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Holiday rush

Top story

Holiday rush
USPS prepares for busiest week
17 mins ago
Mail tale
1940s wartime letters inspire world-premiere play
4 days ago
Giving and receiving
Reminder offered on holiday gift exchanges
3 days ago

Brotherly love

Brotherly love

Employee receives praise for work ethic
A USPS employee receives praise from his colleagues — and his younger brother — in a new video.
3 days ago

Share your story

Share your story

Link seeks employees helped by CFC
Link wants to hear from more Postal Service employees who have benefited from the Combined Federal Campaign, the annual federal workplace charity drive that is now underway.
3 days ago

Honoring Duncan

News Briefs

Honoring Duncan

Employee awards also announced
Read about awards for the USPS Board of Governors chairman and two employees.
3 days ago

Priority: New

Priority: New

Two more stamps coming next year
The Postal Service has announced plans to release new Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express stamps in 2020.
4 days ago

Season of opportunities

Season of opportunities

Employee leads sought during holidays
If you see a retailer who’s using another shipper — or if you encounter a business that’s seeking new ways to advertise its products and services — let USPS know.
4 days ago

Designing woman

Designing woman

Dowling brings artist’s touch to holiday stamps
Laura Dowling has a special connection to the Postal Service’s new Holiday Wreaths stamps: She designed the wreaths herself.
5 days ago

‘I love it’

‘I love it’

Peek page profiles proud Postmaster
For Cross River, NY, Postmaster Clarence “Thomas” Carson, the holidays are a time to be with family, friends, colleagues and customers.
5 days ago

Gift cards

Gift cards

Mastercard promotion runs through Dec. 13
USPS is offering a promotion on Mastercard gift cards at select Post Office locations.
5 days ago

Making spirits bright

Making spirits bright

Program continues to aid those in need
Postal Service employees nationwide are supporting Operation Santa, the annual program that allows families in need to write letters to Santa Claus for “adoption” by those who want to help.
6 days ago

First wave

First wave

Stamp release dates announced
The Postal Service has announced release dates for several of next year’s stamps, along with the cities where the dedication ceremonies will be held.
6 days ago

Celebrating Mr. Rogers

Celebrating Mr. Rogers

Employee marks 65 years of federal service
Along with getting into the holiday spirit, Theodore Rogers, a mail handler equipment operator and Korean War veteran, has marked a rare milestone: 65 years of federal service.
7 days ago

Got ID?

Got ID?

Sites add scanning capabilities for cards
USPS recently added technology at retail locations that provides employees with the capability to scan government identification cards with two-dimensional barcodes.
7 days ago

Send them back

Send them back

Employees should recycle used batteries
The Postal Service wants employees to use proper recycling procedures when discarding used batteries.
7 days ago

Holiday hours

Holiday hours

Post Office, collection box schedule announced
The Postal Service has announced holiday hours for Post Offices and blue collection boxes.
1 week ago

Stocking stuffers

Stocking stuffers

Several stamp-related products available
Looking to stuff some stockings this holiday season?
1 week ago

Archives

About the Business

  • Season’s greetings

    Cards remain popular product during holidays

    Dec. 10

    Season’s greetings

    Cards remain popular product during holidays
    Dec. 10 at 10:23 a.m.

    Although First-Class Mail volume has declined in recent years, greeting cards remain popular with many customers — especially during the holidays.

    U.S. consumers purchase approximately 6.5 billion greeting cards each year, generating $7 billion-$8 billion in annual sales, according to the Greeting Card Association, an industry trade group.

    Christmas cards are the most popular type of seasonal card, with approximately 1.6 billion cards sold each year, the association reported in the fall.

    According to the latest Household Diary Study, a national research effort sponsored by USPS, more than 1.3 billion holiday greeting cards were mailed in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2018, reflecting a 3.8 percent increase over a three-year period.

    Overall, holiday greeting cards represented about 43 percent of all U.S. household personal correspondence in 2018, the study found.

    This is encouraging news for the Postal Service, which counts First-Class Mail among its most profitable products.

    To help serve holiday greeting card customers, USPS offers a wide variety of secular and religious stamps, as well as special postmarks. Many Post Offices also sell cards.

    Additionally, each holiday season, the Postal Service offers recommended mailing deadlines to ensure customers’ greeting cards are delivered on time.

    Of course, greeting cards aren’t just popular with customers. Many USPS employees enjoy sending and receiving them, too.

    Archives

Heroes’ Corner

  • Stepping up

    Employee performs CPR on customer

    Dec. 13

    Stepping up

    Employee performs CPR on customer
    Dec. 13 at midnight

    Rural Carrier Associate Elizabeth Ridge was recently delivering mail in Harrison, MI, when she spotted a customer collapsed in his driveway.

    Ridge rushed to check on the man, who was neither conscious nor breathing.

    The Postal Service employee immediately called 911 and performed CPR on the customer until paramedics arrived and took over.

    The man, who had suffered a heart attack, was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

    “Heroes are normal, everyday people, like Elizabeth, who step up and take action when needed,” said local Postmaster Cindy Fabijancic.

