Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Lottery and Post Offices?

One reader wrote me suggesting that Post Offices sell lottery tickets. This is a Big Idea, but do you think it's a good idea?

Comment here.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why not? We should look into a variety of additional services.
We could accept utlity payments(electric, gas, cable).
We could sell pre-paid cell phones and accessories.
Every office should have a fax machine and a notary.
How about Postal backed insurance? Car, Home, Life?

Anonymous said...

I agree... we should look into a variety of additional services. We could be more service to the community. One stop business with several different services, for the convenience of our customers and the future of our company.

Anonymous said...

I know gambling is legal in many states, but in some it is not. I don't think we need to enter that battleground.

Paying utilities at the PO would be great.

What about providing computer services for those in rural areas that have none. It would involve having someone on staff who is computer literate but the computers would not have to be hooked up through our secure system. We could become the local internet cafe (sans coffee). Libraries usually don't have enough computers available for people. They manage to put filters on them to protect against viruses and porn. We could charge a minimal fee for using them.

Anonymous said...

How about putting the Red Box video rental units in some locations? If we are going to lose the revenue through Netflix not mailing as many, we could pick up the revenue for the rental unit.

Anonymous said...

This is a VERY BAD IDEA!

Anonymous said...

I do not believe this is the way to go in reference to raising revenue. The paying of bills is an excellent idea and a pay as you go fax machine and copier for customers is another great idea.

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't that be against the rules of ethical conduct?

Anonymous said...

I agree with expanding the services we offer, but I don't think lottery tickets are the way to go. I like the ideas of utility payments, prepaid cell phones, and maybe even postal savings accounts. My town's only bank closed several years ago, so this would be a great service to my community.

Anonymous said...

There are some great ideas out there but selling Lottery tickets doesn't seem like a good one. We used to have copy/fax machines in offices and they cost a lot to service and repair. We need to take a closer look at what we do every day (there are more than enough reports out there telling us)and change staffing (from the top down instead of the bottom up).

Anonymous said...

Sure why not sell lottery tickets, take utility payments and a fax/copy machine would be a great asset. Why is it that only the "big" post offices get to sell greeting cards? Some of our "littler" offices are 10 or more miles from the nearest store and I think that the customers would be mailing out more cards if they were more readily available.

grannybunny said...

Gambling is illegal on Postal premises, in addition to being a bad idea. There are many good ideas for additional public services we could offer, but selling lottery tickets is not among them.

Anonymous said...

I don't think we should support gambling.

Anonymous said...

Get rid of all the clerks, close the windows, and take mail only through contract postal units.

Make all stamp purchases go through stamps by mail.

Anonymous said...

Getting rid of clerks and closing window service is already what the postal services goal is. They push online use for everything, so why should people support our offices? What ever we sold, they wouldnt see it, because we push them to do their postal business online and in the convienence of their own home. I want to see the postal service remain a strong company as much as anyone. I am just afraid that the writting is already on the wall. The internet is killing almost everthing we do. I am just not sure as the senior citizens pass that we will have anyone left.

Anonymous said...

In my just about 30 years seeing the great new ideas brought to our offices like selling ties and caps and chocolate letters and pins where we lost revenue and we always went back to what our job here is to deliver the mail period.
Then someone dreams up a new nonsence campain to sell something else. Lets stay with our mission to
deliver the mail.

Anonymous said...

Lottery Tickets would be one idea, except can you imagine the public outcry....'The Goevernment is getting us hooked on gambling', or 'The Government has no business selling Lottery Tickets.'

Better still we should offer Fishing, hunting, watercraft licenses. RedBox Videos is a great idea. How about eggs and milk?

Anonymous said...

Sage advice for those who would not whither and die: "Do Something!"

Anonymous said...

Selling Lottery tkts. to customers in line would be a major fiasco, simply because it would make window clerks "accountable" AND then there's the Lotto tkt machines for printing out Quick Pics etc..AND the idea of putting Lotto "vending machines" in our lobbies seems counter-productive to our bottom line of selling "stamps" in the vending machines that have been "removed" from many of our lobbies because they were NOT "revenue" productive! Having said all that, I believe ALL these ideas of accommodating our communities with additional services is GREAT, provided the USPS will allow our clerks/units enough hrs. to provide these services (including the sale of Lotto tkts.) !!!

Unknown said...

It may sound complicated at first, but if the Fed Gov't actually implements a national health care plan, WHAT OTHER AGENCY is already present everywhere to accept paperwork, enter data into an on line data base, deliver health care cards? They'll have to train somebody, why not us? we're seasoned and ready.

Anonymous said...

Why can't we install drive thru windows like the fast food places?

EliMoon said...

Wow! So many great ideas in the comments here, and I really hope to see some of them implimented. I would also personally like the gretting cards at the rural post office where I work. I'm sure everyone here would love it. Now as far as the whole having food items to sell I don't think we want to worry about stocking up shelves with food and taking away from the little mom and pop stores near each of our offices.

Anonymous said...

I always read a lot of good ideas to keep the postal service working in these blogs.Although selling lottery tickets would not be one of them because of the backlash from the public.
My question to everyone is, what in the world are our leaders waiting on to make something happen?

Anonymous said...

Life is a gamble. Who does the Public think is in charge of the Lottery? Someone gets a big cut in taxes when someone wins. Who do they think that is?

Anonymous said...

Absolutely NOT.

Anonymous said...

Yea why not , soon we will be selling day old donuts also.