Megan J. Brennan, Postmaster General and CEO, recently attended the 10th Annual National Catalog Forum in May to discuss her objectives moving forward with the USPS and the catalog industry.
Brennan’s discussion included balancing postage increases for the catalog industry while stopping the CPI-capped postal rate setting system in the 10-year review. The USPS is anticipating a 2% CPI increase beginning in January of 2018. During this forum, Brennan stressed a strong desire to work with the catalog industry.
Brennan also discussed the how the Informed Visibility and Informed Delivery programs can have a favorable impact on catalog delivery for marketers and customers.
Along with Brennan, USPS executives Steve Monteith, Elke Reuning-Elliott, and Lauren C. Williams attended the 10th Annual National Catalog Forum and discussed the American Catalog Mailers Association initiative to save the catalog industry anywhere from 15 to 25 percent (discount) on postage costs. However, a final signature awaits. This discussion came just after the second quarter fiscal year (January 1, 2017 – March 31, 2017) results for the USPS, which showed a net loss of 562 million dollars.
In regard to the second quarter fiscal year results:
Brennan stated, “America deserves a financially stable Postal Service that can continue to play a vital role in our economy and society. The path forward depends on continued innovation and aggressive management actions, the passage of H.R. 756 into law, combined with a favorable outcome of the PRC’s 10-year pricing system review. With these actions, the Postal Service will have the financial stability to invest in our future and continue to be an engine of growth, to be a strong business partner, and to meet the expectations of the American public.”
Chief Financial Officer and Vice President, Joseph Corbett of the USPS addressed the second quarter fiscal year by stating, “We are addressing declines in letter mail volumes by aggressively managing our work hours and compensation expense, while balancing and fine-tuning the resources needed to accommodate growth in package volumes and to optimize customer service. Despite inflationary pressures in the marketplace, the Postal Service’s controllable operating expenses rose by less than 1% in the quarter.”
USPS has emphasized their commitment to customer service and the outcome of Brennan’s objectives for the catalog industry. These will continue to be addressed in the upcoming quarter(s). For more on what went on during the National Catalog Forum, click here for a recap.
