- Oak Lawn post office
This afternoon, I spent 15 minutes in the Oak Lawn post office. I was there to buy a stamp. One stamp.
The post office has been suffering of massive losses. After 15 minutes, I know why and have some suggestions.
Return the postage machines. I used to walk in, use a vending machine, get a stamp or two, mail a bill and leave.
This visit I stood in line 15 minutes until someone else in line saw me holding one envelope and offered me a stamp. I paid her. Thanked her. Mailed my bill and left.
While I was waiting in line, I saw someone go to the door marked “Passports.” A clerk told her she needed an appointment and the next available date was March 28. At more than $100 a passport, the federal government should be pressing for more applications, not rationing the service.
Someone came in looking for federal IRS forms. A postal employee said that the Oak Lawn branch (of a federal agency) doesn’t carry the forms but the Oak Lawn library (a city facility) does. Of course the library does. Our libraries — especially the Oak Lawn branch — are a great neighborhood resource. Does carrying forms generate business for either the library or the post office? The library appreciates your visit. The post office obviously doesn’t care if you buy anything from them while you’re there or not.
As for me, I will sign up for my last remaining bill — my city water bill — to be paid on line beginning next month. My last remaining piece of personal business with the post office is done. And I like doing things the old fashioned way. I have a rotary dial cell phone. But it would have been faster for me to drop the bill off at city hall than try to buy a stamp to mail it.
While the post office is deciding on whether or not to drop Saturday service, I don’t really care if they drop all service altogether.
Maybe they removed the postage machines in order to force you to do your business with a clerk, who can offer you more services, which then cost more money.
At least they got rid of that crazy woman with the assorted braided wigs that could spend 10 minutes fingering your money before actually making change.
I don’t know why they got rid of the machines, either. I had been accumulating quiye a collection of Sacagawea dollars from buying books of stamps.
Um, why didn’t you use the postage machine that is located right in the lobby? I use that machine all the time to buy stamps and ship regular packages. I can get in and out of there in about 5 minutes.
David, I was confused when I didn’t see a vending machine but they have replaced the machines with what looks like an ATM and that’s where you get your stamps. I know you only needed one stamp and not sure if they offer that option or you have to buy a whole book. Just call me and I can give you a stamp anytime 🙂
I have never seen a rotary dial cell phone. How do you check voicemail on that thing?
I emailed them to complain about removing the stamp machines and this is what I got:
Thank you for contacting us about the removal of our stamp vending machines.
We began removing retail vending machines from the Post Office™ and other retail locations around the country beginning October 2006. This will enable us to focus more on the ways people prefer to buy stamps today.
With a wide range of quick, easy, and convenient ways to buy U.S. postage stamps fewer people have been using stamp vending machines every year. Some machines have as few as two customers a month.
Some of the machines are 20 years old. Mechanical breakdowns are becoming more frequent. Replacement parts are scarce because they’re no longer manufactured. In short, the vending machines often cost more to maintain than the value they provide to our customers.
A notice will be posted on machines, at least 30 days in advance of removal, listing nearby Post Offices and other locations where customers can buy stamps. There will also be a reminder of all the other ways postage can be purchased. These include the following:
– The Postal Store® open 24/7 at the following website:
https://www.usps.com/shop
– Click-N-Ship® to print postage and mailing labels at:
https://www.usps.com/clicknship
– By phone at 800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724) between the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. Eastern Time 7 days a week
– By filling out a Stamps by Mail® order from, available from the letter carrier and at the local Post Office.
– At more than 15,000 banking and credit union Automated Transaction Machines (ATMs).
– At more than 2,500 Automated Postal Centers nationwide.
– From your rural carrier, if you are on a rural delivery route.
– At more than 25,000 commercial retail establishments. For a list, you can visit the
following website and do the following:
https://www.usps.com
1. Click Locate a Post Office
2. Select “Alternate Locations to Buy Stamps” from the Options pull-down menu.
If I can be of assistance to you in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for choosing the United States Postal Service®.
