a18ion

Prepare for outraged comments about the privatisation of Royal Mail as the cause of price increases...

Seriously, the benefits of automation of postal services has reached the limit. Labour is the biggest lump of cost and the unions continue to extract high wages and pensions. So prices have to go up. Economists argue that postal services have essentially been "captured" by the unions (meaning the whole service only exists now to keep union members employed and their pensions being paid).

In Canada, the government has given up fighting the unions and instead abandoning home delivery of mail over the next 5 years (a quarter of Cannucks no longer get mail delivered at home). The Canadian union is outraged, of course, because of the job losses (they say home delivery is a human right ) But the whole shebang is falling of its own weight.

The US postal services loses billions$$. Congress keeps it going. Same problem. Average US postal worker earns 34% more than private sector equivalent.

Sorry for the economic rant, but really, stamps are going to increase along with the wage bill for the foreseeable future.

Bob

Even on the slow boat?

fsm

US no longer slow boats. UK 20g £0.81, 60g £1.43 takes approx 6 weeks.

Current exchange rates put that as 20g $1.27, 60g $2.24

Bob

I know, but I was talking about the UK to US, where you said it was more expensive. I asked if that was on the slow boat.

Speaking of slow boat though, a package my mother sent took a week...which is unusually quick.