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MEMO TO MAILERS - JULY 2006 (text)
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
VOLUME 41 NUMBER 7
JULY 2006

WHAT’s INSIDE
LICENSING PROGRAM
WIZARD OF EASE
SUMMER MAILABILITY
KEEPING POSTED
POSTAL NEWS BRIEFS

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A WORLD OF OPTIONS
No matter what “it” is, eBay entrepreneurs have a world of options to ship “it” internationally with the U.S. Postal Service. That was the message delivered by Postmaster General John E. Potter at “eBay Live! 2006.”

Global shipping with the Postal Service is quick, easy and convenient. Through a single transaction, customers can pay with their PayPal accounts (through either eBay or PayPal’s websites), and print labels containing customs forms for the Postal Service’s Global Express Mail, starting at $15.50; Global Priority Mail, starting at $7; and Global Airmail Parcel Post, starting at $13.25.

“Global shipping through the Postal Service offers some of the most economical international rates available on eBay, and the prices are fixed, with no add-on charges,” said Potter. “Flat-rate global shipping options also are available and are fast, priced right and easy to use.”

The streamlined labels containing customs forms allow customers to combine what had been three steps into a single transaction. As an added convenience, customers can arrange online to have these shipments picked up by the letter carriers who come to their homes and offices each day. Carrier Pickup allows customers to schedule a pickup as soon as the next day and as far in advance as three months.

USPS was the “eBay Live! 2006” title sponsor. The annual conference, held last month in Las Vegas, NV, draws more than 10,000 consumers and business owners from around the world.

Find information on commercial mailing services, cost-savings programs and expanding business internationally at www.usps.com/growingglobalbusiness.htm.

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POSTAL SERVICE EXPANDS LICENSING PROGRAM
Sure, it’s what’s inside that counts, but your customers see the packaging first. That’s why the U.S. Postal Service offers a wide range of creative packaging and co-branding opportunities for shippers. The Postal Service wants to help you stand out in a crowded marketplace.

The Pony Express was the fastest communication between east and west until the telegraph. Pony Express riders, thundering across the “Wild West,” captured the hearts and imaginations of people all over the world.

The image is one valued by the U.S. Postal Service as integral to its longstanding commitment to service. And now, “Pony Express” is one of two registered trademarks the Postal Service hopes to license on brands that uphold this high standard and reflect the unique role the Postal Service has played in the history of the United States.

The second trademark being offered for licensing is “Air Mail.” With the cooperation of the U.S. Air Service, the former U.S. Post Office flew the mail from 1918 until 1927. Air Mail Service pilots are the unsung heroes of early aviation. In their Curtiss Jennies and postwar de Havillands, they battled wind, snow and sleet to pioneer round-the-clock airmail service.

With properties like Pony Express and Air Mail, the Postal Service licensing program seeks to expand into more traditional licensed categories for consumer products, including apparel makers. Traditionally, the Postal Service has focused on the integrity of its stamp program and licensed the fine art that appears on many of the stamps. The new direction of the program will allow the Postal Service to seek new and exciting partners and licensing relationships.

“The importance of preserving and communicating the Postal Service brand to the public and upholding our commitment to serving every American, every day, everywhere is more important than ever before,” says Nick Barranca, vice president of Product Development. “The Postal Service is a symbol of trust and dependability in the life of Americans, and the licensing program is a true reflection of that mission.”

Potential licensees are carefully considered and all licensees must be approved by a review committee of the Postal Service. Criteria for selection include:

  • Strategic fit with the goals and objectives of the Postal Service.
  • Ability to maintain and enhance the Postal Service’s image and brand personality.
  • Prospective licensee’s business capability and financial stability.
  • Ability to produce quality products.

A number of items have been licensed by the Postal Service, including a line of packaging and shipping products available at Home Depot, K-Mart and other stores; a sticker book based on the stamp art featuring “Curious George,” available at Barnes and Noble Bookstores; and “Patriot Game,” an educational board game featuring stamp art of historic images and people, available for purchase by school districts and sold at gift shops.

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KEEPING THE DIALOGUE GOING
Thanks to the “Dilbert” and “Cathy” comic strip characters, Postal Service customers will be smiling while they learn about Delivery Confirmation, Click-N-Ship and other USPS products and services.

Cathy Guisewite, creator of “Cathy,” and Scott Adams, creator of “Dilbert,” are drawing original comic strips for a series of postcards that are being sent to 120 million residential addresses and 10 million business addresses.

This “dialogue” campaign, which started in March, is spreading the word about products and services that might be unfamiliar to customers.