Regards,
Steve
John, Thanks for the post office response. I guess you were the other person using the machine for the month every time I needed stamps. Isn’t it a coincidence that we both always needed a few stamps at exactly the same time because there was always someone else at the machine when I was there.
I love their list of suggestions. However, I needed a stamp today. I didn’t want to click and ship. I didn’t want to call and order. If you’re directing me on line, I’m going to email my letter or payment. I needed one stamp. Today. To mail one letter.
Selling me that stamp is a service that the U.S. postal service has been providing for 235 years. So just figure out a way to sell me a stamp in 2010 at one of your post offices when I need one without making me wait in line for longer than it would take me to drive the letter to its destination myself.
Oh, honestly David, paying bills in advance is so yesterday. Just wait until they call you and give them your debit card number. This can even be accomplished on the cell phone while you are driving down the road. Of course, if you are driving a Toyota and the accelerator is stuck I suppose it could be a bit complicated. But no one ever promised life was going to be easy.
Taffet,
Quit being so cheap. Buy a book of stamps. You need to help pick up the slack left in their budget by the loss of my Mother’s business. Sheesh.
And get them at the Automated Postal Machine. Even at your advanced age, you should learn how to use them. They’ll be common place…and in place of postal workers… very soon.
Sikora
I use the VERY OBVIOUS SELF-SERVICE kiosk in the wall of the lobby … to the right of the Passport Window, private PO Boxes and the line that anyone can CHOOSE to stand in. It works quite well unless someone who has never seen this kind of machine before is in line in front of me.
There is a big self-service kiosk there that does NOT take cash and also had a line. I was not going to charge a 42 cent stamp.
Withering. And completely correct.
The GOP loves to talk about the power of the marketplace. Well, the Post Office has a LEGAL MONOPOLY and they lose millions. Maybe the solution is to open the postal service up for competition.
Well, David. If you do try to buy a 42-cent stamp, you’re going to find out that it actually costs 44 cents. Don’t want you going to the post office and standing in line just to find out you are 2 cents short.
Thanks for the update, David. Shows how often I buy stamps. And, like I said, after 15 minutes, I still hadn’t made it up to the counter. Someone on line sold me a stamp, but I think I owe her 2 cents. Now I’m going to feel guilty all day.
Arnold Wayne, it is actually legal to own/operate your own mail delivery service in the United States. There aren’t many things that ARE legal in this country anymore, but last time I checked, that’s still one of them. The last time I visited a USPO, there were two clerks behind a 10-bay counter (the other 8 bays had “closed” signs on them). And those two clerks had a finger in their noses, a thumb up their *sses and absolutely no sense of urgency about them whatsoever. I think the USPS should downsize (or “rightsize” whatever term we’re using these days) and let those poor, stupid clerks find out what it’s like to work in the REAL world.
I am sure you also enjoyed their brilliant idea to offer change in the form of dollar coins. USPS FAIL.
I use the automated machine all the time now so I don’t have to stand in line and deal with the one person they will have working during the lunch hour since they also go to lunch at the same time. Theres so many things the post office could do to increase customer service and get customers back, they are just unwilling to do so.
John, that annoying machine is gone. David, “charge” a 44-cent stamp? Not me. I have a debit card for tiny purchases like that. Pay interest on a stamp? I agree with you: NO!
to repeat other people – if you looked around a little harder – you might have noticed that the automated shipping teller, that yes, looks a lot like an ATM and which is directly in front of you when you walk through the front door. And get this…YES, you can buy ONE stamp from the machine, or a WHOLE book…I never stand in line, unless I am picking up a package, which getting someone to actually answer the door who gives a crap is a challenge – other than that, I am in and out, in about 3 minutes – unless you get behind someone shipping 15 little packages, or someone who does not know what they’re doing – – just like the self checkouts at the grocery store…if you know what you’re doing, and can read, it shouldn’t take but a few seconds.