Many post offices closing early for Fourth Of July weekend
Due to the holiday weekend, many Post Offices around the country will either be closed on Saturday, July 2 or have a closing time of 12 Noon on July 2nd. Post Offices will be closed Monday, July 4 in observance of the national holiday. Express Mail will be delivered on the 4th and regular mail delivery will resume Tuesday, July 5.
According to USPS:
Pennsylvania – All Post Offices will be open Friday and Saturday, July 1 & 2, throughout the Western PA District, encompassing 150-159, 160-168 & 260 ZIP Code areas, however many will shorten retail lobby hours for the unofficial first days of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Regular mail delivery for July 1 & 2 will be unaffected by the lobby service schedule changes. P.O. Box mail access will only be available until 12 p.m. in those Post Offices where retail counters and access to Post Office Boxes are co-located and are affected by early retail closings on July 1 & 2. Customers may call 1-800-ASK-USPS for information about specific Post Offices. Commercial customers are asked to check with their Bulk Mail Acceptance Unit for hours of operation.
Greater Boston, MA—The Fort Point Post Office located at 25 Dorchester Ave. Boston will be open on Sunday, July 3, 2011 from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Monday July 4, 2011, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for all your postal needs.In observance of the July 4, 2011 Holiday, all other Post Offices in Greater Boston will be closed on Sunday, July 3, 2011 and Monday, July 4, 2011. There will be no mail distribution to Post Office Boxes, and no mail will be collected from collection boxes.
Alabama- The U.S. Postal Service is adjusting retail hours of operation for the July 4th holiday weekend; 370 Alabama Post Offices regularly open on Saturday, will be closed on Saturday, July 2. A sign is posted at each location.
BALTIMORE, MD – Post Offices in the Baltimore District (comprised of ZIP codes beginning with 210 – 219) will be operating on adjusted retail hours Friday, July 1, 2011 and Saturday, July 2, 2011 in observance of the Independence Day holiday. Revised hours will be posted at each Post Office. Regular mail delivery for July 1 and July 2 will be unaffected by the lobby service schedule changes. Post Office Box customers will have access to their Post Office Boxes on July 1 and July 2 according to the retail units’ scheduled hours of operation (hours will be posted at each Post Office). All collection box pick-up times will remain as indicated on collection box. Commercial customers are asked to check with their Bulk Mail Acceptance Unit for July 1 and July 2 hours of operation.
Post office hours may vary in each city.
Valley Falls Post Office supporters rally
Protesters turned out in force Tuesday morning for a rally designed to create more support in preventing the Valley Falls Post Office from closing on July 8. Town resident Derrick Watson, who heads an organization named “The Concerned Citizens of Valley Falls – Save Our Post Office, indicated last Thursday that he had sent an approximate 34-page appeal to the Postal Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, May 22.
full story: The Pawtucket Times
Update: Smithville Post Office Destroyed by a Tornado
JACKSON – On Wednesday, April 27, at 5:40 PM CDT, a tornado came through the area under an extreme weather warning and completely destroyed the Smithville, MS Post Office. No employees or customers were injured in this extreme weather. The tornado tore all but one wall down with its destruction.
The Smithville Post Office 38870 was located at 63437 Highway 25 North and will not be operational in the near future. Read more
Two Kentucky Post Offices Closed Due To Flooding
Filed under: post offices, postal, postal news, press releases, usps
Mail Delivery Continues In Many Areas
KENTUCKIANA POSTAL DISTRICT – Rising flood waters are hampering mail delivery and has led to a pair of Post Office closings along the Ohio River. The Glenview and Harrods Creek, KY, Post Offices are flooded, making them inoperable.
“We are dealing with delivery issues in several areas due to flooding,” said Rosemary Miller, Manager of Post Office Operations. “We will make every attempt to deliver as much mail as possible where conditions are safe and mailboxes are accessible.”
Miller said some deliveries were missed in Prospect due to impassible streets or because roads and mailboxes were washed out. “We ask for customers’ patience as we work through these issues,” she added.
Retail services for Glenview and Harrods Creek customers are available at the Prospect Post Office, 9523 U.S. Highway 42, where Post Office box customers may also pick up their mail beginning tomorrow.
