A visit to the Post Office in the US

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Saturday, June 3. 2023

A visit to the Post Office in the US

I needed 200 regular stamps.

You see neighbors - all waiting in a line. The location is ramshackle. It is pre-tech in every way but plenty of employees.

Going into the post office is like going back in time. Or back into Mr. Rogers.

I waited a while while a few people got their packages stamped by a little kiosk, then I got 100 stamps from the machine. Took too long for me to get the other 100, plus there were impatient people behind me.

Posted by Bird Dog in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 18:38 | Comments (13) | Trackbacks (0)

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Usually no line here to buy stamps as there are so few of us.

One can save perhaps a third by buying postage online and printing your own shipping label. Post office really doesn't want an employee taking time to do this, thus the online savings.

#1 feeblemind on 2023-06-03 18:55 (Reply)

We have a local supermarket chain that sells postage stamps and handles routine USPS matters at their customer service desk, seems to keep things moving well. I use my local post office only a few times a year. When mother was still living in her home, I had to go get her mail from the box pretty frequently, small town without home delivery.

You know, BD, you can use unmarked small bills for your anonymous drug deals, you don't have to use postage stamps!

#2 Ed on 2023-06-03 19:03 (Reply)

No need to go to post offices to get any USPS services. See this location finder and use the pull-downs.

https://tools.usps.com/find-location.htm

#3 Kantook on 2023-06-03 19:30 (Reply)

Around here there are few (standalone) post offices, but lots of UPS Stores, FedEx Office locations, and plain old grocery stores that are happy to sell you a book of 20 stamps at the cash register. Many of all three are "official USPS substations" and offer packaging supplies and express-mail service, too.

But I haven't been to any of them in months. E-mail is easier. I don't see physical shipping increasing in volume, even with the rise of Amazon.

#3.1 jdgalt1 on 2023-06-03 22:05 (Reply)

My neighborhood is blessed with a post office that is seldom crowded, so it's practical to stop by for an occasional stamp purchase. They're perpetually short of pens, so my wife takes them an annual "CARE package" of the surplus ballpoint pens that seem to accumulate from our travels.

#4 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2023-06-04 02:12 (Reply)

I wonder how long it will take before they require a stamp on e-mail.

#5 maddog on 2023-06-04 03:17 (Reply)

Hush. Don’t give them any ideas.

#5.1 Galway Boy on 2023-06-04 10:27 (Reply)

I have thought that requiring a stamp on emails to be a good idea for some years now. I think the world is a better place when we have to consider both costs and benefits. How about a quarter?

How much would unsolicited spam reduce if it cost $250,000 to send a million emails? And maybe my business contacts would decide they don't need to remind me multiple times per week about how wonderful a customer I am or how wonderful their service.

And perhaps my friends would be more discerning in what they forwarded to me if it cost them $0.25 each time. I would spend a quarter to send a friend a worthwhile joke.

#5.2 Old Dude on 2023-06-04 10:33 (Reply)

For those of us who still send Christmas cards and want Christmas stamps, the post office is the way to go. They actually still sell them there!

#6 Mark Matis on 2023-06-04 07:03 (Reply)

Three cheers for Christmas stamps!

My wife is a whimsical stamp shopper; she invariably picks out colorful themed stamps year round. Christmastime is her annual grand finale.

#6.1 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2023-06-04 09:17 (Reply)

At our post office in a town of around 15,000 they ae very efficient and friendly. Our old post office was filled with semi surly employees and customers. Much nicer in the country.

#7 JC on 2023-06-04 07:49 (Reply)

Did you pop for 'forever' stamps?

#8 Aggie on 2023-06-04 10:22 (Reply)

You can buy stamps on line at the USPS website-- they send them to you, naturally, by mail. This is a great place to go if you want a wide choice of colorful stamps, or holiday/theme stamps (like weddings), or odd postage rates (international, 3 oz., etc.), or envelopes/post cards with the postage pre-printed on them. All of them are "forever" these days, pretty much, so no harm in buying a pile.

You still need to go to the post office for things like return receipt mail, certified mail, etc. But mostly, no need to go there any more.

#9 Janet on 2023-06-05 06:53 (Reply)

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Saturday, June 3. 2023

A visit to the Post Office in the US