    Archives

Best Practices

  • Showing love

    Finding the right CFC charity for you

    Nov. 4

    Showing love

    Finding the right CFC charity for you
    Nov. 4 at 10:26 a.m.

    Laree Martin looks forward to the Combined Federal Campaign each year.

    The Postal Service attorney has donated to the annual charity drive, also known as the CFC, for more than two decades. She especially enjoys reading the CFC catalog.

    “It’s fascinating to see what all the organizations are doing and who or what they help,” says Martin, who works at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC. “Looking at the catalog helps me learn about new ones I could donate to.”

    The CFC allows federal employees, retirees and contractors to contribute to more than 7,000 charities. USPS workers pledged $7.7 million during the previous drive, exceeding the organization’s goal by 20 percent.

    To help employees participate this year, Martin offers these tips:

    • Do your homework. The CFC online pledging system allows you to search for organizations by name or by category.

    Many USPS facilities also hold CFC fairs that allow employees to meet representatives from participating charities.

    • Give wisely. “Start out by donating an amount that’s comfortable for you, and then see if you can do a little more the next year,” Martin says. Remember: Donations to CFC charities are tax deductible.

    • Consider donating your time, too. In addition to giving money, the online pledging system allows you to search for organizations that accept volunteer hours.

    Martin’s final piece of advice: Don’t underestimate the personal advantages of charitable giving.

    “One of the most important beneficiaries of your CFC donation is you,” she says. “You help your emotional well-being and sense of community. It makes you feel good.”

    Archives

On the Job

  • With care

    Mail handler sees herself as customer

    Nov. 8

    With care

    Mail handler sees herself as customer
    Nov. 8 at 10:38 a.m.

    My name is Linda Anderson and I’m a mail handler at the Merrifield, VA, Processing and Distribution Center. I unload and separate mail before it’s routed to distribution areas for processing.

    I primarily use an automatic induction flat sorter machine. I load the machine, which reads the ZIP Code and sends the mail where it’s supposed to go. I handle thousands of mailpieces each day.

    I’m a country girl, so I’m not afraid to do hard work.

    Before I joined USPS in 1987, I held various jobs. I once worked for a company that made military weapons. I would fill Tomahawk missiles with propellant. It was tedious and dangerous. Before that, I worked in a lumberyard.

    My aunt and uncle worked at the Warrenton, VA, Post Office. They encouraged me to apply for a job with USPS. When I saw my first postal paycheck, I said, “OK, this might be something I could stick with.”

    I think what I do is important. The Postal Service has a duty to the community. I don’t see our customers, but I know they have faith in us to get their bill payments and packages delivered on time. I’m like the customer because I definitely want my mail to get where it’s going in a timely manner.

    When I’m not working, I spend time with my grandson. I enjoy every moment of it. My daughter has another one on the way, so I’ll soon have two grandchildren. I’m looking forward to retirement. I’m 56 and a 12-year cancer survivor.

    The Postal Service is a good place to have a career. There are a lot of opportunities here. If I weren’t working for USPS, I probably wouldn’t have everything I have now.

    Archives

The List

  • Trauma awareness

    7 facts about PTSD

    Dec. 10

    Trauma awareness

    7 facts about PTSD
    Dec. 10 at 10:07 a.m.

    To mark the recent release of the Healing PTSD semipostal stamp, here are seven facts about post-traumatic stress disorder.

    1. A wide range of people are affected by PTSD. People with PTSD may relive past events, have trouble sleeping, be dehydrated, feel nauseated and be startled easily. They can also experience uncontrollable shaking, chills, heart palpitations and headaches.

    2. A variety of traumatic events can trigger PTSD. These events include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, combat and other violence.

    3. Seven or 8 of every 100 people will have PTSD at some point in their lives. Women are more likely to experience PTSD — 10 out of every 100 women compared with 4 out of 100 men.

    4. About half of people with PTSD may recover in three months without treatment. However, there is the possibility that symptoms will not go away on their own and may last longer than three months.

    5. Children may be diagnosed with PTSD if long-term symptoms last more than one month. Parents of children with PTSD should encourage them to express their feelings and thoughts without judgment.

    6. People with severe forms of PTSD may experience challenges at work, at home and in social settings. The nervous system of someone with PTSD is especially vulnerable, which may lead to behavior or feelings such as being overly alert, angry, irritable, depressed or untrusting.

    7. Previous traumatic exposure, age and gender can affect whether a person develops PTSD. What happens after the traumatic event is also important. Stress can make PTSD more likely, while social support can make it less likely. This can come in the form of participating in hobbies, doing rhythmic exercises or dancing or going on lunch dates.

    Archives

Mailbag

  • Earl Musick, Washington, DC:

    I enjoyed the “Letters from Hollywood” article very much. I even ordered the book for a Christmas gift. Keep up the wonderful work.

    Archives

Latest videos

  • ‘Roche’s Story’ Dec. 13
  • ‘How to Use eSignature for Package Arr... Dec. 11
  • ‘Show Some Love’ Dec. 4
  • ‘How to Package and Ship Cremated Rema... Nov. 22
  • ‘Behind the Scenes’ Nov. 18
  • ‘Holiday Wreaths’ Nov. 15

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