A looming deadline for increasing the cost of a first-class postage stamp to 44 cents from 42 cents has kept the Bonners Ferry post office busy.

That’s because folks can buy the Forever Stamp for 42 cents each and they’ll be good no matter how much postal rates increase, said Teresa Skeen, officer in charge/postmaster in Bonners Ferry.

“We’ve sold anywhere from a book of 20 to, I think, about 2,000 stamps,” Skeen said.

On Monday, May 11, the cost to mail a one-ounce letter will increase to help cover higher U.S. Postal Service operating expenses. The postal service receives no tax dollars for its operations and relies on its mail volume and the sale of postage, products and services to cover its costs.

To ease the burden, the U.S. Postal Service came up with the Forever stamp.

“The Forever stamp is good forever,” Skeen said. “So if you buy at the 42-cent rate, when the 44-cent stamp comes in, you can use it without additional postage.”

The postal service will continue to carry the Forever stamp.

“Once it (postage) goes to 44 cents, (the Forever Stamp) can be purchased for 44 cents (for future increases),” Skeen said.

In recent weeks, she said about 75 customers are purchasing the stamps daily.

“Why not take advantage of it? It’s pennies, but they add up,” Skeen said.

At the post office in Naples, folks are buying five to 10 books at a time of the Forever stamps, said Sheila Harris, officer in charge.

“We have plenty on hand,” Harris said.

She expects to be busier in the next couple of days.

“That way they won’t have to buy 2-cent stamps,” Harris said.

For questions, Bonners Ferry post office can be reached at 267-3302. The post office is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.