WASHINGTON — As the Official Shipper of the Holidays, the U.S. Postal Service is offering a simpler way to shop for and ship last-minute gifts at local Post Offices nationwide. That’s right — the Post Office!

“We know our customers want to spend more time with their friends and families during the holidays and less time shopping for gifts and shipping them,” said Kelly Sigmon, vice president, Channel Access. “So we’re highlighting the postal products and services that make holidays less stressful, less hectic — and yes, simpler — for our customers.”

Last-minute gifts and shipping options at local Post Offices include:

• American Express Gift Cards, available at nearly 5,000 Post Offices nationwide. These decorative gift cards come in $25 and $50 denominations featuring four holiday designs. The gift card slips perfectly into the new Priority Mail Flat Rate Gift Card Envelope, which ships for the low price of $4.75.
• The 2011 White House Holiday Ornament, the 36th ornament in the White House Historical Association series honoring the Theodore Roosevelt administration, is available for $24.99. The gift-boxed ornament fits perfectly into the Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box (8 5/8 inches x 5 3/8 inches x 1 5/8 inches) and ships for the low rate of $5.20.
• The 72-page, hardcover 2011 Stamp Yearbook features 75 commemorative stamps with mounts, along with fascinating information about each stamp, and sells for $59.95. The book can be shipped in the Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box (13 5/8 inches x 11 7/8 inches x 3 3/8 inches) for just $10.50.
• The 38th edition of the Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps covers more than 4,000 stamps, from 1847 to 2011, and offers advice on how to start a stamp collection. Selling for $19.95, the Guide fits and ships into the Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope (12 1/2 inches x 9 1/2 inches) for only $4.75.
• The Holiday Baubles Tote Bag makes a great gift and can be purchased for just $2. Customers can ship the tote in a Priority Flat Rate Envelope (12 1/2 inches x 9 1/2 inches) for $4.75 — purchasing and shipping a small gift for under $10.

Last-minute gifts and the simplest way to ship with Priority Mail can be found at Post Offices across the country. Click here to find the closest office by ZIP Code.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional on this issue, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.