Well, the Post Office Guy let me down. As of yesterday, he still didn't know how much it would cost to mail flat-rate Priority evelopes -- the type that I routinely use for mailing out books and press kits to the media. I know. I asked. He shrugged.
The Supervisor Post Office Guy heard and saw the exchange, and he jumped into the conversation. Yay! A Supervisor Post Office Guy! Now I'd get the answer! I was especially hopeful to get clarity about the book promotion costs increase -- which will take effect on Monday -- when the Supervisor Post Office Guy offered up the information that he'd ordered the new postage. Yay! An answer! And what, exactly, will the book promotion cost increase be, Mr. Supervisor Post Office Guy?
Well, he couldn't say, exactly. He knows that he ordered $4.80 stamps (the old rate for flat-rate Priority envelopes was $4.60). But he doesn't know for sure whether $4.80 will be enough to mail all my flat-rate Priority packages. In fact, lamentably, the Supervisor Post Office Guy doesn't know if there will still be a flat-rate Priority package rate as of Monday.
Priority rates might depend on zones which, as you've probably learned by now (presuming you use the US Postal Service to mail packages as part of your book promotion campaign), is post office parlance for "the distance your package is traveling." So, if your package is crossing enough zones -- according to the Supervisor Post Office Guy at my local post office -- then the $4.80 rate might increase. Maybe. To something, that he can't say just now. Because he doesn't know for sure.
In fact, he suggested that I just sit tight until Monday, when he and I can find out together.
I love surprises. Most people love surprises.
So here's a surprise that awaits us. We'll be surprised to find out how our book promotion campaign costs will increase as of Monday.
Yay.
