KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As a result of a study conducted last year, the U. S. Postal Service has made the decision to close the Packers Station, located at 626 Kansas Ave. in Kansas City, KS, at the end of business Saturday, January 22, 2011.

“The Postal Service has experienced an extraordinary decline in mail volume of nearly 26 billion pieces this past year alone,” said Mark Martinez, Manager of the Postal Service’s Kansas City, MO-based Mid–America District. “By consolidating, streamlining, and adjusting our operations, the U. S. Postal Service becomes a more efficient and effective organization.”

Affected postal employees will be reassigned in accordance with applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Packers' Post Office Box Section will be relocated to the Rosedale Station located at 2200 West 36th St., and all affected Post Office Box customers will continue to use their current address and ZIP Code.

• Rosedale's retail hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon. – Fri., and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Sat.
• The Post Office Box Section lobby is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Customers can skip the trip to the Post Office and purchase stamps and shipping labels online using the Postal Service’s website, www.usps.com. Customers can also request free package pickup at www.usps.com. The Postal Service will pick up packages during regular mail delivery the next business day, and, unlike other shipping companies, there is no fee for this service. Stamps can also be purchased at 1-800-STAMP 24, at thousands of banking ATMs, and in more than 55,000 retail outlets.

“Local mail delivery will not be affected by this move. Full retail services will still be available, and our customers will continue to receive the same excellent service they always have,” said Martinez.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

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 direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.