Price Hike Coming for USPS in July
Good morning! Happy National Grilled Cheese Day, cheese lovers! As you enjoy your deliciously melted sandwich, let's take a moment to talk about another kind of melt: supply chain disruptions. From port congestion to material shortages, the supply chain industry is facing a myriad of challenges in today's fast-paced global economy.
So grab a seat, take a bite of that gooey goodness, and let's dive into the latest news affecting the world of supply chain management. 🧀
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Once again, the United States Postal Service is increasing its prices starting on July 9, 2023. It has been recently announced that prices will be raised, with certain prices including first-class mailing prices being increased by 5.4%. This is to "offset inflation" and was approved by the Governors of the USPS. Luckily, there will be no change to single-piece letters, but 1-ounce metered mail will be changing to 63 cents. There may also be a change to money order fees and Post Office box rental fees.
Read more about the price changes in today’s featured article from Value Added Resources. The article will give you specifics on what to expect in just a couple of months from now. Will prices increase even more between then? Or will they begin to calm down and go down?
Featured Article:
Another USPS Price Increase Coming In July 9, 2023 | Value Added Resource
“Today, the United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of mailing services price changes to take effect July 9, 2023.”
Business Strategy & Online Safety 💻
Amazon's Marketplace E-Fraud Battle Costs $1.2 Billion
It has been revealed that retail giant Amazon has spent over $1 billion to combat fraud and fake products on its website. This effort has also led to the employment of over 15,000 new workers at Amazon, which is a positive development in the situation. Since its inception, Amazon has had to deal with fake products being listed and scams occurring on a daily basis. The new strategy to catch these scammers involves workers going online and identifying prices that seem too good to be true, such as a $500 tool being sold for $20.
Since the implementation of this strategy, the number of scammers attempting to sell fake products has decreased by millions. In 2020, there were 6 million attempted sales of fake products on the website, but that number has now decreased to less than 800,000. It appears that Amazon's efforts have paid off, as they have removed over 6 million scammers from their retail site and created a safer environment for shoppers to browse without worry.
Electric Vehicles & Sales 🔋
Electric Cars May Need to Account for 54% of All Cars by 2030
The Biden administration has introduced a strict air pollution law that would require more than half of the cars in the market to be completely electric. This law aims to limit the number of carbon emissions from vehicles and create a greener market. Some officials predict that by 2032, two out of every three cars sold will be electric. The proposed regulation is set to be announced on Wednesday, April 12. It will affect cars made between 2027 and 2032, which means they will have even stricter greenhouse gas regulations.
This regulation is not expected to take effect until the beginning of 2024. The rules for it were agreed upon in 2021. Many environmentalists are applauding the regulation, while others are very angry. There is expected to be major pushback from Americans in the auto industry, including Ford and possibly Chevrolet.
Let’s Get Global 🌎
🇪🇺 European Uprising Underway over Electric Vehicles. Ever since the war started between Russia and Ukraine, many European countries have reverted to using coal and other less environmentally friendly practices. Italy has even stated that the EV market has significantly reduced job availability, which is far from ideal. Additionally, several of Europe's car brands have claimed that there are no viable alternatives to expensive e-fuels.
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Changes have come to the U.S./Canadian Border. The Canada-United States border has undergone some changes due to decreased volume during the pandemic. Hours of operation have been increased by two hours near North Dakota and Idaho; the border will now be open from 7 am to 7 pm instead of 9 am to 7 pm. Despite this change, traffic volume is still reported to be down 39% compared to 2019 statistics.
iLevel With You 🏡
More topics for the average American household to consider…
😵💫 Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Face Credit Crunch. In recent years, with the rise in interest rates, small businesses have been under a lot of financial pressure. Due to the downfall of many small business banks, most small to medium-sized shops have had to tighten their credit even more than before.
🔋 4 in 10 Americans Consider Switching to Electric Vehicles in the Future. A recent study has shown that four out of ten Americans say that their next car may be electric, which is far less than the Biden administration was hoping for. Most of the respondents said that the price is the reason they will not consider buying an EV in the future.
💉 White House Aims to Disrupt Fentanyl Supply Chain. The Biden administration has announced a new initiative to combat the flow of illicit drugs, with a particular focus on fentanyl. This operation has already successfully intercepted over 900 pounds of fentanyl from entering the United States. It is hoped that this will help to curb the ever-increasing drug trade in America.
Get Smart 🧠
Ramp up that brain power for these advanced topics…
🤖 Employees Eagerly Anticipate Integration of AI in the Workplace. The majority of younger workers seem to be ecstatic to be able to work alongside AI in their work setting. Many believe that artificial intelligence is a gold mine of information and will help boost companies into a wealth of great material to use in the future.
💰 Toyota Signs $210 Million Lease Agreement. A Southeast Toyota distributor has signed a lease agreement with Jaxport's 88-acre facility in Florida. This lease allows Toyota to increase its capacity for handling vehicles, as the company was previously relying on only two port terminals. The Southeast Toyota Distributor (SET) realized that this would not be sufficient for their needs, hence the decision to secure this new factory.
🚚 FedEx Plans to Have No Drivers on Payroll in the Future. Reports suggest that FedEx is exploring a future where they will not have drivers on their payroll. This decision was made after the merger of two of their largest subcategories. Since last June, the package delivery company has eliminated over 1200 jobs.
The Workday Dash is an aggregation of articles regarding the transportation logistics, trucking, and supply chain industries for November 28, 2024, from iLevel Logistics Inc.