Indianapolis, IN — Some Indianapolis Post Office retail counters will adjust their hours for the rest of the summer. The temporary “summer hours” of operation take effect on July 13. Mail delivery will be unaffected by the change. The summer retail counter hours will be:

Bacon Station, 2727 E. 55th Street
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Speedway Branch, 6110 W. 25th Street
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Lawrence Branch, 4430 McCoy
Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Southport Branch, 1701 E. Edgewood Avenue
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Oaklandon Branch, 12125 E. 65th Street
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Wanamaker Branch, 7950 Southeastern
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Nora Branch, 1300 E. 86th Street
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Eagle Creek Branch, 6401 Gateway Drive
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

New Augusta Branch, 8401 Moller Road
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

According to Postmaster Larry Diegel, adjusting retail hours during the summer will allow supervisors greater flexibility for scheduling staffing to adjust to fluctuating lobby traffic, which will increase operational efficiency and reduce operating costs.

“The ongoing decline in mail volume means fewer customers in our lobby,” said Diegel. “It makes business sense for us to adjust staffing to the declining workload.”

Diegel says customers who wish to buy stamps or mail and ship packages can use the Automated Postal Centers (APCs) in the outer lobbies of the Bacon, Castleton, Eagle Creek, Main, New Augusta, Nora, Park Fletcher and Southport Post Offices. APCs provide access to postal service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. “80 percent of the transactions available at the retail counter are available at an APC,” Diegel says. “Just follow the prompts on the touch screen and pay with a major credit or debit card.”

Diegel adds that there are many ways to purchase mailing and shipping services from the U.S. Postal Service without making a trip to the Post Office. “Alternate access to postal products and services has never been greater,” Diegel says. “Customers can buy stamps at Kroger and Marsh supermarkets or at many bank automated teller machines. They can buy stamps, mail packages, or ship items by Express or Priority Mail at Meijer stores. Best of all, they can go to our website, usps.com, to buy stamps or send packages with Click-N-Ship and even request to have their letter carrier pick up their package the next business day at no charge.”

Retail counter hours at the stations and branches of the Indianapolis Post Office will return to the previous schedule on September 8, 2009.

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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.