[press release]
500 YEARS OF HISTORY DELIVERED TO YOUR DOORSTEP

2016 commemorates 500 years since Henry VIII knighted Brian Tuke, the first Master of the Posts, in 1516.

As you would expect from any institution that has been around for 500 years, there are a number of significant dates in our history. The knighting of Brian Tuke was the catalyst for the creation of the Royal Mail we know today. Tuke had the influence and authority to establish key post towns across the country and build out a formal postal network.

To celebrate, Royal Mail is working in close partnership with its heritage partner, the British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA), to create an online gallery of 500 objects, people and events, telling the story not only of the postal service but also of our contribution to social and political development over the last 500 years.

Moya Greene, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Mail, said: “We are proud to celebrate the heritage of this great company. The history of the postal service in the UK reflects the tremendous societal and political change that has taken us from sixteenth century Tudor England to the United Kingdom today.

“In all its guises, Royal Mail has been responsible for a number of world firsts – the Penny Black stamp and the first ever airmail flight to name just two. It has also changed almost beyond recognition, from a small group of King’s Messengers in those early days to a national network connecting consumers, companies and communities across the UK today.

“Against this backdrop of continued change, Royal Mail’s people have been a constant presence. They are the heart of this company. I hope that, through them, we will continue to deliver the Universal Service and play an instrumental role in people’s lives for many years to come.”

Origins of Royal Mail

• 1516: Henry VIII knighted Brian Tuke, the first Master of the Posts. Tuke had the influence and authority to establish key post towns across the country and build a formal postal network.
• Before 1635: The postal service operated only for the King and the Court
• 1635: The postal service was opened up to the general public by King Charles I. A Letter Office was established in London, and six post roads were formalised, including Dover to London, to carry mail across the country
• 1660: The Post Office Act created the publicly-owned postal service
• 1711: The Post Office Act paved the way for a unified postal service across Scottish and English (including Wales) administrations following the 1707 Act of Union. Ireland followed in 1808
• 1840: The reform – over a number of years – of the Post Office by Rowland Hill and others defined the basis of the modern postal service as we know it today and coincided with the broader social and technological changes sweeping across Victorian society at the time
• 1883: The launch of Parcel Post reflected a growing appetite among both residential and business customers to send and receive parcels. The growth of parcels saw the term ‘Letter Carrier’ replaced with ‘postman’, which is still in use today
  Royal Mail and Social Change
• 1840: The introduction of the Penny Post prompted an unprecedented expansion in the popularity of mail, as it became more affordable. Mail volumes rose from 67 million in 1839 to 242 million by 1844, with a further lift to more than one billion letters by 1875
• 1840 onwards: The rise of mail was accompanied by a significant increase in literacy levels as the UK became more industrialised and there was a greater provision of early education
• 1901: The Association of Post Office Women Clerks was founded. It was the first association in the UK civil service to represent female clerical workers
• 1861: British entrepreneur Pryce Pryce-Jones set up the first modern mail order company. He distributed Welsh flannel catalogues across the country, allowing people to choose the items they wished and to order them via post
• Royal Mail employees were some of the first in the UK to receive a company pension, before the introduction of the state pension by David Lloyd George in 1908
• 1959: Postcodes were introduced on a trial basis in Norwich and then rolled out nationally from 1965-1972. The system is widely recognised as one of the most granular and precise Postcode systems in the world
  World Firsts
• 1661: The first Bishop mark (or postmark as it is known today) was used. This identified the date of dispatch to give confidence in the speed and reliability of the mail. It was named after the then Postmaster General, Henry Bishop
• 1840: The Penny Black, the first adhesive postal stamp, launched. As the inventor of the postage stamp, the UK is the only country in the world that does not have its country name on the stamp
• 1840: The release of the Penny Black also marked the origins of the Universal Service, under which postal rates became uniform across the country
• 1911: The first scheduled airmail service flew from Hendon to Windsor, as part of the celebrations for the Coronation of King George V. Aviator Gustav Hamel was at the helm for the maiden flight, which was a precursor to the opening up of the postal service overseas
  How the Mail Was Delivered
• 1516: Busy towns kept a special stable, known as a post, ready to carry mail at a moment’s notice. Letters travelled at speeds averaging 7 to 8 miles per hour in summer and 5 miles per hour in winter. Fresh horses were supplied every 10 to 15 miles
• 1784: Horse drawn coaches featuring the Royal Mail livery were deployed for the first time to transport the mail, following a trial run between Bristol and London. Other routes to major cities soon followed. The departure of the night mail from London was a public spectacle, with hundreds of onlookers gathering to watch the coaches depart
• 1800s: King’s Messengers were employed by the government to carry messages from the Admiralty during wars. They were often required to board sail-driven packet ships in order to deliver messages to the theatre of conflict
• 1821: Steam-driven packet ships were introduced to deliver mail across the British Empire and the Commonwealth, leading to the founding of Royal Mail Ships (RMS) in 1840. The ships proved popular with passengers too, as they ran to strict timetables to ensure mail was delivered on time
• 1830: The General Post Office and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway reached an agreement that saw the start of mail being carried by train. The first route was between Liverpool and Manchester
• 1907: The first motor vehicle, a two and a half tonne lorry called the Maudslay Stores Number 1, entered the service. The vehicle was in service for 18 years during which it covered over 300,000 miles
• 1934: German rocket engineer, Gerhard Zucker, made the suggestion that mail could be delivered by rockets. He failed to persuade the company that they were a viable option
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/rocket-mail/

