How is it working? Do you see more and more people purchasing stamps, mailing letters and shipping packages without ever visiting a traditional Post Office?
Are there other areas we can expand to? Comment here.
Friday, June 10, 2011
One Million Post Offices
Our expanded access plan is simple. Partner with local businesses to provide customers ease of access to our products and services where they live, work and shop.
How is it working? Do you see more and more people purchasing stamps, mailing letters and shipping packages without ever visiting a traditional Post Office?
Are there other areas we can expand to? Comment here.
How is it working? Do you see more and more people purchasing stamps, mailing letters and shipping packages without ever visiting a traditional Post Office?
Are there other areas we can expand to? Comment here.
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16 comments:
I always thought Truck Stops were an untapped source of revenue. These Drivers are away from home throughout the year. I'm sure they would like to have a way to send a card or gift home to a loved one on a Birthday, Christmas, Anniversary, Graduation etc. This might be something to consider?
I like the truck stop idea!Airports also need kiosks or an automated postal center. Customers may have items which will not pass through security or souvenirs to send home. In certain areas of the country, welcome centers could also be possibilities.
If they know there is a quick, easy and convnient way to send items, they will use it!
The new prepaid greeting cards would be perfect for truck stops and the like - who hasn't forgotten a birthday or anniversary?
Its a very good idea Ben. Would allow the USPS to close many Post Offices. Its not a new idea because in the 50s and 60s we had contract stations in candy stores and drug stores.It would save upkeep on retail sales and part of the money saved could go to giving the contract station a % of the stamp sales.
And the last round of contract staions we poured money into didn't work because we have complicted our "products and services" so badly that we can't even understand them all let alone a clerk in a store. I have seen people buy those branded supplies in Walmart, but at Office Depot that corner where postal stuff is located is always empty.
Minature Post Offices are a good thing !
Consider this..they have to buy their stamps from somewhere to resell !!!
They are convenient stations for people who don't live near by the other big Post Offices.
Darlen RR17
Modesto,Ca.
Have they been done in walmarts? walmarts seem to have a mini-lots of stuff, nails, bank, etc.
I like the idea of having postal stations inside truck stops and airports, as they would really provide a good service to travellers. Inside Office Depot or other retail stores? Eh, not so much. Why not extend hours at our own locations and serve our customers ourselves, rather than relying on an untrained store clerk who may or may not understand all the services we offer. I understand that Office Depot also takes parcels for UPS...is the clerk going to really sell our brand or talk customers into using our competition based on his/her personal knowledge, understanding of the products, and/or personal preference?
I also don't think we should be increasing the number of these in-store locations while at the same time closing post offices. Just seems like a good way to get rid of actual postal employees and kill the postal service altogether.
How well we are marketing this availability at other locations?Why not have our postal people work at these alternate locations and also learn to do their stuff when not doing postal stuff. This would help to learn new skills and be recover the real-estate costs to having own postal people and make our staff available 24 hours. Which business and people don't like having a 24/7 service? Maybe that could be win win situation. When I informed that some post offices, not many are aware there are these alternate locations.
Pretty soon we will see the doctor's office next to the pharmacy at Walmart!! Why not sell cars there too.....you could go online and order them, cutting out the local slick salesmen and saving huge money. Oh yea...because there should be businesses who actually sell their OWN products and services!!! When I go to Menards...I want to buy nails and boards....not milk, postage stamps, or ship packages. We should simply stop spending money trying to keep our business open and start planning the funeral and get it over with!!
I feel we will quickly lose our "most trusted" label when untrained clerks at discount retail monster stores start selling our products and handling packages and letters. We may be saving money by closing our own "bricks and mortar" Post Offices, but we will be untimately killing off the US Postal Service.
I have shopped at Office Depot and a few other mailbox stores we are in business with. Both of them offered the other two shippers first. I had to ask about the Postal service's shipping. One store said they did not promote the USPS because you couldn't track their packsges and they take too long to deliver them. I asked both about Priority with delivery confirmation and one store said they did not offer delivery confirmation with Priority mail.
I think we are losing money with some of the places that the Postal Service has us going in. They do not even put our products out to display!
I agree with the last poster.
I get people in all the time who tell me the 'person at the hardware contract station doesn't know what I'm talking about when I ask for this or that'-or else they are told they don't offer it! We are hurting ourselves bigtime w/ these untrained people. I'm sure they are doing the best they can, but it turns people off and will turn them away from the postal service altogether.
I also take pride in the 'sanctity of the mail' and I think we will be losing that as well.
Many of these people can't even find me the size nail I want or the brand of deodorant I want much less having them try to figure out all of our varied services!
I sent a coworker across the street to mail a large First-Class envelope at Office Depot, because we did not know how many stamps to attach. He came back and reported that they cannot weigh items and affix postage; they can only accept items with postage already affixed. Some alternative location! Not!
Seems to me that this is more of a benefit to Office Depot than it is to the USPS...they use our name to get people into the store, but then they talk people into shipping with our competitors!! How does this grow OUR business? I say, stop closing post offices, extend window hours, teach SSA's true customer service, continue to deliver on Saturdays, and find other products and services that we can offer our customers. We need to GROW our business, not kill it off one piece at a time! I don't understand some of the decisions that come out of HQ...seems like they are sabotaging us with some of these "brilliant" ideas of theirs!!
I like Postal counters in drug stores and grocery stores. But Office Depot requires the customer to type out an online mailing label themselves. That is not convenience.
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