The Postal
Service expects to deliver a total of approximately 15.5 billion cards,
letters, flats, and packages during the 2015 holiday season. In addition, we
are projecting approximately 600 million packages will be delivered between
Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve, which is an increase of 10.5 percent over last
year's volume.

In time for the
holidays, the Postal Service will offer real-time delivery notifications —
meaning customers who sign up for alerts at myusps.comwill receive notification within a few minutes of the
delivery scan for select packages.

Postal Service 2015 Christmas
Shipping Deadlines

Are you planning to use the Postal
Service to handle your Christmas shipping this year? If so, these dates
will be important to know to be sure that your gifts reach their intended
recipients by Christmas Day.

Mail-by
Dates (Domestic Services)

• Dec.
  15 — Standard Post
  
  Ground service for less-than-urgent deliveries and oversized packages.


• Dec. 19 —
  First Class Mail
  
  Service for standard-sized, single-piece envelopes and small packages
  weighing up to 13 ounces with delivery in 3 business days or less.


• Dec. 21 —
  Priority Mail
  
  Domestic service in 1, 2, or 3 business days based on where your
  package starts and where it's being sent, variety of Flat Rate options.


• Dec. 23 —
  Priority Mail Express
  
  Fastest domestic service, guaranteed overnight scheduled delivery to
  most locations. Some restrictions and exceptions apply. Please note,
  Priority Mail Express postage refund eligibility is adjusted for shipments
  mailed Dec. 22 through Dec. 25.

Mail-by Dates (International Services)

Customers mailing internationally during the holidays are advised to review the
chart below for specific deadlines based on the locations they are mailing to
and the service they are using. When mailing and shipping internationally,
customers must also follow necessary customs guidelines. Check out the International
Shipping page on usps.com for more information.

Mail-by Dates (Military)

For items being shipped to military installations, complete deadlines for
shipping to APO/FPO/DPO (Air/Army Post Office, Fleet Post Office and
Diplomatic Post Office) destinations worldwide, as well as tips and guidelines
are available on the USPS.com
website.

Requesting
Pickup on Demand Service

A customer can request Pickup on
Demand service and schedule a pickup at www.usps.com.Pickup on
Demand service allows a customer to have pickup on a specific date within a
two-hour timeframe. Customers can schedule Pickup on Demand service up to one
year in advance. A same day request must be made before 5:00 a.m. local time on
the requested day of pickup.

Promotions
for First-Class Mail and Standard Mail for Calendar Year 2016

On November 16,
2015, the U.S. Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory
Commission (PRC) seeking approval for five promotions to be held during the 2016
calendar year. The 2016 Promotions are continuations of the calendar year 2015
technology promotions (Advanced and Emerging Technology, Color Transpromo, and
Mail Drives Mobile Engagement) and the Earned Value Reply Mail and Color
Transpromo promotions. The promotional program will undergo certain updates —
promotion titles will be revised, the 2016 Advanced and Emerging Technology
Promotion will offer an A/B Testing option, and the print technology category
in the 2015 Advanced and Emerging Technology Promotion will be presented
in 2016 as the Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Mailpiece Engagement
Promotion. This will be a stand-alone promotion for Standard Mail only.

In this filing,
available on the PRC
website, we provide a detailed description of the
eligibility conditions for the promotional programs and the revised mailing
standards to implement them, as well as listing the types of mailpieces
eligible for each promotion.

The first of
these promotions is scheduled to take effect on March 1, 2016.

USPS is reinventing
mail with Informed Delivery-- Name change from (Real Mail Notification)

New consumer
service that enhances hardcopy mail

This fall, New
Yorkers are going to experience a new kind of mail. The United States Postal
Service is rolling out Informed Delivery service where users can get a preview
of their daily mail the morning of the delivery. Waiting for that check to come
through the mail? You will know in the morning what you'll find in your
physical mailbox later on that day.

• 
  

  New
  consumer service that enhances hardcopy mail

  
  

• 
  

  Integrates
  direct mail and digital marketing channels

  
  


• 
  

  Provides
  multiple impressions and the potential for interactivity

  
  


• 
  

  Targeting
  My USPS users in NY Metro ZIP Codes (066, 069, 100-119)

  
  

Commercial
Priority Mail

On October 16,
2015, the U.S. Postal Service filed notice with the PRC of proposed price
changes for its Shipping Services products to take effect next year, following
the conclusion of the holiday season. The filing does not include any price
increase for First-Class Mail or any other Postal Service Mailing product such
as the Forever stamp.