The People Made Royal Mail

• 1665: 45 people were employed by the postal service. Employee numbers climbed to nearly half a million in the 20th century
• 1836: Moses Nobbs was the longest serving Mail Guard in the Royal Mail, serving 55 years (1836-1891) initially on the Mail Coaches and later on the railways in Travelling Post Offices (TPOs)
• 1880: Post Office telegraphy clerk, Charles Garland begins to campaign for better healthcare and working conditions for staff during the consumption crisis. The campaign led to development of the first healthcare fund in the country. The Post Office Sanatorium Society was founded in 1905, leading to much improved conditions across the company. The fund continues today as The Benenden Healthcare Society Limited, with almost 900,000 members
• 1880: Henry Fawcett from Salisbury was appointed Postmaster General in 1880. With the support of his wife Millicent Fawcett, who founded the Fawcett Society, he campaigned for the employment of women
• 1908: Mrs Elizabeth Dickson retired as a rural postwoman after 30 years and 8 months’ service. She was never late for duty and had only taken off 14 days for illness
• 1912: Two British postal workers died aboard the RMS Titanic. James Bertram Williamson and John Richard Jago Smith were determined to save the mail as the ship went down, with a witness saying they “urged them to leave their work. They shook their heads and continued.” They died alongside US postal workers Oscar Scott Woody, John Starr March, and William Logan Gwinn
• 1941: The General Post Office approves women’s trousers, named “Camerons” after the postwoman Jean Cameron who requested their introduction
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/jean-cameron-born-19211922/

Royal Mail and the British Empire

• 1737: Founding father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin was appointed Postmaster of Philadelphia under the British Parliamentary Post. He, alongside William Hunter, streamlined the postal system in the US to increase take up and make it profitable
• 1847: The ‘Post Office’ Mauritius stamps were first issued. They were the first stamps to be issued in the British Empire. They are among the rarest in the world, with a value of around one million pounds. The plates were engraved by Joseph Barnard from Portsmouth, who stowed away on a ship to get to Mauritius
• 1937: Launch of the Empire Mail Scheme, which lowered the cost of sending letters to British Empire destinations. The scheme was a success, with over 91 million letters being sent in 1938

