Postal rate changes sealed and delivered

Time to dig out those small-change stamps left over from the last postal rate increase.

The cost to mail a first-class letter increased 2 cents Monday to 41 cents.

Those who want to invest for future mailings, however, can buy the 41-cent “forever” stamp, which can be used to send first-class mail into perpetuity.

A steady stream of customers filed up to the counter Monday at the downtown Spokane post office. Most were there to buy 2-cent stamps or new 41-cent stamps.

“The forever stamps are a big hit,” said postal employee Walter Tomson. “I just had an older couple buy 500 to give to their kids for Christmas in the coming years.”

Tomson said few people were buying the non-forever sheets of 20 stamps, such as the Jamestown stamp, the first triangular stamp offered by the Postal Service in years.

The forever stamps only come in books of 20.

Rates are also increasing for many businesses, which now will be charged based on a letter’s size and thickness, not just its weight.

First-class postage was last raised in January 2006, from 37 cents to 39 cents.

First-class postage has gone up 12 cents per letter since 1991, an increase of 29 percent.

“I suppose their costs go up just like everybody else,” said Robert Ogden, president of North Coast Life Insurance.

Ogden was buying stamps Monday for his own use but said the rate increases will affect his business, particularly when it comes to keeping packages small. As for the forever stamp, Ogden isn’t convinced.

“I think it will last for a while, but it won’t last forever,” he said.