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Mail Order

Vermont Country Store matriarch Orton dies at 99

Iris Dorbian May 12, 2010

Mildred Orton, co-founder of mail order business Vermont Country Store, died May 6 at her home in Weston, VT. She was 99.

Mail and marketing groups launch online forum on Postal Service's future

Frank Washkuch December 01, 2009

A coalition of postal, mailing and marketing groups launched a Web forum on December 1 to bolster discussion about the state of the US Postal Service and how the federal agency can maintain its relevance. The goals of PostalJournal.com are to explore the evolution of the USPS as part of the nation's economic and communications infrastructure and to create an exchange of ideas about the industry.

Postal Service narrows branch consolidation list to 241

Frank Washkuch November 20, 2009

Less than a week after the US Postal Service disclosed that it incurred a $3.8 billion net loss for fiscal year 2009, it narrowed the list of branches it is considering closing by 130. The agency is still reviewing the possible closure of 241 post offices as of November 20.

The Netflix model is coming to high fashion

Dianna Dilworth November 09, 2009

Just in time for holiday party season a new company called Rent the Runway is bringing a Netflix style mail order membership model to couture dresses.

USPS to release Intelligent Mail additions this month

Frank Washkuch November 02, 2009

Later this month, the US Postal Service will unveil additional capabilities for its Intelligent Mail service, which allows the agency to track pieces of mail from origin to destination.

Postal Service says it won't raise 2010 rates

Frank Washkuch October 16, 2009

The US Postal Service told businesses on October 15 that it will not raise rates for 2010 on its "market-dominant products," a category that includes first-class and standard mail, periodicals and single-piece parcel post. The agency has predicted that the fiscal year 2009 mail volume could be as much as 20 billion pieces lighter than the year before.

Postal Service cuts employee base with buyouts

Frank Washkuch October 02, 2009

The US Postal Service is cutting in other ways than just consolidating branches. About 5,000 full-time agency employees who are eligible for retirement accepted a buyout package this week, and 18,000 more have taken an offer but have until the end of this month to formally accept or change their minds, according to a report in The Washington Post.

But what effect will US Postal Service distribution center closings have?

Frank Washkuch October 01, 2009

In this week's edition of DMNews, direct mail experts said that post office branch closings won't have much of an impact on the direct marketing industry. However, processing and distribution centers could be another story altogether. The US Postal Service has announced the closing or downsizing of 15 of those offices and is considering the fate of others.

Direct Brands appoints Fine president and CEO

Carol Krol September 30, 2009

Direct Brands, a direct marketer of books, DVDs and recorded music, has named Deborah Fine president and CEO. Direct Brands and sister company Bookspan, owned by Najafi Companies, include the Book-of-the-Month Club, Columbia House, Doubleday Book Club and The Literary Guild. Previously, Fine was president of NBC Universal's iVillage Properties, a group of online communities including iVillage.com and YourTotalHealth.com with 27 million members.

The New York Times launches mail order club

Carol Krol August 17, 2009

The New York Times Company announced on August 17 it has launched The New York Times Wine Club, a mail order club that has the potential to provide the embattled publisher with another source of revenue. The newspaper partnered with Global Wine Company, an outsourcer that operates wine mail order clubs for consumer brands such as Omaha Steaks, to handle the business on a turn-key basis.