Royal Mail’s Role in the Two World Wars
World War I

• 1914-1918: 12,000 postal workers served in The Post Office Rifles throughout the First World War. 1,800 were killed and over 4,500 wounded
• 1914-1918: During the First World War, Royal Mail saw a huge rise in letters and parcels sent to loved ones fighting abroad. At its peak, 2,500 staff handled 12 million letters and a million parcels in a week
• 1914-1918: To cope with the increase, Royal Mail built the Home Depot, an enormous wooden temporary sorting office in Regent’s Park that covered several acres
• 1914-1918: Four former postal workers were awarded the Victoria Cross – Sgt Albert Gill from Birmingham, Sgt Alfred Knight from Nottingham, Major Henry Kelly from Manchester and Sgt John Hogan, a postman from Oldham

World War II

• 1944: General Dwight D Eisenhower wrote to the Postmaster General, thanking staff for keeping the network of communications open across the country in the run up to D-Day
• Eisenhower wrote: ‘The build-up of the necessary forces for the current operations has involved the construction of a vast network of communications radiating from key centers of vital importance in the United Kingdom. The greater part of this work has been undertaken by the Engineers and Staff of the General Post Office’
• 1941: Airgraph, based on microfilm technology, was introduced in the Second World War as a solution to the circuitous route for air communication between Britain and the Middle East. It helped reduce the size of mail while maintaining the volume of letters sent

The Role of Animals

• 1868: Cats were first officially appointed by the Post Office to catch rodents. Three cats worked at the Money Order Office in London, with an allowance of one shilling a week
• 1950: Probably the most famous feline is Tibs who lived in the Royal Mail Headquarters refreshment club in the basement of the building. After Tibs died on 23 November 1964, his obituary in the January 1965 Post Office Magazine was headed “Tibs the Great is No More”
• 1898: Horses harnessed to coaches were used to deliver a growing amount of mail. As a valuable part of the delivery process, the horses were entitled to sick leave. A note from 1898 states that ‘Mr T C Poppleton’s horse…is suffering from sore shoulders and unable to perform his official duties’
• 1943: During the Second World War, there were 22,000 pigeons in service

The “Royal” in “Royal Mail”

• Starting with Henry VIII, the UK postal service has operated under 21 monarchs
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/king-s-posts/
• 1840: Queen Victoria was the first monarch in the world to appear on a postage stamp with the launch of the Penny Black
• 1840s: Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and the second son of Queen Victoria begins the Royal stamp collection, with the ‘Kirkcudbright Cover’ bearing ten Penny Blacks
• 1853: Postboxes first appear with the insignia, or cypher, of the monarch reigning at the time of placement
• 1966: Queen Elizabeth II approved Arnold Machin’s design of her to be used on what came to be known as the ‘Machin series’ of British definitive postage stamps. Her Majesty’s image has appeared more than 180 billion copies produced to date

