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IowaCowboy
Lost in the Supermarket
Premium Member
join:2010-10-16
Springfield, MA

1 recommendation

IowaCowboy to ISurfTooMuch

Premium Member

to ISurfTooMuch

Re: The post office should cut costs

The main reason packages have to be mailed at the Post Office is security. They ended the self service kiosks after the Unabomber and incidents involving explosives/hazardous items being sent in the mail. Then the events after 9/11 involving the anthrax in the mail made matters worse for mail security.

So the main reason that they don't have self-serve kiosks is security.

When I mail a letter, I always mail it from the post office. There have been recent incidents around here that have made the news involving vandalism and theft of mail from mailboxes so I prefer to mail a letter/package at the post office and I prefer to get my mail at my PO Box.

UPS has taken security a step further by requiring ID when you send a package.

mackey
Premium Member
join:2007-08-20

mackey

Premium Member

said by IowaCowboy:

They ended the self service kiosks

No they didn't. My local Post Office has 2 out in the (unattended) lobby near the PO Boxes, plus 2 more slightly larger ones in the main lobby next to the attended counters. Last week when I mailed a package I just walked right past everyone standing in line and went to the machine and beep beep beep swipe and dropped it in the bin on my way out the door.

If I had a scale I trusted I'd just buy the postage online and save a couple bucks.

/M
cramer
Premium Member
join:2007-04-10
Raleigh, NC
Westell 6100
Cisco PIX 501

cramer to IowaCowboy

Premium Member

to IowaCowboy

So the main reason that they don't have self-serve kiosks is security.

Security THEATER. How does handing a sealed box to a clerk who just tosses into the bin any different than me personally placing it in a drop box? (Answer: none f'ing at all)

UPS has taken security a step further by requiring ID when you send a package.

Since when? I've shipped dozens of packages and never been asked by any clerk or driver for any form of ID at all -- hell, they don't even ask for ID to deliver packages. And BOTH UPS and Fedex have drop boxes all over the place.

(ironically, the one time (over 20 years ago) I've had to show ID and sign for a package was with, wait for it, USPS. There's a *reason* law firms use private couriers these days... ups/fedex/usps don't honor their "hand-deliver, id required" options.)