Postage Stamps to Increase to 58 Cents in August

This story first appeared on Cowboy State Daily

By Jimmy Orr, Cowboy State Daily

The cost of sending a letter from Meeteetse to Wamsutter is going to cost a bit more starting in August.

The U.S. Postal Service announced on Friday that the cost of a postage stamp is going up again. This time it’s a 7% increase going from 55 cents to 58 cents.

And, of course, this affects more than just residents of Meeteetse or Wamsutter. It’s an increase for everyone who still uses the Postal Service.

While most people have switched over to the Internet to pay bills, 18% of Americans still use the physical mailbox to pay up monthly debts like credit cards, rent payments, or monthly subscriptions.

The reason? Same thing the Postal Service has said for years: they’re losing billions of dollars because fewer people are paying for the service.

Mail volume has declined 47% over the last 10 years. Meanwhile, service has become markedly worse.

According to a report from the Lexington Institute, a public policy think tank based in Arlington, Virginia, only 78% of first-class mail was delivered on time from January through March of 2021 — which is a decrease from 92% from the same time a year ago.

“It’s disappointing, and it’s quite low by historic standards,” a spokesman for the think tank told CBS News. “It means a lot of stuff isn’t getting delivered on time. I would pay your credit card at least a week before it’s due. It means if you are expecting rent checks or have to pay a rent check, you better give yourself some extra time.”

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