Stamps

• 1840: The introduction of the Penny Black meant postage was paid by the sender and the price set by weight. Before this point, recipients usually had to pay postage, and were charged by the number of sheets in the letter and distance travelled
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/the-first-postage-stamp-queen-victoria-1d-black-the-penny-black-1840/
• 1940: Following the outbreak of the Second World War, and the resulting greater co-operation between Britain and France, there were many calls for a joint stamp issue. The plans were eventually abandoned
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/proposed-anglo-french-union-issue-1940/
• 1951: The plan to celebrate the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851 with a Festival was accompanied by a request for a complete new range of stamps. The stamps were issued on 3 May 1951, the day the Festival was officially opened
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/festival-of-britain-4d-1951/
• 1965: The then Postmaster General, Tony Benn, worked with designer David Gentleman to modernise stamp design. The reason for the creation of Special Stamps was to celebrate events and commemorate anniversaries relevant to UK heritage and life. The stamp of Sir Winston Churchill, issued in July of that year, was designed by Gentleman and was the first under Benn’s administration
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/modern-special-stamp-programme-born-with-churchill-commemoration-1965/
• 2012: Twenty nine stamps were produced to commemorate Great Britain’s gold medal winners at the London 2012 Olympic Games
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/celebrating-britain-s-2012-gold-medal-athletes/
• Images of The Queen form the most frequent subject on Royal Mail Special Stamps (in addition to Her Majesty’s silhouette which can be found in the corner of every stamp). The next most popular individual to feature is The Duke of Edinburgh. He is followed by William Shakespeare
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/most-frequent-top-3-people-to-feature-on-stamps/
• Christmas
• 1843: The postal service played an important role in defining the archetypal Victorian Christmas. Henry Cole launched the first Christmas card with an initial print run of 1,000. The cards originally cost a shilling each, the equivalent of about £36 today. In 2001, an original card sold at an auction for £25,000
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/first-christmas-card-1843/
• Mid 1800s: Robins began gracing the front of Christmas cards. This change was a result of the bright red waistcoat that Royal Mail postmen and women wore
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/the-changing-face-of-christmas-cards/
• 1963: Royal Mail was appointed by Santa to reply to letters addressed to him. In the first year, Royal Mail replied to over 8,000 letters. It was such a success, the Postmaster General, Reginald Bevins – was labelled ‘Santa Bevins’
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/letter-from-santa-1963/
• Royal Mail today
• As the UK’s sole designated Universal Service Provider, Royal Mail delivers the ‘one-price-goes-anywhere’ service to more than 29 million addresses, across the UK, six-days-a-week
• Royal Mail handles more than one billion parcels and more than 16 billion letters a year¹
• With a workforce of more than 140,000 people, the company is one of the UK’s largest employers
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/employees-20th-century/
• On average, one in 180 employed people in the UK works for Royal Mail
• Royal Mail made the 6th largest contribution to the UK economy of all UK corporations in 2014¹
• The organisation has a fleet of more than 49,000 vehicles delivering mail to all parts of the country
  http://500years.royalmailgroup.com/gallery/expansion-of-the-vehicle-fleet/
• In 2004, The British Postal Museum & Archive (BPMA) is established as an independent charity to care for five centuries of Royal Mail history. 2017 will see the new rebranded The Postal Museum open in central London, bringing a wealth of stories from British social and communications history to life
• In 2014, Royal Mail introduced around 30 new services, products and promotions to enhance its customer offering
• Royal Mail red – which features on the vans, uniforms and post boxes – is part of the DNA of Royal Mail as well as part of the fabric of UK life
• In 2015, Royal Mail was named as the global leader in its sector in the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability Indices

You know all that aggressive marketing this holiday season by the U.S. Postal Service? It appears to be paying off.

The Wall Street Journal reports the USPS share of holiday deliveries this year will increase from last year’s 35% to 40%. Volume is already up 15%

WSJ says the agency prepared well, deploying additional package sorting equipment, adding more scanning devices for carriers and clerks, hiring about 30,000 seasonal workers, increasing the number of shifts in some areas from one a day to three — that is, round-the-clock. The USPS is also delivering on Sunday for the equivalent of about 25,000 routes. UPS and FedEx don’t usually deliver on Sundays.

Meanwhile, the Journal also reports that Amazon is looking to become less dependent on United Parcel Service. Right now, Amazon is the biggest customer of UPS.

Among the steps Amazon is taking: Buildings its own freight operation and relying more heavily on the USPS.

More from The Wall Street Journal here and here.

Following reports of hoverboard fires around the country, the U.S. Postal Service will only ship the recreational gizmos by ground transportation, slower than other services.

Hoverboards are skateboards without wheels, first depicted in the films Back To The Future Part II and Back To The Future Part III. In real life, they are self-balancing scooters with wheels at each end of the board.

On Wednesday, December 16, 2015, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a stern warning about hoverboards, and said it is investigating the problem “to find the root cause of the fire hazard, how much of a risk it might present, and to provide consumers with answers as soon as possible.”

“Every consumer who is riding a hoverboard, who purchased one to give as a gift during the holidays, or who is thinking about buying one deserves to know if there is a safety defect.”

Later in the day, the USPS announced the restrictions:

[press release]
2016 regulated postage stamp rates to remain at current levels

OTTAWA, Dec 16, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ – Consumer-facing regulated postage stamp rates will not increase in January 2016.

