U.S. Postal Service Continues Review of Stations and Branches
Removing Cost and Maintaining Customer Access Remain Goals
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service announced today that 371 retail stations and branches remain under consideration for possible consolidation.
Today’s announcement updates a review process begun earlier this summer that examined approximately 3,600 stations and branches in urban and suburban areas across the country, focusing on facilities in relatively close proximity to one another, to determine where consolidations might be feasible, while maintaining customer access to postal services.
With nearly 37,000 Post Offices, stations, branches, contract and community post offices, the Postal Service has the largest retail network in the United States. An additional 56,000 locations such as supermarkets, drug stores, and other retailers sell postage and selected postal services. Nearly 18,000 ATMs also dispense sheets of stamps. But customers do not have to visit a physical building to purchase products and services; postage can be bought at usps.com and printed on personal computers.
The only provider of mail service to every home and business address in the country, the Postal Service is committed to providing reliable, secure, affordable service with convenient access. Unlike most federal agencies, America’s national mail system receives no tax subsidy for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
Additional efficiency initiatives are continuing. Reducing over-capacity in retail and delivery operations is a good business move. Every effort will be made to maintain and improve customer access to postal services.
Today’s announcement is part of the Station and Branch Optimization and Consolidation initiative that is currently being reviewed by the Postal Regulatory Commission. As part of this proceeding, the Postal Service has filed periodic updates identifying the retail stations and branches that remain under consideration.
The filing does not represent a final decision on consolidation. To date, no facility-specific final decisions have been made as a result of this initiative.
Click here for the list of stations and branches currently being reviewed
No station or branch should close. This is a public service industry. Whether or not each station is making a profit should not determine a closing or consolidation. In each community there are patrons that use that post office and may not be able to commute to another location due to various reasons such as mobility, age and convenience. After all, if universities, schools, hospitals and other public services are not profitable, maybe we should get together and close everything. Poor old Ben Franklin.
In Solidarity,
APWU Member
Steven H. Poole Sr.
Sirs,
Are the stations listed for possible closure going to be sold off under the business theory of buy high and sell low; or are they going to be leased so as to be able to recover them when the economy returns ?
Second, what are the estimates on the additional fuel consumption , vehicle repairs, and man hours on a yearly basis, to have the carriers drive miles further to their routes ?
Third, has the USPS considered that if they sell off these buildings that they will never be able to get these locations back ?
Close them all – should be able to find at least 2000!