WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The sour economy and Internet technology have contributed to a drop in the mailing of holidays cards so far this season, the U.S. Postal Service said.
During the first two weeks of December, the agency saw an 11 percent drop in first-class cancellations compared with last year, which "is a good proxy for the number of cards and letters coming through the system," service spokesman Michael Woods said.
Many people can't afford a roll of 44-cent stamps this year, while myriad companies on the Internet offer free or low-cost alternatives such as electronic cards and social networking sites, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
The Greeting Card Association, which represents Hallmark and American Greetings, said it has seen just a slight dip in sales, while Joshua Thomas, a spokesman for Target, said card sales at his company's stores weren't as strong as last year.
"We're definitely seeing the trend of consumers going online to fulfill their holiday card needs," Thomas said.