Increases previously announced in July 2015 will not proceed pending a Government of Canada review of Canada Post, as outlined in the mandate letter for the Minister of Public Services and Procurement. As a result, the current rates for Domestic Lettermail, U.S. and International Letter-post items (letters, cards and postcards destined for the United States and other international destinations) and Domestic Registered Mail will remain in effect for 2016.

PermanentTM stamps for Domestic Lettermail items weighing 30 grams or less will remain at the current rate of $0.85 when purchased in a booklet, coil or pane. The price of a single stamp will remain $1.00.

The regulated postage stamp rates impacted by this decision are largely geared to consumers because they apply to regular letters, cards and postcards. Non-regulated rates for items like parcels, direct mail and large-volume mailings of letters will continue to see competitive rate changes take effect in early 2016.

Canada Post estimates the average Canadian household purchases approximately two postage stamps per month while the typical small business purchases fewer than 250 postage stamps per year.

[press release]
Post Offices Open Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve Many Will Close Early Dec. 24, Collection Box Mail May Be Collected Earlier

WASHINGTON – Post Offices nationwide will be open Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24, but many will shorten retail lobby hours and close at noon. Post Offices will be open regular hours on New Year’s Eve. Mail delivery will be unaffected.

Revised hours will be posted at each Post Office, and commercial customers are asked to check with their business mail entry units for specific information about holiday hours of operation. Blue collection boxes having final collection times before 12 p.m. will not be affected. However, boxes with final collection times scheduled after 12 p.m. may be picked up early. Therefore, mail should be deposited into these mailboxes by 12 p.m. for early pickup on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. Customers requiring postal services later on Christmas Eve are encouraged to contact their local Post Office. Customers also may call 1.800.ASK.USPS for additional information.

Areas where Post Offices may have different hours from this schedule will issue local media announcements specific to their locations. Post Offices will be closed Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Only Priority Mail Express will be delivered on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. All Post Offices will be open and regular mail delivery will resume Dec. 26 and Jan. 2.

Additional holiday information can be found at usps.com/holidaynews. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.”

[press release]
Postal Service’s Holiday-Themed Stamps Available at usps.com

WASHINGTON — The Postal Service has more than a billion Holiday themed stamps in stock from previous years, and has printed 800 million more to help Americans celebrate this year’s holiday season. Customers may purchase them now at usps.com/shop at this link or by calling 1-800-STAMP24 (1-800-782-6724).

“This is an exciting time of year when Americans share greetings with family, friends and loved ones,” said Postal Service Stamp Services Acting Director Mary-Anne Penner. “Our vast assortment of holiday-themed stamps are sure to fit everyone’s needs. And by ordering them online, you can save a trip to the Post Office.”

Here’s an alphabetical list of stamps available this year: A Charlie Brown Christmas; Geometric Snowflakes; Gingerbread Houses; Hanukkah; Holiday Baubles; Holy Family; Kwanzaa; Madonna of the Candelabra by Raphael; Neon Celebrate!; Poinsettia; Virgin and Child by Jan Gossaert; and, Winter Fun.

In response to a VSC query, “Rudolph, item 680404, is still available by phone at SFS (1800STAMP-24).”

[press release]
World’s Largest Post Office Does More Business Than Post Offices in Top Five Media Markets Combined
Usps.com Sales Eclipse $1 Billion

WASHINGTON — Customers are always at the front of the line at this Post Office that never closes. With a click of the mouse customers can conveniently ship from their homes to any location by scheduling a next-day package pickup — saving a trip to the Post Office.

During fiscal 2015 (Oct. 1, 2014-Sept. 30, 2015) usps.com generated more than $1 billion in sales — a major milestone for the 15-year-old site. The sales exceeded that of all Post Offices combined in the following media markets: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Dallas.

“We’re everywhere so you can be anywhere,” said U.S. Postal Service Acting Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Jim Cochrane. “With usps.com, your Post Office is as close as your desktop or smartphone, so doing business with us is fast and convenient during this busy holiday season and all year long. Our dedicated employees are ready to serve customers with prompt service at nearly 32,000 Post Offices nationwide. We also provide convenient access at more than 70,000 grocery stores, drug stores, office supply stores, ATMs and other locations where customers can buy stamps and other postal products.”

