Mailers Urged to Influence Regulatory Commission to Approve, Finalize 'Summer Sale' Rates

"The USPS has demonstrated their willingness to be proactive and take advantage of flexible pricing through the recently proposed 'Summer Sale,'" said Neil O'Keefe, vice president of the Direct Marketing Association's catalog and multichannel merchant segment, in a letter to members on May 18. He urged all catalog mailers to support the effort by faxing letters to Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Dan Blair asking for the PRC to "expeditiously endorse this program so that we can move forward and take full advantage of the benefits throughout the coming summer months."

O'Keefe added the following about the program, which the USPS formally entered in the Federal Register on May 15:

"In order to ensure that the PRC approves the USPS request for a 'Summer Sale' in a timely manner, we are asking that you fax a signed copy of one of the letters [shown below] prior to close of business on May 21 to the Postal Regulatory Commissioners and the Secretary of the Commission. Those of you who joined me in Washington D.C., heard clearly that communication officially entered into the public record is relied on heavily by the PRC when they are weighing a decision.

"The fax number for the Commissioners is (202) 789-6883. The fax number for the Secretary of the Commission is (202) 789-6886. We provided three letters so that everyone whose business is impacted by the mail can participate. The first letter is for a company that plans to participate in the summer sale. The second is for supplier partners to mailers. The third letter is for mailers who cannot participate in this year’s sale, but hope to participate in future sales to increase mail volume during slow times.

"It is extremely important to participate in this process in some way. The USPS has made it clear that if this test succeeds in creating incremental volume that they will encourage this type of pricing strategy in the future as well.

"Please fax your letters as soon as time allows and no later than May 21. As a Council Member, you should encourage your entire staff to participate in this effort and forward a copy of this letter to all of your peers and partners in the direct marketing community. If you or your company has a newsletter or blog, I would also encourage you to add this information to it as soon as possible. This is a significant opportunity during challenging times for the mailing community. Customize these letters as much as you like, but insist that the letter is included in the public record for Docket No. R2009-3."