Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Too much space? The OIG thinks so

A report by the Postal Service Inspector General thinks that out of our 284 million square feet, that 24 percent of it -- or about 67 million square feet -- is excess.

They believe significant revenue could be generated from this excess capacity.

The Postal Service disagrees with the calculations.

In your experience, what do you see? Are there unused floors, office space, or floor capactity that could be leased out or used to other companies? Could warehousing companies use our floor space? Could lawyers or mortage processors use some of our office space?  In your workplace, what do you see?

Comment here.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

In my rural post office I don't see any space that could be used by someone else. There would have to be some construction costs to maintain security of the mail and then there would be utility issues on how they would be split, ect.

Grannybunny said...

There may well be locations with excess space that could be profitably rented out. If so, that is one more avenue to be explored to increase Postal revenues. At this point, everything needs to be "on the table."

Anonymous said...

There is no extra space in our facility. The clerks are always complaining there is no place to put empty equipment.

Anonymous said...

The emply equipment in my office takes up half the space. We have to palletize now and there is just not enough time to do it but again there are a few clerks that are too lazy to catch us up. Anyway, back to renting out spaces - doesn't the USPS rent most their facilities?? So wouldn't the rent go to the landlord and not us. I don't agree with the idea but them I haven't agreed with ALOT of the things going on. In the city that I work in we are renting the downtown facility for almost $10,000 a month. HIGHWAY ROBBERY if you ask me but then nobody asked me.

Anonymous said...

In our rural office, we have to store some equipment outside because we are cramped for space. Our office is rented, and we pay a lot more rent than any of the other businessess in town. How about renegotiating existing leases?

Barb said...

Our rural post office is rented from the Town (town hall and old fire engine bays are in the other half of the building), and when there are two of us working on Mondays, there is NO room for us to pass each other. This 1964 building might have been spacious at that time, but not now!

Anonymous said...

No extra space at Hudson Office,
Modesto,Ca.

Anonymous said...

At the office I work at there is several office spaces that could be effectively rented out. Individual offices that people have are 2 to 3 times bigger than they need to be. So if all offices were made to a reasonable size there would be extra space to rent out to lawyers, realestate agents or to have a coffe shop.
Make better use of square footage in the larger offices.

Anonymous said...

I think there are too many OIG with not enough to do and too much space in their areas.

Anonymous said...

Small offices generally don't have any extra space & often are cramped. But if they consolidate the processing and distribution centers they should definately rent or sell the buildings they own. Some larger post offices could have office space to rent to cell phone retailers, office services (copiers) or professionals like accountants.

Anonymous said...

What does the OIG know????

Anonymous said...

How about starting at Headquarters?
With the incentives offered last spring, isn't there too much space there? Or was that all smoke and mirrors?

Anonymous said...

When push comes to shove there are places that have extra space. The plant I work in has empty offices and upper management is in an office that was once the office for 5 people. I read in the paper that the office space the postal service signed a $500,000 lease on (in another city)is still sitting vacant after 2 years and we are paying dearly. Like one of the other comments, I don't agree with a lot of what is going on but then they don't really ask me and if they did I don't think they would really listen. Good thing I like my job. Too bad it could be going away if they close the plant.

Anonymous said...

What about all the now vacant offices in the districts that were closed? Seems like we could make some revenue by renting out this space.

Dorothy Gladsjo, PM said...

Our building, built in 1940, is a huge waste of space and money to heat. Our grounds are enormous, which takes many man hours to mow and free of snow. The post office could save 10's of thousands and make money selling off extra property here in Wrangell, Alaska.

Anonymous said...

Nay to that, why would anyone want to come here anyway? We are in the bundocks and noones wants to work around my employees. They get into everyones's business except deliver the mail right.

Anonymous said...

I am sure we have lots of space that could be utilized one way or another. I know of one Postal owned building with 2 floors of office space that is empty and the Postal service is leasing other space in the same city. In that case we should use it or rent it out.

Anonymous said...

How about relocating the district and area offices out of the large metro cities, and move them to rural America.....where rents are 1/4 of the amount they pay now. They sit in pluse offices in high cost areas....time for them to be humble and work out of old school gyms with cubicals.

Anonymous said...

I agree why not take those offices in the large metro area's out and put them were rent is a decent price. That would help cut cost. It's not like these people need to have these great big usless offices. They are all image. If the postal service was trying to cut cost on bulidings they should look at those too. Man up like the rest of us!!!

Anonymous said...

I am a small office and i don't have enough space for what i have now, but i agree all of those buildings we have vacant should have something done with them. The bulidings the postal services owens should be the ones we are putting the post offices in. We are paying rent for offices that have buildings vacant they could be using and get away from paying for a lease. As far as mainating the offices most everything that is done to the office the postal service pays for anyway, so why are we improving other buildings and not the ones the postal service ownes?