As the U.S. Postal Service continues to struggle financially, its prices are increasing – again.

It’s part of the Postal Service’s 10-year “Delivering for America” plan, aimed at improving service and financial stability. But business owners are frustrated, and it’s trickling down to customers.

“We ship out to California occasionally,” said Mike Battiste, marketing manager at Screen Designs, Inc. “We ship overseas, we actually have a customer in Ireland.”

Based in the Capital Region, the company specializes in custom-branded apparel. It has a wide-ranging reach.

“It’s a big proponent for our company, doing local business,” Battiste said. “Trying to support each other because we are a small business.”

Battiste has been overseeing the shipping at Screen Designs for nearly a decade.

“From when I started to now, it’s probably doubled,” he said.

As of Sunday, package shipping services via the Postal Service will cost 5-6% more, while First-Class Mail Forever stamps will cost 68 cents, a two-cent increase.

“If it was just an increase and then it would steady out, that would be one thing,” Battiste said. “But it seems like it’s continuing to increase to a point where it makes it difficult for us to compete.”

This marks the fifth increase since August 2021, and it’s forced business owners to get creative.

“We do negotiate our rates as often as possible,” Battiste said. “At the end of the year, we’ll see how much we did. We’ll go back talk to them, but it’s always a concern.”

And even larger operations are feeling the pinch of climbing shipping costs.

Quad graphics, a commercial printing company based in Saratoga Springs that employs more than 400 people, announced its closure last week.

Various reasons were given as to why. Postal costs was one of them.

With that said, Battiste said they make shipping work, because they have to.

“It’s almost like a daily activity,” he said. “If you can’t utilize that, your company is going to be in trouble.”