Thanks to a very clear article in the ex-pat Brit Bugle newsletter, I finally get the French postal system, and the red and green Marianne stamps that I love so much.
The red Mariannes, which are being discontinued, are for First Class mail which, unbelievably for Canadians, offers next day delivery! For 1.49 €. (And Saturday delivery to boot.)
The green Mariannes, which will continue, are changing from promising two day delivery, to three days. For 1.16 €.
The arguments for dropping the timbre rouge of course reflect the decline in the use of letter mail - although it really is still a prominent part of French life - with a dramatic drop over the course of COVID. Perhaps equally important is the explanation that decreased volumes means that trucks and planes shipping mail are travelling half empty, which is of course an environmental problem.
Still, if you need a paper letter delivered next day you still have an option: you can go to the La Poste web site, upload it, and instead of shipping paper across the country they’ll print it locally, put it into an envelope, and deliver it.
One more note about La Poste. As a newcomer the postal system is always confusing, and honestly LaPoste.fr is not the most easy to understand web site. However you can walk into any La Poste outlet - which are still operated by La Poste, not stuffed into the back of a drug store - and a very friendly staff person will say “Bonjour” and walk you through the process of getting your letter to the right place.
PS, in the likelihood that you haven’t mailed a letter in recent memory, a First Class stamp in Canada is now 92 ¢, which at today’s rate is .70 €. In Canada the First Class letter mail standard is delivery 2 days after mailing locally, and up to four days for the rest of the country.
Well done