In the fourth set of postcards in the series of eight, business customers saw “Dilbert” characters promoting Delivery Confirmation and the peace of mind they gain by knowing exactly when their packages arrive. Residential customers received information about quick, easy and convenient home shipping options with Click-N-Ship.

The Postal Service will keep the dialogue going through the end of September.

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FYI
Turn your PC into a Post Office to help maximize your business day and minimize the time, money and effort spent meeting your shipping and mailing needs. My Desktop Post Office is like having an instant, timesaving shortcut to those shipping and mailing tasks you do most. Easy-to-download software lets you customize a menu of USPS.com tools and services so you can print shipping labels, schedule a pickup, calculate postage, track and confirm deliveries, and more. To download My Desktop Post Office, go to usps.com/smartbusiness. (System works with PCs only.)

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WIZARD OF EASE
The online Postage Statement Wizard from the U.S. Postal Service is working its magic by making it quick, easy and convenient to manage business mailing accounts.

The Postage Statement Wizard is part of PostalOne!, the electronic suite of services that automates and simplifies many business mailing processes. It allows customers to send their postage statements straight from their computer to their local Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU).

No more writing out a lengthy postage statement. No more calculating postage. No more calling the BMEU for balance and fees. The Wizard leads customers step-by-step to complete a postage statement and transmit it through a secure connection. Customers get online access to their account day or night.

The Buffalo, NY, BMEU was the first USPS site to offer customers this easy-to-use tool and customer response has been enthusiastic. “Just click and see all transactions and balances — why would you not do it?” says Adrienne Lynch, Unitarian Universalist Church.

Doing business electronically saves the customer and the Postal Service time and money, while adding extra convenience for both.

Ready to click your way to real-time reports and put business mail in motion right from your desktop? Contact the USPS Customer Care Center at 1-800-522-9085.

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MAILABILITY OF ARTICLES CONTAINING FUEL
With the arrival of summer, it’s time for outdoor activities — yard work, camping and other hobbies — that might involve camping stoves, lanterns, lawn equipment and other items that use flammable material as fuel. Frequently, these items need to be mailed to be repaired or to be sent to a friend or relative. Summer is a good time to review the policy of the Postal Service for mailing items that contain or once contained flammable materials.

The Postal Service accepts only hazardous materials that are properly packaged, marked, labeled and declared as specified in the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM). Mailing flammable and combustible liquids is extremely limited due to their ability to catch fire and burn easily. For items that exhibit flammable or combustible properties, mailers are required to follow the procedures stated in section 601.10.13 of the DMM and in section 343 of Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail.

Many commonly used items contain material considered hazardous by Postal Service standards. Some fuel-containing items commonly found in the mail include:

  • Chainsaws.
  • Lawn trimmers and edgers.
  • Small motors and engines.
  • Used fuel tanks (motorcycles, lawn mowers).
  • Small generators.
  • Camp stoves.
  • Gas lanterns or lamps.
  • Model cars or aircraft.

Each of the items listed above is potentially mailable but only under one of the following conditions:
(a) If the item has never contained fuel, or
(b) If the fuel and all vapors have been completely purged from the item. Note: If the item emits a fuel odor or if any residue is present on the outside or inside of the item, then the item is not mailable.

Simply removing the fuel from an item does not make it acceptable for mailing. Fuel tanks containing only vapors can have a greater explosion risk and thus become more hazardous than tanks that are full or partially full of fuel. The fuel must be removed, and all vapors purged to allow these containers to be safely mailed.

To ensure that parcels containing flammable materials move safely through the mail stream, Postal Service employees follow strict procedures. You should check your parcel carefully before mailing. This will help ensure that it safely reaches its destination.

When preparing parcels, look for oil or fuel stains on the outer packaging and fuel or petroleum odors (see photo). The box in the photo is not mailable.

If a mailpiece has markings or labels denoting a flammable or combustible material, be prepared to verify the contents with the USPS acceptance employee, with available references that all mailability requirements have been met.

If you have questions about the mailability of an item or the steps required of customers for preparing an item for mailing, contact your local Business Mail Entry office.

