ALAMEDA, CA — The M&S Arco gas station and mini mart at 1260 Park Ave in Alameda CA, 94501, will be the first Village Post Office (VPO) ever opened in Alameda and the first in the Bay-Valley District of the U.S. Postal Service. There will be a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, June 6, at 11 a.m.

Owner Joel Gutierrez stated that “opening up a VPO will greatly benefit the many customers in Alameda and provide easier access to Postal Service mailings.”

The Arco station also serves as a mini mart, and adding Postal Service products and services makes it the perfect stop to refuel and now to purchase Forever stamps, ship prepaid packages and pick up Priority Mail Flat Rate package supplies.

Bay-Valley District Manager Mark Martinez believes that a partnership with a local business is beneficial for the Alameda community and provides another access for customers to buy postage and drop off their mailings.

VPOs are usually located in established businesses, giving them the added retail advantage of providing customers convenient access to the postal products and services used most often by consumers.

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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