SHELBYVILLE, KY—Because of the significant drop in mail volume and economic recession, the U.S. Postal Service is expected to incur a $7 billion budget shortfall this year. As a result, the USPS has implemented several strategies to try and offset the situation, including a revision of Post Office hours.

Beginning October 3, the retail window at the Shelbyville Post Office, 401 Fourth St., will be open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday. Mail delivery will be unaffected by the change.

“We’re trying to find ways to offer the same excellent service for our customers while staying within our budget,” said Officer in Charge Lisa Newton. “This is a transitional time for us.”

For customer convenience, the Simpsonville Post Office, 6990 Shelbyville Road, is open 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday.

Customers can also take advantage of two Contract Postal Units in the area:

• Big Time Bargains, 166 Midland Blvd., is open 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Saturday; 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday; and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
• Mark’s Hallmark, 215 Boone Station Road, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

The Postal Service also makes it quick, easy and convenient for customers to buy postage stamps online at www.usps.com, by phone, by fax and by filling out a Stamp by Mail order form available from Shelbyville carriers and at the Shelbyville Post Office. Stamps also are available from rural carriers, if you are on a rural delivery route.

“Rural carriers are like a Post Office on Wheels,” said Newton. “We’re already in your neighborhood so let us save you time and gas by delivering stamps right to your door.”

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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.