In September, Singapore Post (SingPost) announced that they would be increasing postage rates for local mail by S$0.20.
They tempered the unwelcome news by revealing that they would give complimentary stamp booklets to every household.
As Singapore residents receive their free stamps in their physical mailboxes, we have been reminded not to throw them away by accident.
Source: Canberra ZoneOne on Facebook
That’s because some residents have mistaken the free stamps for junk mail due to the packaging.
Those who’ve received the free stamps would know that they were packaged in a mailer and wrapped in clear plastic.
On the front is a plain white piece of paper addressed simply to “The Resident”. Though an address is labelled, nobody’s name is above it.
Source: Zwen Chua on Facebook
Only when the package is opened would the recipient see the stamp booklet inside.
Source: Patrick Tay 郑德源 on Facebook
There are 10 complimentary stamps inside the booklet, each with a value of S$0.51 under the increased rates for local standard regular mail.
Source: Wilson Ng on Facebook
That means they are worth a total of S$5.10.
In a letter to the Lianhe Zaobao forum, Ms Wang Zixin (transliterated from Mandarin) had issues with how the free stamps were distributed to households.
The packaging looks similar to junk mail sent by advertisers and insurance companies, she said, and it would be thrown away if one doesn’t pay attention.
Luckily, she didn’t throw hers away as she was warned by a colleague beforehand.
However, she asked her friends and neighbours about it, and some had already thrown away their free stamps.
Ms Wang questioned whether SingPost had made a “formal announcement” that they were giving out free stamps so residents could look out for them.
Many people around her were unaware that free stamps were being given out, she added.
As the seeming lack of clarity has resulted in stamps being thrown away unknowingly, it’s a “waste of resources”, Ms Wang maintained, adding,
If SingPost could manage its resources more effectively, maybe postal rates wouldn’t have to go up from S$0.31 to S$0.51 at one shot.
An increase of almost 65% is too unreasonable, she concluded.
In their news release on 19 Sep, SingPost said the price hike was effective from 9 Oct.
The move was to “reflect the escalating costs of maintaining the postal service”.
Also, mail volumes declined by more than 40% between financial years 2018/19 and 2022/23, they pointed out. This is due to digital disruption that has affected the commercial viability of postal firms not just in Singapore, but across the globe.
Thus, the rate adjustment “will help address the loss caused by the persistent decline in postal volumes coupled with costlier labour, utilities, fuel, and higher conveyance expenses”.
Hopefully, the free stamps will help those feeling the pinch in some way.
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Featured image adapted from Zwen Chua on Facebook and Canberra ZoneOne on Facebook.
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