Usps.com can provide virtually any service offered at a brick-and-mortar Post Office.

• Track Packages — My USPS is an easier way to receive updates for incoming packages with real-time delivery notifications which are available within a few minutes of the delivery scan for select packages. My USPS filters updates for all incoming packages in one central dashboard, which is accessible on mobile devices and desktop computers.
• Purchase Shipping and Mailing Supplies — Visit the Postal Store to purchase the Charlie Brown Forever stamps and other stamps to use for the holiday season, and order free shipping supplies, including boxes.
• Schedule a Free Package Pickup — Schedule a Pickup, and a carrier will get the package during regular delivery. Multiple pickups can be requested once an account is created on usps.com.
• Ship Packages — Consumers can use Click-N-Ship as a stress-free tool to pay and print postage for holiday gifts from a mobile device or desktop computer. Sign up to start creating shipping labels and pay for the postage online.
• Hold Mail — Going away? Take advantage of the Request Hold Mail Service. All your mail is kept safely at the local Post Office until you return.
• Forward Mail — For a fee, mail can be held, packaged, and shipped weekly by Priority Mail using Premium Forward Service.
• Ship Internationally — Depending upon the type of service selected, save money off retail prices when printing a shipping label from home. Use the built-in address form to transfer information into country-specific customs forms.
• Calculate Postage — The postage price calculator provides estimates for sending packages, domestically or internationally.

Customers can do all of this — all from the comfort of their homes — by going to usps.com, or downloading USPS Mobile on iOS or Android devices. These services can be accessed with the tap of a finger.

Customers can complete the steps to change an address on the USPS mobile app by simply clicking on the Change of Address icon. This convenient feature for USPS Mobile customers is in addition to others, including: USPS Tracking, My USPS, Ship Online, Buy Stamps, Find a Post Office Location, Calculate (or Look Up) Prices, ZIP Codes, Schedule a Pickup and Hold Mail.

Delivering for the Holidays
The Postal Service expects to deliver more than 15.5 billion cards, letters, flats, and packages during the 2015 holiday season. In addition, USPS is projecting that approximately 600 million packages will be delivered between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve — an increase of 10.5 percent over last year’s volume.

In time for the holidays, the Postal Service is offering real-time delivery notifications. Customers who sign up for alerts at My USPS will receive an email or text notification for select packages within a few minutes of the delivery scan.

For additional news and updates throughout the season, visit the USPS Holiday Newsroom.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

[press release]
Postal Service Letters FROM Santa Program
Santa’s Personalized Response to Your Child’s Letter
Great Photo Opportunity to Treasure for Years

NORTH POLE — Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus — and the Postal Service can help you prove it when Santa replies to your child’s letter, complete with a North Pole postmark.

Here are the steps for your child to get a letter back from Santa:

1. Have your child write a letter to Santa and place it in an envelope addressed to: Santa Claus, North Pole.
2. Later, when alone, open the envelope and write a personalized response.
3. Insert the response letter into an envelope and address it to the child.
4. Add the return address: SANTA, NORTH POLE, to the envelope.
5. Ensure the envelope is affixed with a First-Class Mail stamp, such as a recently issued Charlie Brown Christmas stamp.
6. Place the complete envelope into a larger envelope — preferably a Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope — with appropriate postage, and address it to:

North Pole Postmark
Postmaster
4141 Postmark Drive
Anchorage, AK 99530-9998

“Letters from Santa” must be received by the Anchorage, AK postmaster no later than Dec. 15. Santa’s helpers at the Postal Service, will take care of the rest.

Be sure to share the experience on social media using #LettersFromSanta.

Tips

• To save paper, write on the back of your child’s letter. If you keep them together, your child will also be able to recall what he or she wrote.
• When responding as Santa, make the response as personal as possible by highlighting your child’s accomplishments over the past year. For example, helping around the house, receiving good grades in a particular subject at school or participating in community service activities.
• This is a great activity for Thanksgiving that the whole family can enjoy, including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other caregivers.