Prospect customers whose mail delivery has been affected by flooding can pick up their mail, with proper identification, at the Prospect Post Office as well. The Prospect Post Office is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.
If you have any questions or concerns about your mail delivery, you can reach your local Post Office by calling (800) 275-8777.
Is UPS Starting A Trend By Opening Stores in Areas Where Post Offices Were Closed?
The Postal Service is closing post offices across the nation in an effort to save money. But it seems a trend is starting by UPS Inc to open up stores in places where USPS is shutting down. If UPS opens stores in areas where the Postal Service has shut down–USPS could possibly lose many of the customers it once enjoyed at the closed Post Offices. A reader told PostalReporter.com that one of their stations will more than likely be closing soon. Recently UPS opened a store that will be closer than the Post Offices that USPS will recommend customers to take their business. UPS even provided donuts to the postal window clerks working at the station pending closure. UPS is so happy about USPS possibly closing this station they are celebrating in advance. On another note it would be interesting to see USPS revenue reports in cities where Post Offices closed with UPS OR Fedex nearby.
Take a look at a this story from the Oregon Daily Herald about UPS opening store in Oregon..
UPS Inc. fills role of outgoing Postal Service in EMU
The Postal Service officially made the decision to consolidate its Eugene offices on Jan. 14, after a closure announcement made last October followed by an unsuccessful appeals process. Students in the ASUO and International Student Association protested the decision to no avail, and the EMU post office shut down.The new business will take up the space formerly occupied by the Postal Service, but the senator said the UPS Store would refurbish the current office to fit its needs and use the existing mailboxes.
“Their main goal is to provide services as soon as possible so they’re going to try to move in ASAP and keep the move-in period short,” Lange said.
Postal Service media spokesperson Ronald Anderson said the public postal service had no comment on the new private courier.
PRC Releases List Of Suspended U.S. Post Offices
On March 7, 2011, the Postal Service filed under seal a list of suspended post offices, stations, and branches. The list was provided in response to PRC Chairman’s Information Request. The Postal Service indicated that,despite its efforts, the “list may still contain errors.” It contends “that the list should remain confidential, citing data quality problems, changes to its discontinuance process, and the possibility for public confusion. In addition, in its application for non-public treatment, the Postal Service contends that public disclosure may “complicate the deliberative process leading to changes in and development of future [retail facility] discontinuance procedures.” The Postal Service argues that public disclosure may lead to widespread public confusion concerning the status of the suspended retail facilities as occurred in connection with the release of the station and branch list in Docket No. N2009-1. Finally, the Postal Service contends that disclosure would “enable competitors to target certain locations for sales and marketing and other competitive purposes.” PRC disagreed and on March 28, 2011, the Commission released the list of supended post offices.
PRC Releases List Of Suspended Post Offices
USPS Renames Napa, CA Post Office To Thomas Kongsgaard
Filed under: post offices, postal, postal news, press releases, usps
NAPA, CA — In a celebration of the significant contributions and exemplary life of Thomas (Tom) Kongsgaard, the U.S. Postal Service will hold a ceremony on March 28, 2011 at 11:00 a.m., to rename the Franklin Post Office, 1351 Second Street, Napa, as the Thomas Kongsgaard Post Office.
“The dedication of a Post Office building in the memory of a local citizen is a fitting tribute because a Post Office, like the mail that runs through it, binds this nation together,” said Kim Fernandez, Bay-Valley District Manager for the United States Postal Service. “And, like Thomas Kongsgaard’s character, this Post Office exudes a strong and functional purpose of strength and unity within the community and across our nation.”
Kongsgaard retired as California’s Superior Court judge in 1984 after serving on the bench for 26 years. During World War II he was a Naval officer in the Pacific conflict and lost a leg during a minesweeping maneuver. As a judge he served two terms on the California Judicial Council, was a member and chairman of the Judicial Performance Commission, a member of the Board of Directors of the California Judges’ Association and the Cow County Judge’s Association. Kongsgaard traveled to more than 30 California counties as a visiting judge, acquiring a statewide reputation for his genuine concern for the welfare of others. He served as a trustee of the Napa Valley Unified School District and at Napa Valley College.
