American Catalog Mailers Association Update
It’s been a busy summer for the American Catalog Mailers Association, formed this past spring in response to the unexpectedly severe USPS Standard Mail Flats rate increases that have presented a crisis for the catalog industry. The association serves as an advocacy group for catalog mailers only (the definition includes “anyone with significant interests in the catalog mailing industry”).
According to this week’s news update from Executive Director Hamilton Davison, ACMA has continued to monitor congressional hearings on postal issues and is working to collect data on the response of catalog mailers to the rate increases.
The ACMA has also been accepted as a member of the Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee, which gives mailers “direct input to the USPS on technical issues.” In addition, the group is organizing a summit for catalog industry executives and the Postal Regulatory Commission, encouraging member catalogers to host visits from their local federal legislators, and has begun compiling an analysis of the new PRC regulations with the goal of sending a summary to ACMA members.
The ACMA has been advising its member catalogers on obtaining a negotiated services agreement from the Postal Service. Expected changes in rules for NSA discounts are likely to increase filings, Davis points out, adding that “if you send 80 to 100 million catalogs a year, you are a probable candidate for an NSA and should definitely be investigating this.”
For more details on ACMA activities, news updates about catalog mailing issues, or membership information, visit the Web site at www.catalogmailers.org.
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