. Management training is a game-changer for small businesses because it strengthens the very backbone of the company – its current and future leadership. In a small business, every decision, process, and relationship has a direct and often immediate impact on performance, so having skilled managers isn’t just “nice to have,” it’s mission-critical. Despite…
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In an example of what’s-old-is-new-again, the Postal Service announced on December 17 that it will be taking bids from shippers who want the agency to provide last-mile delivery. Details of the program will be disclosed “in the coming months,” with winning bidders being selected “in the second calendar quarter” of 2026 and service beginning the quarter after that, i.e., in…
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When Amazon announced last week that it was making plans to expand its delivery network into places served by the Postal Service’s rural routes, many postal observers rightly went UH-OH, knowing how impactful the associated loss of business would be on USPS finances. Though the possibility was always looming that Amazon could in-source more or all of the volume it…
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Apparently as yet unable to reach a satisfactory deal with the Postal Service, Amazon reportedly is making plans to ditch the agency and instead build out its own rural delivery network. According to an article by Jacob Bogage in the December 4 Washington Post, “Amazon is preparing to expand its nationwide delivery network and give up its long-standing partnership with…
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