Love The Message, Don't Care About The Messenger

O.K., I admit I prefer my stamps nicely engraved.

And I like the message.



But when I bought the "Go Green" sheet recently,the post office clerk mentioned she had to ask her supervisor if this "stamp" was real and could be used, or just a label.

Perhaps the message is more important than the messenger. And that is a really cute dog.

But what say you?

Just another clueless postal clerk that doesn't know or care to know about stamps.

Don't worry. The stamp IS REAL and may be used for first class postage.

Here's the official USPS sales page for that stamp issue, where they are charging $7.04 for 16 stamps at 44 cents each, which has to include the center stamp to make the 16th stamp from that sheet:

https://shop.usps.com/wcsstore/Post...htm/gogreen/

Actually, there was a small controversy about this center stamp prior to its issue. There was a preliminary design of the sheet of stamps that was publicized like this:



However, a close eye will reveal that wasn't the center stamp actually issued. The final version that hit the post offices contained the words "USA" on the last line of the text, a step necessary to differentiate a label from an actual stamp. So the final sheet of stamps actually looks like this:



As I understand it, the story goes that the intent of the USPS was to issue 15 stamps and that center one was to be designated as a "label". After some consideration, however, the USPS [correctly] figured that the general public would mistake the label for a stamp and use it on first class mail anyway, which would result in a financial loss of value to the post office, so to remedy the problem, they simply added "USA" to the center stamp and voila! We have a legitimate Forever stamp that is now included when you buy a sheet of these stamps.

Cool. I didn't know all that. Hard to believe that a postal clerk wouldn't know that? lol

The message of "go Green" is a nice idea but after you use these (and all) self adhesive stamps you are stuck with a piece of backing material you have to dispose of. Never had that problem with water activated stamps!

You'd be surprised what postal clerks don't know!

In the past few days I was at my local post office where I typically buy new issues and purchased the Christmas stamps on the first day of issue. Later that day, I happened to be out-of-state, and passed by a post office, so I thought I'd stop and see if they had the same Christmas stamp (looking for the different printer type) and asked for it at the counter. The two ladies behind the counter said "Oh, that stamp hasn't come out yet." When I told them it did, they checked their vault, but came back and said, "Well, we don't have any and typically don't get them for a few days after they are issued; you can't buy them locally on the first day of issue."

Obviously no stamp collectors must frequent that post office and the clerks were obviously mistaken, as automatic distributions are made to all post offices for release of the stamps on the first day of issue, but as it was not a local post office to me I didn't bother to argue the point.

Then, in a completely different location, I happened to be at a post office and asked at the counter if they had the new edition of "The Postal Service Guide to US Stamps". Two clerks looked at either other with a puzzled look on their face, and said to me "We never heard of such a thing!"

So much for USPS customer relations to stamp collectors.