Stamps pinch another penny

Senders line up to buy 1-cent stamps to cover the new first-class postage rate.

By JOUNICE L. NEALY

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 9, 2001

Sheila Thurmond already had a healthy stock of stamps. In fact, she cracked open a new roll of stamps only days ago.

[Times photo: Cherie Diez] St. Petersburg artist Neverne Covington adds 1-cent stamps to nine envelopes on Monday at the Open Air Post Office in downtown St. Petersburg.

Only problem is, her 33-cent stamps now are a penny short. On Monday, Thurmond stood in line at the downtown post office to buy 1-cent stamps to supplement her roll.

"The guy told me I could bring it back, but I thought, "Nah, too much trouble.' "

She was among hundreds of customers around the Tampa Bay area who flocked to the post office to buy 1-cent stamps and 34-cent stamps.

"From 8 a.m., the lines have been looped in a circle. And it's like that right now," said Deborah Harden, a clerk at the main post office in St. Petersburg.

"I had to pay my bills. I can't get around it," said David White, of Clearwater. He went to the post office just before it closed to buy 35 1-cent stamps to go with his book of now outdated 33-cent stamps.

Postal officials had predicted that they would be swarmed by customers on Monday, the day after new postal rates took effect. The cost of a first-class letter rose a penny to 34 cents. Other postal service rates increased, but 20-cent postcards stayed the same.

"It seems like a lot of people did not pay our heed any and are waiting until the last minute to get their 1-cent stamps," said Bridget Robertson, a customer relations coordinator at the Tampa post office.

"But we do have plenty on hand so there should not be a problem."

The additional penny for first-class letters alone is expected to add about $1-billion in revenue. Overall, the rate increases will add about $2.7-billion in total revenue.

The price of stamps already has jumped twice in the past five years. In January 1995 the price went from 29 cents to 32 cents. The last rate increase was in 1999, when first-class rates also went up a penny.

Also in the latest rate increases, the cost of a 2-pound priority mail package increased from $3.20 to $3.95 and 1 pound to $3.50. Before that, customers could send a priority mail package up to 2 pounds for $3.20.

While the cost of a first-class stamp has risen, each additional ounce has dropped from from 22 cents to 21 cents.

- Information from Times files was used in this report.

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