Carousel Center, Syracuse — The U.S. Postal Service has filed a change of address for its popular self-service kiosk at Syracuse’s Carousel Center, moving it upstairs to the Hallmark Gold Crown® store.
“Hallmark was an enthusiastic partner when we learned our full-service operation would leave this location. And of course, as Hallmark cards and gifts go hand in hand with mailing,” said the Postal Service’s Albany District Manager Edward F. Phelan, Jr. “We’re pleased to work with Hallmark to keep a piece of the Post Office in a setting that meets the need of our mutual customers.”
“The U.S. Postal Service and Hallmark are highly respected brand names that customers know and trust,” added the Postal Service’s Manager of Marketing for the Albany District, Margaret Pepe. “This partnership is good for Hallmark, good for the Postal Service and great for everyone looking for mail services while here at the Carousel Center.”
The postal kiosk will be available at the Carousel Center Hallmark Gold Crown store Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 9:30 pm, and Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm.
According to postal officials, nearly 35 percent of the Postal Service retail revenue comes from expanded access locations such as stamps sold at grocery stores or drug stores, ATMs and usps.com. There are 2,500 self-service kiosks, also known as Automated Postal Centers (APCs), that provide customers with access to the most frequently purchased postal products and services.
Last year, the kiosks generated $577 million in postal revenue.
How a postal self-serve kiosk works:
- A postal self-serve kiosk allows customers to print postage labels and buy stamps.
- A touch screen guides customers through transactions by providing a series of prompts for each purchase or sale
- Every postal self-serve kiosk has a scale to weigh packages.
- Customers can pay with a credit or debit card.
Other services available at a postal self-serve kiosk:
Besides buying stamps and shipping packages, mailers can
- Purchase insurance up to $500,
- Look up ZIP Codes and obtain Postal Service mailing information,
- Obtain Certified Mail, Delivery Confirmation and Return Receipts, and
- Renew post office boxes.
The in-store postal kiosk is one of several innovative ventures between the Postal Service and Hallmark. Earlier this spring, the Postal Service and Hallmark introduced Postage-Paid Greetings, line of everyday and seasonal cards that include postage. Just sign, seal and send.
Hallmark Postage-Paid Greetings feature the U.S. Postal Service’s Intelligent Mail barcode on the front of the envelope. The postage is treated like a Forever stamp, and its value will always be equal to the price of a standard First-Class stamp, regardless of when it’s mailed.
“It’s all about meeting customer’s expectations and needs,” added Phelan. “By teaming up in the right places, like the Hallmark Gold Crown store in Carousel Center, we are blending where people shop and how people ship.”
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About the United States Postal Service:
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 six 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.
About Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Hallmark makes the world a more caring place by helping people express what’s in their hearts and spend time together — a privilege few other companies in the world enjoy. Hallmark greeting cards and other products are found in more than 40,000 retail outlets in the U.S., including the network of flagship Hallmark Gold Crown® stores. The brand also reaches people online at Hallmark.com and on television through Hallmark Hall of Fame original movies and cable’s top-rated Hallmark Channel. Worldwide, Hallmark offers products in more than 30 languages available in 100 countries. This privately held company is based in Kansas City, Mo., and is led by the third generation of the founding Hall family. Visit http://corporate.hallmark.com for more details.
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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 tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. We’re everywhere so you can be anywhere: www.uspseverywhere.com. 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.
