As of today, December 3rd 2007, postage for a standard envelope to Canada from the United States via the US Postal Service is 69 cents. Non standard envelope shapes (such as a square envelope) is 86 cents. I am writing this on a blog as a reminder to myself. Why? Well, I can never remember the price and figuring it out from the USPS website is horribly confusing. This always leads to me waiting in line at the post office to get the correct postage instead of buying stamps at a machine or a store. Now, in the future, I’ll just go to a machine.
But why is waiting in line at the post office such a big problem (especially since I only really have to do it around 4 times a year)? Well, it’s because US Post Offices are probably the most soul-sucking work (or retail) environment I’ve ever been in. It does not surprise me in the least that Postal workers are synonymous with killing in the work place. If my office had the air quality of a damp locker room, the dim and oddly off-green glow of crappy fluorescent lights, gave you the same eerie feel of an indian burial ground, and faintly played some terrible easy listening radio station all day long I would (A) work at the post office and (B) easily be on my way to going postal.
In an attempt to procrastinate, I went on the the USPS website to see how it is that you couldn’t figure out a rate. Feel validated, it was impossible. Further, I went on canada post website and found the cost of a stamp to us in 5 seconds (including loading time). Incidentally, it’s 93 cents to mail to the US; it must be printed on gold!