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INFO@USPS
SMALL BUSINESS TOOLS
Get new customers.
Meet customer demands.
Around town or around the world.
www.usps.com

SIMPLE FORMULAS
Use the mail to grow your business.
Order a Simple Formulas kit.
800-THE-USPS, ext. AD4433

SEND MAIL FROM YOUR PC
Send postcards, letters,
flyers, booklets or greeting cards.
www.usps.com/netpost

THE POSTAL STORE ONLINE
Open 24/7. Stamps.
Subscription services.
Digital scales.
www.usps.com/shop

SHIPPING INFORMATION
Express Mail, Priority Mail
and package support line.
800-222-1811

PRINT POSTAGE ONLINE
Your shipping label is just
a Click-N-Ship away.
www.usps.com/clicknship

CARRIER PICKUP
From your home or office
at no extra charge.
www.usps.com/pickup

ONLINE SHORTCUT
One-click access.
www.usps.com/smartbusiness

QUESTIONS?
800-ASK-USPS

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KEEPING POSTED
NEWS FROM AND FOR POSTAL CUSTOMER COUNCILS
www.usps.com/nationalpcc

MOMENTUM BUILDS FOR NATIONAL PCC DAY 2006
As a premier event for the mailing industry, National Postal Customer Council (PCC) Day is shaping up to be the fall counterpart to the National Postal Forum (NPF), which takes place in the spring. The theme for this year’s National PCC Day is America’s Partnership, highlighting the partnership between PCCs and the Postal Service and their efforts to keep America’s mailing industry strong. The excitement is building ahead of the Sept. 20 event, with PCCs finalizing their local program activities — educational sessions, professional certificates, vendor shows and more — and Postal Service executives making plans to participate at several venues.

Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer John E. Potter will deliver his keynote address from the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, TX. Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Donahoe will participate in a one-hour live satellite broadcast from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President Anita Bizzotto will join the broadcast from the historic Eden Roc Resort Hotel in Miami, FL. The live satellite broadcast is scheduled to start at noon (ET). Mark your calendars now for Sept. 20!

CONNECTING CUSTOMERS TO MAIL-RELATED SERVICES
Starting a new business and need help with mail preparation and address lists? Looking for mailing equipment or supplies? Want to expand your efforts nationally? U.S. Postal Service customers seeking mail-related services soon will be able to turn to the national PCC website to search for a list of PCC member providers to help them grow their business and enhance their use of mail.

The new PCC Mail Service Providers (MSP) program, which will be launched on the national PCC website at www.usps.com/nationalpcc, offers the professional expertise of members of the network of more than 200 local PCCs across the nation. Initially, the MSP program will offer six categories of service: mail preparation, mail list, mail printing, mailing support, mail supplies and mailing equipment. PCC members can enroll in the program as either local or national providers.

Local providers must:

  • Be a PCC member and a mail service provider.
  • Provide some company information to their local PCC.
  • Pay an annual flat-rate fee to their local PCC.

National providers must:

  • Be a PCC member and a mail service provider.
  • Pay an annual flat-rate fee to the Postal Service.
  • Have an Internet website.
  • Sign a merchant linking agreement.

Once providers are added to the MSP look-up database, businesses will be able to search for mailing expertise and mail-related services by clicking on the Find Mail Service Providers link from the PCC website at www.usps.com/nationalpcc. Businesses will be able to search by city, state, ZIP Code and mail-related service category.

A successful search will show an alphabetical list of all local providers in a geographical area based on the search criteria. In addition to standard contact information, a map and directions also will be provided. National providers always will be listed at the top of the search results.

Are you interested in enrolling in the MSP program? Contact your local PCC.

WORKSHOPS-IN-A-BOX HIT THE WEBSITE
Want to offer customers a workshop-in-a-box seminar as part of your PCC educational program? Visit the national PCC website at www.usps.com/nationalpcc and find a listing of workshops-in-a-box available for download. These are PowerPoint presentations that have been scripted with speaker notes and are ready to be delivered at your upcoming PCC educational event. Workshops-in-a-box posted to the website will continue to be mailed to all PCCs in CD format.

The first workshops-in-a-box to be posted include:

  • Direct Mail by the Numbers
  • DMM 200
  • PC Postage Solutions
  • Simple Shipping
  • Direct Mail Made Easy: Planning a Campaign, Targeting and List Management, Mailpiece Design, Printing and Production, Post Mailing Analysis and the Profit Picture, and Transformation Plan
  • My Desktop Post Office

Keep checking the website. More workshops-in-a-box will be added each month. Look for the release of Shaping a More Efficient Future and Smart Addressing for Tomorrow, coming soon.

USPS BRIDGES TWIN CITIES
Like a bridge that spans the river of opportunity, the Postal Service will help your business thrive. That was the message from Postmaster General John E. Potter to the Twin Cities Postal PCC. “Our future is bright. Our prospects are good. Study after study tells us that mail works,” said Potter. “Alone, or combined with other channels, there’s nothing like the mail to help you get a customer, retain a customer and have your existing customers become better customers.”

