Booklets
America’s Worst Lunches
“This article has nothing to do with the postal issues, but check out the amount of fat and calorie in fast food favorites-it’s more astounding than the national debt.”
By Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, Men’s Health
If you’re like two-thirds of working Americans, you pick up lunch from a fast-food joint or restaurant at least once a week. Sure, it’s not as healthy as packing your own celery sticks, but eating out every once in a while can’t hurt, right?
Not so fast: There might be trouble in the drive-through lane.
Not only could the window worker pile an entire day’s worth of calories through your car window, but you might also be sapping your energy and productivity: Carb overloads lead to energy spikes and crashes, and studies have shown that the bigger your waistline, the lower your cognitive functioning and the more sick days you take. Kind of ironic, considering “convenience” is the most common reason people give for buying lunch during the workday. In this economy, it’s hardly convenient to snore through the 2 o’clock meeting, or miss a few crucial days when the boss is looking for you.
A healthy lunch can help you maximize your afternoon performance, but if you’re in a hurry to grab and go, you might not take the time to sort through the menu hits and misses. Let the Eat This, Not That! folks be your efficiency experts: DON’T order the items we warn you about, below. Opt instead for less outrageous alternatives (also below), and reap the benefits at bonus time.
QUIZNO’S
Large Prime Rib Cheesesteak Sub
- 1,490 calories
- 92 g fat (22.5 g saturated, 2 g trans)
- 2,620 mg sodium
Fat equivalent: Like eating four Dunkin Donuts cheese danishes!
It’s hard enough to make the argument for one cheese Danish, but four? And we’re just talking fat, here—with more than 800 calories of the stuff in just one sandwich. You’re also be filling up with more than a day’s worth of sodium and saturated fat. While this is one of the worst items you could choose, the rest of the Quizno’s menu has hazards, as well. But if your co-workers insist on eating there, order this instead:
Small Turkey Ranch and Swiss Sub
- 410 calories
- 17 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
- 1,230 mg sodium
CHILI’S
- Crispy Sweet Chile Glazed Chicken Crispers
- 1,930 calories
- 112 g fat (17 g saturated)
- 4,190 mg sodium
Calorie equivalent: Like eating an entire medium Pizza Hut 12″ pepperoni pizza!
If you have the time for a sit-down meal, you have the time to think this through. Chicken Crispers are fun, but account for almost a whole day’s worth of calories and almost two days’ worth of sodium. Your smarter choice is to eat this instead:
Classic Chicken Fajitas
- 370 calories
- 11 g fat (1.5 saturated)
- 2,000 mg sodium
And another hint for a healthy sit-down lunch: forgo the appetizers. Chili’s Texas Cheese Fries with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing made the top of our list when we rounded up the worst appetizers money can buy. Check out the other appetizer land-mines here. You’ll be shocked.
ARBY’S
Roast Turkey Ranch and Bacon Sandwich
- 817 calories
- 37 g fat (11 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
- 2,146 mg sodium
Calorie equivalent: Like eating 23 Thin Mints (one whole sleeve)!
Just because you could prepare it at home doesn’t mean it’s good for you when you order it away from home—the Roast Turkey Ranch and Bacon Sandwich packs nearly half of your daily allowance of calories and almost an entire day’s dose of sodium. Doesn’t leave much room for anything else, does it?
Eat this instead:
Sourdough Roast Beef Melt
- 351 calories
- 14 g fat (4 g saturated)
- 1,048 mg of sodium
DAIRY QUEEN
Chicken Strip Basket with Country Gravy (6 piece)
- 1,640 calories
- 74 g fat (12 g saturated, 1 g trans)
- 3,690 mg sodium
Sodium equivalent: Like eating 11 large orders of McDonald’s French fries!
Talk about a value meal: One Chicken Strip Basket gives you almost two days’ payload of sodium! If thinking about it doesn’t elevate your blood pressure, eating it might. Don’t become a statistic.
Eat this instead:
Crispy Chicken Sandwich
- 560 calories
- 28 g fat (3.5 g saturated)
- 980 mg sodium
PANERA
- Italian Combo on Ciabatta sandwich
- 1,050 calories
- 47 g fat (18 g saturated, 1 g trans)
- 3,050 mg of sodium
Fat equivalent: Like eating 6 slices of Papa John’s cheese pizza!
