USPS Stuck With 682 Million Unsold Simpsons Stamps

I would buy them..i buy 20 cent stamps at my post office..since I have years supplies of 3,4 and 5 cent stamps..i just put 2 twenties on the envelope and add 6 cents in vintage stamps !!

If anything this shows how those who select stamp designs are trying to appeal to popular culture. They just didn't realize that popular culture was no longer as fixated on the Simpsons by the time the stamps came out. If they had come out five years earlier, maybe, the Simpsons stamps would have probably been as popular as they were expected to be.

This should be a warning to avoid falling into the trap of trying to sell stamps by appealing to current trends in popular culture.

Absolutely true!

What they need to do is severely under print commemoratives and crank up the definitives. Isn't that the point to a commemorative? When is the last time a stamp actually sold out? I would rather they do a second printing of a stamp in high demand than get stuck with this leftover.

Doesn't a few issues "sell out"? Such as the 1812 and Merchant Marine ones come to mind for recent examples, as I missed out on the merchant marine issue.

As far as the Simpsons subject, I can see why they printed so many for a popular show, however in my experience, as part of one of the generations that watched the show, I don't think the viewership are big stamp and mailing people.
Baseball, on the other hand, still need to get a few panes of those...

"What they need to do is severely under print commemoratives "

They have significsntly reduced the print runs of commems. Earthscapes and WH Johnson also examples that sold out besides trhe others mentioned.