ST. CHARLES, IL — In response to declining mail volume and customer visits, the St. Charles Eastside Post Office Station is adjusting retail counter hours. Effective May 2, 2011 the current weekday retail hours of Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. will change to Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.  Saturday retail hours of 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. will change to 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

“Like any retail business the Postal Service regularly reviews operations and makes adjustments when necessary,” says St. Charles Postmaster Don Sommers.  “The downturn in the overall economy has impacted customer traffic in our retail lobby resulting in a change in hours.” 

The outer lobby will remain open 24/7 allowing PO Box customers access to their mail. The Automated Postal Center will also be available 24/7 and provide customers another option to purchase postal products and services.  The new posted service hours beginning May 2 are:

Sommers points out consumers can purchase most mailing and shipping products and services available from the Postal Service without making a trip to the Post Office.

Customers can purchase stamps by mail, by phone by calling 1 800 STAMP 24, or at participating Dominick’s and Jewel supermarkets, and Sam’ Club and Costco warehouse stores, and the UPS and Office Depot stores.  Customers can also purchase stamps and print labels to mail packages, pay for postage and ship items by Express or Priority Mail at usps.com.  They can even request a carrier pick up when choosing Express and Priority Mail. They can also purchase shipping supplies, create and send greeting cards, postcards and letters, and put their mail on hold when traveling.

In addition, the St. Charles Eastside Post Office Station has an Automated Postal Center (APC) in the lobby, near the Post Office Box section that is available Monday through Sunday, around the clock. The ATM-like kiosk accepts credit or debit cards and can handle 80 percent of retail counter transactions – like selling stamps, weighing packages and buying postage for Express and Priority Mail shipments, and First-Class and Parcel Post mailings.

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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 $67 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 29th in the 2010 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.