Thursday, March 21, 2024
These stamps are squaring off on social media
USPS is asking customers to choose their 2024 ‘tournament’ favorites
Move over, March Madness. There’s a new game in town.
The USPS social media team has created Stamp Showdown, a bit of fun for customers modeled on the bracket system popularized by the NCAA basketball tournament.
Eight 2024 stamps will vie for the top spot, which will be determined by rounds of voting.
The stamps vying for bragging rights are Horses, Sea Turtles, Autumn Colors, Winter Whimsy, Dungeons & Dragons, Pinback Buttons, Carnival Nights and Bluegrass.
An image highlighting the eight stamps will be posted on the Postal Service’s Instagram, Twitter and Threads accounts.
The showdown began March 19. Customers can vote in each round using the “stories” feature on the USPS Instagram page.
“We’re looking forward to seeing which stamp everyone ends up picking as the winner,” said Crystal Robertson, a senior social media strategist.
The Bluegrass stamp was released last week. The remaining stamps will be issued later this year.
Off the Clock
Hot on the heels of Hot Wheels
This mail handler uses his free time to acquire miniature vehicles
My name is Dan Hammond and I’m a mail handler in Winchester, VA.
After the workday is over — I’m on the 3 to 11:30 a.m. shift — I work on my Hot Wheels collection. I stop at the Target and Walmart on the east side of town, then the ones on the west side of town, to see what’s new.
Right now, I have a little over 10,000 cars. My favorite is a Hot Wheels Camaro that’s 6 feet high — it’s as big as me — and used to be displayed above the Hot Wheels collection in a local Toys R Us. It was kind of my holy grail.
Early on, people were always looking to me for information on how and where to find new stuff. This was before the internet. Someone said that instead of me telling everyone individually, we should have meetings. So that’s how the Winchester-Shenandoah Valley Hot Wheels Club got started.
Then I began a newsletter that published once a month, about 10 pages long. I had subscribers from all over the world. Again, this was before the internet. I took those newsletters and rewrote them in article form for Die Cast Digest, a magazine for model car enthusiasts. The column was called “Wheels Are Spinning.”
I gave up on the newsletter because Facebook came along and I could post daily, live. Now, if I find something, I put it on my personal page or the club’s page.
I have about 50 miniature mail trucks and cars in my collection. There are Jeeps, LLVs, cargo vans and a tractor-trailer.
I devote about two hours a day to my collection, but never on weekends. My wife, Mia, makes sure I don’t touch anything collection-wise on the weekend. On the weekend, I’m hers.
“Off the Clock,” a column on Postal Service employees and their after-hours pursuits, appears regularly in Link.
Staying CyberSafe at USPS
‘Mailin’ It!’ talks to the chief information security officer
In its latest episode, the “Mailin’ It!” podcast features Heather Dyer, the Postal Service’s chief information security officer.
She discusses the importance of cybersecurity, as well as her career with the organization.
The 27-minute episode is available on Link and other postal websites, as well as most podcast platforms.
WestPac, IA-NE-SD on top in scanning
A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 96.27 percent during the week ending March 15, down 0.31 percent from one week earlier.
The data was collected March 20.
WestPac led the four areas with a rating of 97.05 percent, while Southern ranked last with a 95.11 percent rating.
Among the 50 districts, Iowa-Nebraska-South Dakota, part of Central Area, ranked first with a 97.73 percent rating, while Georgia, part of Southern Area, ranked last with a 90.15 percent rating.
Scanning data allows customers to track their mail and packages, which helps USPS deliver excellent service, boost loyalty and drive revenue.
To see the latest data, go to the Informed Visibility website and select “Customer Experience,” followed by “DES 2 Scan Performance.” Postal Service employees must request Informed Visibility access through eAccess.
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These stamps are squaring off on social media
USPS is asking customers to choose their 2024 ‘tournament’ favorites
-
Off the Clock
Hot on the heels of Hot Wheels
This mail handler uses his free time to acquire miniature vehicles
-
Staying CyberSafe at USPS
‘Mailin’ It!’ talks to the chief information security officer
-
Brief
WestPac, IA-NE-SD on top in scanning