The new prices,
if approved, represent the first price increase in more than three years for
commercial Priority Mail. The average price increase for Priority Mail is
9.8 percent; when calculated over the three-year period since the last
increase, the overall Priority Mail price change averages less than 3.3 percent
per year.

The
PRC will review the prices before they are scheduled to become effective on
Jan. 17, 2016. The complete Postal Service price filing with the new prices for
all Shipping Services products can be found on the PRC website under the Daily
Listings section: Click here.

FAST
(Facility Access
and Shipment Tracking) Escalation Procedures

1. 
   

   FAST
   questions email at FAST@usps.gov
   

   
   


2. 
   

   FAST,
   eInduction, or CSA issues Call FAST Help Desk at 1-877-569-6614,

   
   

• Option
  2 during normal hours Mon-Fri 7:00am-7:00pm, (Central Time)

• 
  

  Option
  7 after normal hours, weekends, or holidays for after-hours support

  
  

1. 
   

   Local
   Facility Drop Shipment Issues

   
   

• 
  

  Call
  facility coordinator in FAST Facility Profile page

  
  


• 
  

  Call
  24 hour facility number in FAST Facility Profile page

  
  


• 
  

  Call
  FAST Help Desk at 1-877-569-6614, option 2 normal hours, and option 7 after
  hours

  
  
  
  
  • 
    

    FAST
    Help Desk has been provided additional emergency contact numbers for Plant
    Managers and will assist if local issues are not resolved through local contact
    

    
    
  
  
  
  

Shipping
Products and Services Webinar Series

Did you miss any of the USPS Shipping Products and Services
webinars? You can find links to the presentations and recordings on the RIBBS
website under the Industry Outreach tab in the left frame. Scroll to "Webinar
Archives" or Click
here.

Fall
Mailing Season Readiness Webinar Series

If you missed any of the USPS Fall Mailing Season Readiness
webinars be sure to check out the collection hereon RIBBS.

Did
You Know?

The
National Postal Forum (NPF) is the mailing industry's premier educational
venue, trade show and networking event for industry professionals. Since 1968,
it has provided business mailers with ongoing training and education, and
helped them keep pace with the mailing industry's rapid progress. Held
annually, the forum offers a wide range of opportunities for attendees.
Currently, nearly 4,000 industry professionals attend the forum each year and
participate in more than 130 workshops on key issues facing the mailing and
shipping industry. The NPF will be held March 20-23, 2016 in Nashville,
Tennessee. Registration is now open. For more information, go to www.npf.org.

Published
Mailing Standards Documents

November
2015:

DMM:Customs Forms Submitted to a Business Mail Entry
Unit-Revision (PB, 11/12)

IMM: Global Shipping Software (GSS) Update (PB, 11/12)

IMM: Individual Country Listing for Hong Kong (PB, 11/12)

IMM: International Reply Coupons (PB, 11/12)

IMM: Indemnity Limits for International
Registered Mail Service (PB, 11/12)

FRN: Change in Rates and Classes of General Applicability for
Competitive Products (11/3)

October
2015:

DMM: Pickup on Demand Service (PB, 10/29)

DMM:
Postage Evidencing Systems ̶ Legibility of Postage (PB, 10/15)

General: PS Form 3811, Domestic Return Receipt —
July 2015 Updates (10/29)

FRN: Product Change-Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, &
First-Class Package Service Negotiated Service Agreement (10/29)

FRN: International Product and Price Changes (10/26)

FRN: Domestic Competitive Products Pricing and Mailing Standards
Changes (10/26)

September
2015:

IMM:
Foreign Office of Exchange Code for IPA and ISAL Service to Brazil (PB, 9/17)

General:
Tracking Suppression of Import Registered Mail (PB, 9/17)

General:
Parcel Return Service (PRS) Expansion (PB, 9/3)

*Red means new additions since the last Mail Spoken Here was
issued on October 19, 2015.

For
your reference:

FRN:
Federal Register
Notice

PB:
Postal Bulletin

Postal Explorer is a mailer's resource
for all information contained in the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), International Mail Manual (IMM), Publication 52, Hazardous,
Restricted, and Perishable Mail, mailing standards Federal Register notices, and the Postal Bulletin.In addition, all pricing files (Excel and CSV
format) and postage statements, are available on the Postal Explorer website
for mailers to download.