Today's Pet Peeve 6 May 09 (cost, houses, location, buy)

[AliceT]

Postage Stamps. They used to have their individual price on them. But now, they have no indication and there is no way to tell if the stamps you have are outdated or not. Used to be, you could just add a 1 cent stamp to an outdate4d stamp, but how are we supposed to know if the stamps are current without taking them to the post office?

Mailing letters was so much easier when I was younger...

[Kerowyn]

if they have no cent marking they are "forever' stamps. meaning no matter what price you paid for them they will work forever no matter the rise in basic stamp cost. they will always mail a single letter sized envelope. If stamps cost 42 cents they are worth 42 cents if stamps cost 64 cents then they will be worth 64 cents. even if purchases at 42 cents.
I actually find it simpler, you don't have to run out and buy make-up postage stamps. Mom bought about 150 dollars worth of stamps... they will laft a very long time. We know people from church who buy bulk forever stamps and donate them to the church... most likely about 300 dollars worth.

[skbs]

The other thing I don't like about postage stamps is that now they are stickers and they don't STICK as well as STAMPS. Have you had any fall off and the letter got sent back? That has happend to me twice and I KNOW I put the stamp on them. Those stickers just don't STICK as nicely.....

[GloryB]

If less people use the post office.....why are the lines still always so very long?

[115db]

Originally Posted by AliceT

Postage Stamps. They used to have their individual price on them. But now, they have no indication and there is no way to tell if the stamps you have are outdated or not. Used to be, you could just add a 1 cent stamp to an outdate4d stamp, but how are we supposed to know if the stamps are current without taking them to the post office?

Mailing letters was so much easier when I was younger...

Aint that the truth!

[studedude]

Originally Posted by GloryB

If less people use the post office.....why are the lines still always so very long?

Maybe fewer people are using the post office BECAUSE the lines are long.

[AksarbeN]

The stamps are not a problem. I bought a large amount of “forever” stamps a while back and will use them for the next several years.

The long lines at the post office are a turn off for me. I remember when you could take a number and sit on a bench to wait your turn. They removed them from all of the locations that I would visit. I called the post office and complained about what they did. They told me it helped speed up the process of getting things mailed and customers were moved more quickly. I asked how someone who was elderly or handicapped holding a package to be weighted could stand in line waiting? How about those on crutches what were they suppose to do? I told them I wasn’t handicapped but I’m elderly and can’t stand for long periods of time, how am I suppose to wait in line for 15~20 minutes or more? They didn’t have an answer!!!!!

[AliceT]

Originally Posted by Kerowyn

if they have no cent marking they are "forever' stamps.

That's not true.
A lot of the specialty stamps have no cent markers. I don't like anything to be ordinary, so have always opted for the specialty stamps - lighthouses, cartoon characters, LOVE, Christmas, Flowers, Insects, whatever and they just don't put the cent markers on them any more.

Originally Posted by GloryB

If less people use the post office.....why are the lines still always so very long?

That is because so many smaller post offices have closed and will close and larger or busier branches are getting more than their fair share of business.