CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Residents living in the Clearlake area now have two more convenient options when they need to pick up postage stamps or ship a package. Two U.S. Postal Service Village Post Offices (VPOs) have recently opened, one in Hi Way Grocery, 160 E. Highway 20, Upper Lake, CA 95485 and the other in Foods Etc., 15290 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake, CA 95422.

Both lake area VPOs will celebrate their grand openings on Friday, March 20, 2015 and members of the public are invited to attend both events; the Upper Lake celebration, taking place from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by the Clearlake celebration from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

As VPOs, Hi Way Grocery and Foods Etc.add the two most frequently purchased postal products and services — Forever stamps and Priority Mail Flat Rate products — to its variety of offerings. VPOs are a part of the network of outlets owned and operated by third parties to complement the Postal Service’s own network of retail Post Offices. This network, which includes Contract Postal Units, Approved Shippers and Stamps on Consignment locations, enables USPS to efficiently expand the availability of its services at convenient locations that customers already frequent.

Often open longer hours than a traditional Post Office, VPOs add another level of convenience for postal customers. Hi Way Grocery is open Monday – Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Foods Etc. is open Monday – Saturday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“This is good news for our mutual customers,” said Bobbi Riley, manager of Post Office operations for the area. “Hi Way Grocery and Foods Etc.are offering their customers a one-stop shopping experience where they can buy stamps and ship prepaid Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes at a convenient location they already frequent.”

There are over 800 Village Post Offices located in a wide variety of businesses across the country.

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