You were on the right track in choosing Panera, but don’t be sidelined by the allure of the Italian Combo. Ciabatta bread may sound sophisticated, but you won’t look so refined when you’re lugging that spare Pirelli around your midsection.
Eat this instead:
Smoked Turkey Breast on Sourdough sandwich
- 470 calories
- 17 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
- 1,680 mg sodium
CHIPOTLE
- 13†tortilla with steak, black beans, rice, cheese, sour cream and lettuce
- 955 calories
- 38 g fat (18 g saturated)
- 1,600 mg sodium
Calorie equivalent: Like eating 37 Hershey’s Kisses!
The good news about this tortilla is that it contains 56 grams of protein, but that’s hardly worth the outrageous calorie and carbohydrate load—with 94 grams of carbs, you’ve already covered a third of your recommended daily intake, plus you’re taking in nearly a day’s worth of sodium and saturated fat. Downsize to drop pounds.
Eat this instead:
Three hard tacos with steak, pinto beans, sour cream and lettuce
- 615 calories
- 24 g fat (11 g saturated)
- 710 mg sodium
(Another hint: When it comes to Chipotle chips, just say “no.” They add an outrageous 570 calories and 73 extra grams of carbs.)
HARDEE’S
2/3-lb Monster Thickburger
- 1,420 calories
- 108 g fat (43 g saturated)
- 2,770 mg sodium
Saturated fat equivalent: Like eating 43 strips of Oscar Mayer bacon!
It’s called Monster for a reason. It’s a monster load of saturated fat (more than two days’ worth). The good news is that it has a friendlier, healthier cousin in the 1/3-lb Low-Carb Thickburger, with 1,000 fewer calories and a third the amount of fat. Even better, the Low-Carb Thickburger is true to its name—it only has 5 grams of quick-burning carbohydrates, compared to 46 grams in the Monster.
Eat this instead:
1/3-lb Low-Carb Thickburger
- 420 calories
- 32 g fat (12 g saturated)
- 1,010 mg sodium
BURGER KING
Triple Whopper Sandwich with cheese and mayo
- 1,250 calories
- 84 g fat (32 g saturated, 2.5 g trans)
- 1,600 mg sodium
Fat equivalent: Like eating 10 slices of Papa John’s cheese pizza!
You should know by now not to order a triple anything. In this case you’re getting egregious calorie, fat, and sodium overloads. It’s not bad, though, compared to the shockers on our list of the trans-fattiest foods in America. Choose a regular cheeseburger instead and slash 920 calories, 68 g of fat, and save yourself from the judgmental stares of your co-workers, who are three times as likely to be grossed out!
Eat this instead:
Cheeseburger
- 330 calories
- 16 g fat (7 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
- 780 mg sodium
And once you’ve navigated lunch’s landmines, don’t blow your day with a bad dinner.
Mail delivery 5 days a week is positive
One can be reasonably sure that when you drop a letter in the mail, it will arrive across the street or across the state or even across the country within a few days. In addition, whole industries rely on direct mail to generate income. Direct mail has helped fund the humanitarian efforts of The American Red Cross and The Salvation Army, just to name a few, as well as generated revenue that contributes to the research of depilating diseases and illnesses that afflict millions of people around the world.
The postal service’s operation is quite impressive when you consider that it has become an intrinsic part of our every day lives.
My personal opinion is that it makes perfect sense for the post office to deliver mail 5 days a week. With many people converting to online payments, companies will not be affected as much by the one day reduction in delivery. It is just another new schedule to get used to and in a few months people will adapt, as we having been adapting to change for thousands of years.
A Modest Proposal for the United States Postal Service
By Mark Fallon
The United States Postal Service is in trouble.
It seems whenever and wherever you turn to for news, another large organization is announcing bad news. Banks, insurance companies, and car manufacturers are reporting record losses and requesting assistance from the federal government. Is it really surprising that the United States Postal Service (“USPS”) is in trouble, too?
