Surname Postal Corporation (SURPOST) has advised that Suriname has seen a rise in the number of COVID-19 infections and have therefore taken measures to protect their staff and customers. SURPOST has therefore suspended a number of services across the entire postal chain until further notice. Delays in the processing and delivery of mail are to be expected. We will keep you informed with any developments.
Due to storm Ellen which has hit the Irish West coast on the 19th August and has been travelling towards the Irish Sea and mainland UK, there is at least a 24H delay in postal delivery.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) today of a temporary price change taking effect on 18th October 2020.
The planned temporary price adjustments are in response to increased expenses and heightened demand for online shopping package volume due to the coronavirus pandemic and expected holiday eCommerce. As a result of these changing conditions, the Postal Service is planning on a time-limited price increase on all commercial domestic competitive package volume from 18th October until 27th December 2020. Retail prices and international products will be unaffected.
The planned price increase would go into effect at 12:00 am Central on 18th October 2020 and will remain in place until 12:00 am Central 27th December 2020.
The planned prices, approved by the Governors of the Postal Service on 6th August, would raise prices on its commercial domestic competitive parcels – Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, First-Class Package Service, Parcel Select, and Parcel Return Service.
The time-limited adjustment will increase prices for our commercial customers in line with competitive practices without impacting customers at the retail level. In doing this, the Postal Service is protecting the retail consumer during the vulnerable economic period while increasing prices on commercial volume during heightened volume levels.
No structural changes are planned as part of this limited-time pricing initiative, allowing customers the greatest ease in implementing the new prices with minimal complexity.
The Governors believe these temporary rates will keep the Postal Service competitive while providing the agency with much needed revenue. The forecasted additional revenue from the time-limited increase will depend on the volume of packages shipped between 18th October and 27th December 2020 at commercial rates.
If you have any questions regarding the temporary increase, please don’t hesitate to give your Account Manager a call.
There are some further unexpected delays in the US as a result of Tropical Storm Isaias from last week – allegedly one of the strongest storms to reach the East Coast areas in years, causing extensive damage and power outages. The storm has impacted airlines, airline terminals, container freight stations, truckers, FEDEX, DHL, UPS and the Post Office deliveries around the affected areas, creating some challenges.
Mail arriving in Canada is facing delays at the border due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19. We will keep you informed of any developments.