After seeing this news item, and as a means to procrastinate my packing before the movers arrive, I decided to see what the inflation-adjusted price of a stamp was.
This is cost of mailing a one-ounce letter by First Class mail. I got the rates from a list compiled by Andrew Dart, and did the inflation adjustment using the CPI Calculator that the Minneapolis Branch of the Federal Reserve has up. The jagged line shows how inflation ‘ate away’ at the cost of the stamp before each increase.
I really like the idea of being able to buy a stamp that will continue to be good no matter whether there is a rate change. I get so frustrated with my stacks of older “first class stamps” where I have to take them to the post office and look in the binder to see if they’re 34 cents, or 37 cents, or any of the other values. I would pay extra to avoid that hassle in the future!
The Christian Science Monitor had this in their article (emphasis mine):
Let me get this straight: they are raising rates, in part, because of competition from online bill paying? To what end? In order to drive more people away from the USPS? I guess they just want to deliver grocery fliers and credit card applications.