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  • 2016-03-14 (xsd:date)
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  • (Takes) Forever Stamps (no)
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  • On 12 April 2007 the United States Postal Service (USPS) introduced the Forever Stamps. As described in a pre-launch 4 May 2006 Washington Post article, the concept behind Forever Stamps was that they could be purchased at the current rate for first-class postage, but they could be used to mail letters (without the need for additional postage) no matter how much postage rates might change in the future That early news coverage explained that no matter when a Forever Stamp (also known as non-denominated postage) was purchased, it entitled the buyer to use it for first-class postage: Despite subsequent rumors that mail sent using Forever Stamps is somehow processed differently (and slower) than other mail, a USPS Forever Stamp Fact Sheet released at the time of the Forever Stamps' introduction [PDF] made no mention of a separate classification or handling of letters mailed using Forever Stamp postage. A similar document found on the USPS's web site in March 2016 reiterated that the primary difference between Forever Stamps and denominated postage was a locked-in rate. All reporting has described Forever Stamps as identical to their denominated First-Class counterparts, save for built-in protections against postal rate hikes. One aspect of such rumors holds that items sent using Forever Stamps are considered second-class mail, but that category (now called Periodicals) applied to newspapers and magazines that were handled with a lower priority than first-class mail, not to letters and other enveloped items. This rumor might stem from the fact that recent years have seen wide fluctuations in delivery times for first-class mail and slowdowns in the handling of all first-class mail. In December 2014 the USPS released a fact sheet [PDF] explaining that consolidation of mail processing facilities had led to longer transit times for first-class mail: On 1 February 2015, Wisconsin's Journal Times reported that many USPS customers were unaware of the adjusted first-class mail delivery projections despite the USPS's ongoing efforts to notify the public about them: An April 2015 Washington Post article also described a slower delivery times for first-class mail (partially attributed to inclement weather during the time period in question): In short, it is no secret that the USPS began adjusting the speed of first-class mail delivery as far back as 2011, as they restructured their processing procedures. But those adjustments were in no way linked to any purported lower priority for Forever Stamp-bearing letters, and the USPS has repeatedly explained that Forever Stamps are treated in every way as standard first-class postage. (en)
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