FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	
Contact: Media Relations	202-268-2155
October 31, 2003
	Release No. 082
	www.usps.com

HOLIDAY SHIPPING MADE EASY
WITH THE CAT IN THE HAT

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The movie theater isn't the only place you will see Dr. 
Seuss' The Cat in the Hat this holiday season. Holiday shipping started 
October 18 at your local Post Office, and the Cat in the Hat is there to help 
- his image, that is. The U.S. Postal Service and Universal Studios have 
teamed up to bring customers easy, affordable solutions for their holiday 
shipping needs.  

Taking a cue from the fast food industry, the U.S. Postal Service has changed 
the way it offers Priority Mail® with value added features on its menu boards 
at Post Offices. It's called "bundling" and it's as easy as one, two, three. 
The new menu of shipping solutions - which became available October 18, is 
brought to customers by Cat in the Hat-themed displays in approximately 
33,000 Post Office lobbies across the country. The first bundled service 
offers Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation™ starting at $4.30. Bundle 
two offers insurance starting at $5.15, and bundle three combines Delivery 
Confirmation and insurance starting at $5.60. Priority Mail offers delivery 
to every address in the United States, including Post Office boxes and 
military addresses. Prices without additional services start at $3.85, and 
Saturday and residential deliveries are offered at no additional cost. And, 
from November 1, 2003, through January 1, 2004, the U.S. Postal Service will 
provide Cat in the Hat Postmarks on billions of letter mail pieces. 

"Our goal is to make it easy for customers to understand their options for 
shipping holiday packages," said USPS Chief Marketing Officer Anita Bizzotto. 
"We're simplifying the purchasing process for holiday harried customers by 
bundling Priority Mail with the two most asked for value added services -- 
insurance and/or Delivery Confirmation."

MasterCard joins this effort with a special promotion. From October 18 
through December 26, customers who purchase Priority Mail bundles with their 
MasterCard® card can enter a sweepstake titled, "We'll Send You Where You 
Send Your Package." Fifty winners will receive two free airline tickets to 
wherever they send their packages within the continental United States. 
Customers can enter by purchasing Priority Mail with the bundled service 
offerings and mailing their receipts - via the U.S. Postal Service - along 
with an entry form. Or if they prefer, customers may also enter the 
sweepstake without making a purchase by following instructions on the back of 
entry forms, which can be picked up at Post Offices. To learn more about 
Priority Mail, log on to www.usps.com, keywords Priority Mail.

The U.S. Postal Service has another Dr. Seuss treat in store for customers 
beginning March 2, 2004, when the Theodor Suess Geisel stamp becomes 
available. This stamp honoring the Pulitzer Prize-winning author - know 
around the world as Dr. Seuss - was unveiled in Geisel's hometown of 
Springfield, MA, earlier this month. 

The Cat in the Hat - starring Mike Myers in the title role - is scheduled for 
release on November 21, 2003. This film adaptation of the literary classic 
from Academy Award® winning producer Brian Grazer and director Bo Welch also 
stars Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning, Spencer Breslin, Amy Hill 
and Sean Hayes. DreamWorks Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have also 
collaborated on this film.

Since 1775, the U.S. Postal Service has connected friends, families, 
neighbors and businesses by mail.  It is an independent federal agency that 
makes deliveries to about 140 million addresses every day and is the only 
service provider to deliver to every address in the nation. The Postal 
Service receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its 
operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. 
With annual revenues of more than $67 billion, it is the world's leading 
provider of mail and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable 
postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 43 
percent of the world's mail volume - some 203 billion letters, 
advertisements, periodicals and packages a year - and serves seven million 
customers each day at its 38,000 retail locations nationwide.

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