The adage that nothing stops the mail from reaching its destination may be true, but those sending real mail the old fashioned way will have to pay a bit more to get it there. The cost of a first class stamp increased on May 11 by two cents, so mailing that card or letter will now cost you 44 cents.
The post office estimates that the price increase will cost the average family an extra $3 per year. So while those 42 cent stamps will need an additional two cents in postage to reach their destination, it should have little effect other than inconvenience for most people.
What does an increase like this cost the college? According to George Herring, vice president for Business Services, last fiscal year the college spent $32,382.30 on postage and freight. Not all of this was first class postage of course, but any increase in the cost of postage relates to an increase in this total cost to the college.
Sonja Guinn, records management analyst for the Copy Center, estimates that more than three quarters of all the mail that leaves the college through the Copy Center is sent first class postage. Sonja says the monthly average spent on first class postage ranges from $1,500 to $2,000. If that monthly amount of $1,500 was all spent on standard letters, that would equate to more than 3,500 pieces of mail so each two cent increase starts to add up.
