US Forever Stamps Variety Pack

Has anyone noticed this offering on the USPS website? Twenty Forever Stamps for $9.20 (face value) of random 2011 and 2012 commemoratives:

https://store.usps.com/store/browse...5cFirstClass

It might be an interesting purchase for those looking to add a single stamp to an album without having to buy a block or pane of the stamps involved. Of course, due to the fact that the stamps are randomly selected, the "duplicates" would have to either be used for postage or trades with other collectors.

Now if they can offer philatelic definitive packs with all the major Scott numbers for a specific stamp, that would be awesome. It was quite a PITA to get a the varieties of the four freedoms flag stamps from last year.

In the 1970s, and I think even into the early 1980s, USPS offered definitive packs and stationery packs in addition to the annual commemorative packs. I assumed they discontinued the former because of lackluster sales? The definitive/stationery packs were stamps only (no folder/albums).

Thanks for the link! I noticed one of these for sale a couple of months ago and it either vanished, or I could not find it since, when I was about to purchase.
As I hate when people use generic or atm stamps, this would be a good one to get the in-laws. I'm trying to break their habit.

Just think of the labor involved to tear 20 stamps off 20 mini-sheets, package them, address them, and do all the paperwork - at face value. No wonder they're losing money. I say that because this item is designed to be USED, not hoarded; the hoarding component is pure profit (at least for now).

And I can visualize the inevitable: "Dear Sir, We are in receipt of your complaint that your entire packet was composed of Simpsons..."

I can buy blocks of 4 of half panes to save a stamp and use the rest. I also do likewise with full panes. I don't believe this is for a collectors market, which I would suppose are people who want specific stamps, not people who are making it harder than buying the yearly mail use packet.
This is for folks like myself when out of collector mode who has a hard time or doesn't want to choose and makes things rather interesting. Just as last year when they briefly sold these, I think it's a good idea. Although one does lose the description of the stamp on the back of the panes.

I work in a government processing facility, I can visualize the labor involved easily and I don't think it would be too bad. Doesn't take a small team of clerks from a slower demand area to tear stamps and throw them in a bucket on a per hourly basis versus $9.20 plus 1.25 as you would think. But maybe I'm being too nice.

Remember, too, that people can pay a premium to SFS for "custom orders", that is to identify one or more stamps from a pane. This would leave SFS with a number of partial panes that would otherwise be destined for destruction. The labor involved to actually package them into a "variety pack" may actually be saving them a bit of money in the long run.