According to Potter, opportunity is knocking for business customers in the present postal environment. USPS is keeping consumer mailing costs affordable while improving the reliability of the mail. And, through cooperative initiatives like PCC activities, the Postal Service is doing it with the help of its customers.

Combining the power of the mail with engaged, active PCCs is a formula for success that just can’t be beat. Potter stressed the value of PCCs as a means to get and stay connected with other mailing professionals. The interaction between postal and industry experts provides unlimited value because “we’re partners in each other’s success,” he said. “We depend on each other every step of the way.”

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POSTAL NEWS BRIEFS

Excellence in International Processing
Postal Service teamwork, attention to quality and international mail-processing efficiencies in meeting customer needs have been recognized by the International Post Corporation (IPC). The IPC awarded its “Certificate of Excellence” in management and processing of international letter mail to the U.S. Postal Service’s New York (JFK) International Service Center (ISC).

The IPC is a cooperative association of 23 national postal administrations and operators, including the U.S. Postal Service, from North America, Europe and the Pacific, whose mission is to provide assistance and expertise in developing and improving international postal services.

The New York ISC, which opened in 1980, is the largest office of exchange for international mail in the world. The 800,000-square-foot facility employs more than 1,800 people and processes more than 500 million pieces of mail a year. That represents almost half of the total international mail volume of the United States. In addition, 80 percent of all military mail moves through the facility.

The New York (JFK) ISC is the second U.S. Postal Service international exchange office to receive IPC certification. The Chicago J.T. Weeker ISC received its certification in 2004. By the end of 2006, the Postal Service hopes to receive certification for its remaining ISC facilities in Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

REAGAN STAMP RE-ISSUED
The U.S. Postal Service has reissued the stamp honoring former President Ronald Reagan at a First-Class postage rate of 39 cents. The Ronald Reagan 37-cent commemorative stamp was issued Feb. 9, 2005. The 39-cent stamp with the same design is available nationwide.

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BIODIESEL FUEL AND RECYCLING PROGRAMS HONORED
The U.S. Postal Service has been honored with a 2006 Closing the Circle (CTC) Award from the White House for its use of biodiesel fuel to reduce consumption of petroleum. The agency also received a CTC honorable mention for its Total Waste Management program.

The CTC Awards recognize outstanding achievements of federal employees and their facilities for efforts that result in significant contributions to environmental stewardship.

“The Postal Service is committed to reducing petroleum consumption and minimizing its environmental footprint,” says Walt O’Tormey, vice president of Engineering. “It’s an honor to be recognized for our efforts, and I am truly proud of our vehicle engineering, environmental and supply management teams for their hard work and commitment to this issue.”

Han Dinh, program director of Vehicle Engineering, says Postal Service research into the technical and operational implications of biodiesel use in motor vehicles continues to generate important data that is being shared with regulators, automotive engineers, equipment manufacturers and other stakeholders. “Such information is critical to the acceptance and widespread use of biodiesel fuels by the general public,” says Dinh.

Biodiesel is a domestically produced, renewable fuel that can be manufactured from a variety of natural vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled yellow grease (waste fryer-oil from restaurants.)

The Postal Service’s Total Waste Management program was created to develop best practices in recycling in order to facilitate recycling efforts, decrease the costs of waste disposal and offset any remaining disposal costs with revenue generated from recovered materials that are marketed directly to end-user manufacturers.

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MEMO TO MAILERS
Volume 41 Number 7

Ilze Sella
Editorial Services

David Ostroff
Designer

George Huelsman
Purchasing Specialist

John E. Potter
Postmaster General and CEO

Thomas G. Day
Senior Vice President, Government Relations

Azeezaly S. Jaffer
Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications

MEMO TO MAILERS
is published by U.S. Postal Service
Public Affairs and Communications.
USPS eagle symbol and logotype are
registered marks of the
United States Postal Service.

© 2006 United States Postal Service. The following are among the many trademarks owned by the United States Postal Service: USPS®, U.S. Postal Service®, United States Postal Service®, Postal Service™, Post Office™, Priority Mail®, Express Mail®, Standard Mail™, First-Class Mail®, Registered Mail™, Certified Mail™, Delivery Confirmation™, Signature Confirmation™, ZIP Code™, Click-N-Ship®, NetPost® and The Postal Store®. This list is not a comprehensive list of all Postal Service marks.

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MEMO TO MAILERS
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