Faced with a weakened economy and the diversion of bills and payments to the Internet, the USPS saw mail volumes drop by 4.5% in Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. (The USPS follows the same FY as the federal government, October to September). Against revenues of $75 billion, the USPS posted expenses of $77.8 billion, a $2.8 billion loss.
The first quarter of FY2009 brought more bad news. Volumes continued to decline, and the USPS posted a $348 million loss. And the news was worse in January, with an estimated $751 million loss. Even with the modest postage rate increases this year and continued cost-cutting plans, the USPS is on track to lose over $5 billion in FY2009.
Postmaster General Jack Potter testified before a Senate subcommittee in late January and outlined the challenges facing the USPS. Mr. Potter explained the cost-cutting measures that management had implemented by streamlining operations. He then requested assistance in two areas: that Congress remove the requirement for the USPS to deliver mail 6 days per week, and that Congress adjust the schedule that the USPS must follow to prepay future retiree health benefits.
The second request – adjusting the schedule for the prepayment of future retirees’ health benefits – would have an immediate positive impact to the USPS and no impact on the American public. Last year, the USPS paid $5.6 billion to pre-fund future premiums. Without this payment, the USPS would have posted a net profit for FY2008.
Of course, that wasn’t the point that the Senators, or the news agencies, seized upon. Just the suggestion of cutting mail delivery services by one day produced a backlash that the USPS was unprepared for. For the next several days, the USPS was on the front page of major newspapers and the homepage of news websites. If Mr. Potter was trying to draw attention to his agency, he succeeded.
To add fuel to the fire, 2 weeks later, the USPS announced its annual postage rate increase, 2 cents for First-Class Mail®. At the same time, it was made public that Mr. Potter and other postal executives had received almost 40% in pay raises since 2006, and significant bonuses for their pensions. These pay increases took place while the USPS was losing money.
Another Congressional hearing is scheduled for March. The chairman of the House subcommittee is Stephen Lynch (D-MA). His mother was a postal clerk for 25 years and his two sisters work for the USPS (my father was also a postal clerk for 25 years). It should be an interesting hearing.
Despite all this bad news, I remain a staunch supporter of the USPS. Outside of the military, it’s the only government agency included in the US Constitution. For the 5th year in a row, it was named the “Most Trusted Government Agency” in a survey of 7,000 Americans. And, the USPS is the lynchpin of a nearly $1 trillion print and mail industry that employees 9 million people.
The USPS does need to change. Some of the decline in mail volume is temporary, and an improved economy will help. But much of the mail volumes, especially bills and payments are gone, forever. Lower volumes don’t mean lower expenses, as the number of delivery points – homes and businesses – continues to expand.
To be successful, the USPS needs to bring in new leadership with a renewed focus on service, employee morale, and an efficient operating model. These challenges aren’t competing priorities, but complementary issues. And bringing in an outsider may be the only way to be successful.
On-time delivery of First-Class Mail® has risen over the last several years. But that is only one measure of service. New regulatory guidelines and proposed changes to mailing requirements have put additional pressure on mailers – the people and businesses who are the primary source of revenue for the USPS. Recently, there’s been a significant increase in fines and penalties on mailers in apparent attempt by the USPS to find other ways to collect new income.
Many of the recent proposals and changes reveal that the USPS doesn’t understand “mail”. The USPS doesn’t know how companies create, manufacture and process mail. That would be okay, if the USPS would understand that it’s not in the “mailing” business. Rather, the USPS is in the logistics and delivery business.
As a logistics and delivery business, the USPS needs to expand services, not cut back on services. The USPS is the only organization that delivers to every address in the country, including Saturdays. The largest competitors, UPS and FedEx, don’t want to deliver to all addresses, especially on weekends. The USPS has already partnered with FedEx and UPS on certain delivery and return products. These partnerships need to be further exploited, especially with the continued growth of people purchasing merchandise over the Internet.
The announcement of record losses, the cutbacks in staffing through attrition, and the announcement of massive pay raises for executives have had a negative effect on employee morale. The tensions between management staff and union employees have increased. To get a small sample of the bad blood, check out some of the comments posted by both sides on sites like www.postalnews.com.
