The United States Postal Service released the Forever Stamp, which features a picture of the Liberty Bell, in April 2007, in anticipation of a 2008 price increase on First-Class Stamps. The price of a stamp was scheduled to increase to 42-cents per stamp on May 12, 2008; the Forever Stamp was intended to offer citizens a way to side-step the price hike while giving the USPS a sound, money-now marketing campaign.
For citizens, the concept was simple: buy extra stamps now and avoid paying more for stamps later. It’s an investment, for a Forever Stamp may always be placed on a one-ounce First-Class letter with no threat of buying those annoying 1-cent stamps every time the price increases. The price of a Forever Stamp increases with the price of a regular First-Class Stamp (when a First-Class Stamp incresed to 42 cents, so did a Forever Stamp), so it is imperative to stock up.
According to the USPS website, the postal service sold 30 million Forever Stamps a day in the days before the May 12 price increase. The USPS sold about 6 billion Forever Stamps before the May 12, 2008, price hike (that’s $2.46 billion gross). It is a money-now idea that seems to be working. While the postal service is making money, they also are to be offering a valuable service to customers in economic turmoil.
As the economy heads further and further downhill, planning ahead is becoming more and more important. The Forever Stamp is one way citizens may stock up on stamps and save a little money. Again, the price of a Forever Stamp increases with the price of a First-Class Stamp; buying now is key to saving later.
As time goes on, more and more envelopes will don the little Liberty Bell in the upper right-hand corner as citizens become more aware of the money-saving benefits of the the Forever Stamp. The bell truly will toll forever.
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