Kongsgaard’s daughter, Mary Williams, will represent the family at the ceremony.
source: USPS
Food Market Institute Urges PRC To Cancel USPS Request To Market Test Gift Cards
In January of this year, the Postal Service notified the Postal Regulatory Commission that it intends to conduct a market test of Gift Cards. USPS said, “This product will provide postal customers with the ability to purchase a card loaded with a specified sum of money, which can be sent as a gift through the mail. The test will begin on or after May 1, 2011.” American Express Travel Related Services Company has entered into a contract with USPS to be the first supplier of gift cards in the experimental product test. However, Food Market Institute, a “national trade association that conducts programs in public affairs, food safety, research,education and industry relations on behalf of its 1,500 member companies – food retailers and wholesalers – in the United States and around the world,” is opposed to USPS selling gifts cards at retail windows.
Here is an excerpt of comments submitted to PRC by Food Market Institute :
FMI believes that the United States Postal Service should not compete in commercial markets unrelated to its core postal functions. FMI believes that this government-sponsored competition is unnecessary and exceeds the Postal Service’s authority pursuant to the PAEA.
Competition in the retail food industry is fierce, and many retailers consider gift cards to be a key convenience item that they provide consumers. The private sector is clearly meeting the public need for gift cards. The Postal Service’s filing acknowledges this fact.2
FMI believes that this government-sponsored competition is unnecessary and exceeds the Postal Service’s authority pursuant to the PAEA. Indeed the Postal Regulatory Commission previously determined the sale of stored value cards is a nonpostal service prohibited by the Act.3 Market share acquired by the Postal Service will be at the expense of our members. Gift card sales and ancillary consumer purchases at food retailers will be reduced.
Forms of government competition like this not only hurt private enterprise, but local communities as well. FMI members pay billions in federal, state and local taxes each year and collect sales taxes as well. The Postal Service does not. Our members also contribute to their communities in a multitude of other ways, from raising money for local charities and schools to sponsoring local sports teams and providing food to those in need.
The Postal Service is seeking to offer a new nonpostal service in commercial markets unrelated to its core postal business. The Commission should order the Postal Service to cancel the market test. Gift cards are available in more outlets than ever. Competition is thriving in the private gift card marketplace, and allowing the Postal Service to sell gift cards would only serve to diminish it.
Pitney Bowes Inc and American Bankers (in part) are also oppose to granting USPS to sell gift cards at post offices. Hallmark cards and American Express with current partnerships agreements with USPS, are in favor of allowing the sell of gift cards.
Re: Market Test of Experimental Product: Gift Cards (Docket No. MT2011-2)
Post Office Closings From Across The Nation
The U.S. Postal Service will begin the process of closing as many as 2,000 postal offices in March and will review 16,000 more — half of all existing post offices — that are losing money. Based on federal requirements, the majority of post offices closing more than likely will be money-losing post offices, post offices in close proximity to other offices, stations/branches with only retail operations (window service). This page will serve as a hub for reporting news on post office closures across the nation. The information will list post offices that have been closed or in the process of closing. This page will be updated as needed.
click here to visit Post Office Closings on PostalReporter.com
USPS Proposal To Senate Would Deny Communities Right To Appeal Post Office Closures
The following is a legislative update from the National Association of Postmasters of the United States:
Postmaster General Legislative and Financial Briefing
On Tuesday, February 15, President Bob Rapoza and Director of Government Relations Bob Levi attended a postal briefing conducted by Postmaster General Pat Donahoe, Chief Financial Officer Joseph Corbett and Vice President for Government Relations Marie Therese Dominguez. Also attending were the presidents and legislative staff of the other postal employee organizations.
The presentation covered President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget, the Postal Service’s 5-Year Plan, and a new legislative package that the Postal Service shared with Senators Tom Carper and Susan Collins. The President’s budget proposal would grant modest financial relief to the Postal Service, and strives to provide the USPS access to the $55 billion in pension overpayments. The USPS argues that the 5 year trend lines for postal solvency are dispiriting – even with aggressive administrative action – and that a comprehensive legislative approach, which includes a reduction in delivery frequency is required. The USPS’ new legislative package to the Senate includes a series of amendments that would make it easier to close Post Offices and would deny communities the right to appeal closures to the Postal Regulatory Commission. NAPUS has already registered our strong opposition to this proposal to Senators Carper and Collins.