From an outsider’s point of view, the USPS is top-heavy. Automated reporting from equipment, information gathered from barcodes on letters, and better business practices have eliminated the need for so many supervisors. Mr. Potter has cut the size of the staff at the USPS headquarters, but more cuts are needed.
At the same time, the unions need to support some of the hard changes proposed by USPS management, especially in the area of consolidating processing facilities. The unions have a responsibility to their members to question changes and validate management’s assumptions. But, the unions also have a responsibility to make sure the USPS remains a viable organization.
Which leads to the current business model for the USPS. Since 2001, the USPS has consistently worked to improve efficiencies and reduce costs. While successful, the current financial situation calls for even bolder changes.
Most of those changes will require further consolidation of sorting facilities and closing small post offices. That means job cuts, which will be opposed by the unions and members of Congress. But those cuts must be made. And closing post offices is harder than you may think.
I’m not recommending closing post offices in rural areas. In many of these places, the local post office is often the center of the community, and the nearest post office may be 15 or 20 miles away. A better target is where there are many post offices in a smaller geographic area.
For example, the city of Newton, Massachusetts. There are 8 post offices in an area less than 19 square miles, and located on some of the most expensive real estate in Greater Boston. But to close those post offices would require confronting two powerful US Senators and a very powerful US Representative. A difficult proposition.
Where do you find a leader willing to take on these challenges? Where would you find someone whose organization has gone through such significant changes during tumultuous times? The same place where many postal workers began their government career – the military.
The last several years have seen the retirement of generals and admirals whose service began during, or immediately after, the Vietnam War. These people were leaders during the 1970s, a decade requiring major organizational restructuring, changing focus and overcoming morale issues. Challenges that have only increased over the past decade with the changing political environment, at home and abroad.
Most importantly, these men and women are committed to public service. The spirit of service to our country must be the preeminent requirement for the leader of the USPS. The USPS is an important part of our government and provides an invaluable service to our citizens. The USPS isn’t a business, but a government agency that should be run like a business.
Even if you don’t work in the mailing industry, the future of the USPS will impact you and your business. Get involved and write, email and call the President, your Senator and your Representative. Express your concerns about the one government agency that touches every American, six days a week.
Our United States Postal Service is in trouble.
From CNN: Postal Service draws criticism for $1.2 million home buy
By Abbie Boudreau, Scott Zamost and Jessi Joseph
Special Investigations Unit
LAKE WATEREE, South Carolina (CNN) — At a time when the U.S. Postal Service says it is experiencing a financial crisis, it purchased a $1.2 million home from an employee so he could relocate, a CNN investigation has found.
The Postal Service bought this 8,400-square-foot South Carolina home so an employee could relocate.
Postal Service spokesman Greg Frey said the home will be resold, as others have been.
“It’s not like we threw away a million dollars,” Frey told CNN. “We are hoping it’s going to go for the appraised value.”
But a real estate agent in the area said the home could be a tough sell in a depressed housing market — and the USPS said it lost an average of more than $58,000 on the 500-plus homes its relocation program bought and sold in 2008.
The 8,400-square-foot, six-bedroom home on Lake Wateree, about 30 miles north of Columbia, is likely to be the last million-dollar home purchased by the Postal Service. A $1 million cap on homes eligible for the relocation program took effect in February, Frey said.
But the program has raised eyebrows among critics and is under scrutiny by the USPS inspector-general’s office in the wake of a CNN investigation.
The South Carolina home belonged to Ronald Hopson, the former postmaster in Lexington, South Carolina, and his wife, Evelyn. The property includes five acres, four bathrooms, two half-baths and an indoor swimming pool.
Hopson is now the customer service manager for the USPS branch in Carrollton, Texas. He would not discuss the house and referred CNN to the service’s press office for additional questions. But property records show that the house was purchased by the Postal Service’s relocation contractor, Connecticut-based Cartus Relocation, in February.
Just weeks earlier, Postmaster General John Potter told a congressional subcommittee that the post office was considering cutting back mail delivery because of the economy.