The Letters from Santa program adds to the excitement of Christmas and is ideal for interesting youngsters in letter writing, stamps and penmanship.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

[press release]
Take a Picture with Charlie Brown Characters

WASHINGTON — The Postal Service invites America to share in a series of holiday-themed augmented reality (AR) experiences that bring the nation’s 160,000 blue Post Office collection boxes to life via smartphones. The invitation is part of a mailing that provides information on exciting postal products, services and key mailing dates to make this the most convenient holiday mailing season ever.

“Our Charlie Brown Christmas Forever stamps allow you to decorate your holiday mailings with Peanuts characters,” said U.S. Postal Service Consumer Advocate John Budzynski. “Thanks to our new AR app, you can take a photo with the Peanuts characters and share it on social media. Our mailing to the nation’s households is one part of our holiday advertising campaign that ranges from direct mail to television and print advertisements, to social media and digital promotion.”

The Peanuts photo opportunity debuts Nov. 23 through Nov. 25 and appears again in mid-December as part of the Postal Service’s rotating “Mailbox Miracle” experiences that runs until Dec. 28. Also, the 50th anniversary of the “Charlie Brown Christmas” TV special, from which the stamps are based, airs Mon., Nov. 30 at 9 p.m. on ABC. Prior to that, at 8 p.m., a one-hour retrospective special featuring numerous music performers airs.

Recommended holiday mail-by-dates can be found at this link.

The ‘Mailbox Miracle’ Experiences
Download the Postal Service’s AR app at Google Play or iTunes App Store. Stand next to one of nearly 160,000 blue mail collection boxes between Nov. 23 and Nov. 25, and again Dec.14 through Dec. 17, to see Charlie Brown characters surround Postal Service blue collection boxes to take a photo with the Peanuts gang to save on your camera phone or share on social media. As the nation counts down to the holidays, the Postal Service will be adding new experiences every few days.

Customers accessing usps.com can find blue collection boxes near their current location by visiting this link and clicking the “Post Offices and Approved Postal Providers” icon. Scroll down to collection boxes and then enter a ZIP Code or address.

Starting Nov. 23 through Dec. 28 these exciting “Mailbox Miracle” seasonal AR app experiences and holiday mailing tips will decorate your screens with nostalgic peppermints; toy airplanes circulating Christmas trees surrounded by boxes; customizable digital mailboxes to “TAKE A PIC AND SHARE” on social media; blinking holiday lights; wrapping paper; bows; dancing elves; and much more while sharing important information. Following are just a handful of the upcoming experiences:

• Gingerbread Box — A Gingerbread box grows from the edges of the collection box followed by peppermints, gumdrops and more decorations. The experience also allows you to order stamps.
• Tree Burst — Doors fly open and a Christmas tree springs out of the box. A toy airplane circles the tree, decorations fly onto it and a bunch of boxes slide under it. Click tap to order free boxes.
• Wrap it up — Wrapping paper covers the collection box and reminds you that the Postal Service delivers in select locations on Christmas Day. Click tap to schedule a pickup.
• Holiday Countdown — About a week prior to Christmas a live countdown reminds you that there’s only a short time left to ship packages. An icon in the experience lets you schedule a pickup.
• Yule Log — A mantle drops on the mailbox and a fire lights inside the fireplace. Then a puppy slides in front dressed in a Santa costume.

Delivering for the Holidays
The Postal Service expects to deliver more than 15.5 billion cards, letters, flats, and packages during the 2015 holiday season. In addition, it is projecting that approximately 600 million packages will be delivered between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve — an increase of 10.5 percent over last year’s volume.

In time for the holidays, the Postal Service will offer real-time delivery notifications – meaning customers who sign up for alerts at myusps.com will receive notification within a few minutes of the delivery scan for select packages.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Effective January 11, 2016, for letters up to 30 grams (1.06 ounces):

At mid-November 2015 exchange rates, 90 cents Canadian is about 68 cents U.S.

More information: www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/prices/lp_pricesheet-e.pdf