“The Postal Service, like the rest of the economy, is experiencing a severe financial crisis, and I’m here today to ask for your help to protect America’s postal system,” Potter said.
He added that the post office has cut travel expenses and frozen executive salaries.
Faced with those cutbacks, Billie Bierer — who owns the lot next door to Hopson’s old home — called the purchase “crazy.”
“I mean, this should not be allowed in any company, and in this economy, things need to change,” Bierer said.
The Postal Service is a semipublic corporation, chartered by the U.S. government but not supported by taxpayer funds. Corporate relocation services are a common executive perk in the corporate world, where companies typically buy a property from an employee who is transferring to another city and resell it later.
Some U.S. government agencies do the same thing, but with limits on how much they will spend. For example, the Food and Drug Administration limits its relocation assistance to homes under $330,000.
Frey said the average cost of the 1,022 homes purchased through the USPS relocation program in 2007 and 2008 was $257,874. Fifteen of those remain on the market, he said.
Of the 1,022, 14 cost between $1 million and $2.8 million. All of those have been sold, Frey said, but typically at a loss once closing costs, attorneys fees and commissions are paid.
In 2007, after the U.S. housing boom peaked, the USPS lost an average of $50,542 on each deal, he said. In 2008, with the market in full retreat, the average loss climbed to $58,397.
And in Lake Wateree, real estate agent David Beckroge said, buyers for million-dollar properties are hard to come by right now.
“That would be very tough,” he said.
The purchase of Hopson’s home drew criticism from Pete Sepp, vice president of the National Taxpayers Union, a Washington-based government watchdog group.
“At a time when the Postal Service is considering cutting back on delivery, raising stamp prices, perhaps even going to the federal government for a taxpayer bailout, this sends the wrong signal. It is likely to make customers very angry,” Sepp said.
And Sen. Chuck Grassley, who has been a critic of the Postal Service relocation policy, has asked Postal Service Inspector-General David Williams to investigate the deal. A spokesman for Williams’ office said it was conducting a preliminary review of the case.
“We need to know that the Postal Service is for the patrons of the Postal Service, the people that are buying stamps, the people that are supporting it, that they’re getting their money’s worth,” said Grassley, R-Iowa.
The USPS Delivers on Promise for New Rules on Booklets
Well 2009 will certainly go down as the year for change and I’m not referring to the President. MoveUpdate, Addressing for Flats, Price Increases, IMB Full Service, and New Standards for Letter-Size Booklets are just some of the major changes that have come/are coming from the USPS this year.
The new standards for letter-sized booklets is the latest approved regulation coming from the USPS. These new standards will take effect in May 2009. The final rule has yet to be published in the DMM, but this link will give you a good idea of what it will be.
edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-30752.pdf
Basically, if you are mailing anything created from multiple sheets of paper, and folded to a “letter-sized” mail piece then you will be directly affected by these new rules. The size of the finished piece will be limited to 6″ in height and 10.5″ in length. If the folded or bound edge is on the bottom then three (yes 3) 1.5″ Tabs (yes 1.5″ tabs!) will be required to attain automated rates for these pieces. The first 2 tabs must be affixed to leading edge (right hand side) and the last tab must be placed on the top of the trailing edge (left hand side). Oh wait, I almost forgot the best part; these larger tabs must NOT be perforated.
I realize that these new regulations will put some new pressures on designers, production buyers and letter shops, but there may be some good that comes from this. Obviously the USPS is sending the message that they prefer to process envelopes or unfolded cards. Maybe mailers can appease them to a certain extent. Perhaps the catalog you are mailing could be changed into a 6×9 card that pushes the recipient to the web to download your catalog. This would have an immediate impact on printing, shipping and postage costs. Another way to go would be using an envelope for your current booklet. You could use this as an opportunity to deliver some additional marketing material to the customer and potentially increase interest or sales for another event or product.
Please take these new requirements into consideration when designing your next campaign because May is just around the corner and non-compliance could cost you hundreds if not thousands of postage dollars.
Stay tuned for more updates as the winds of postal change continue to blow.
For further information about the new regulations or for advice on how to best redesign your campaign to stay in compliance, please email us atÂ
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