SEATTLE — Customers at almost 1,100 Office Depot stores across the country now have another option for shipping services. Twenty-one Office Depot stores in the Puget Sound area are included.

U.S. Postal Service shipping and mailing products now are available at 1,083 Office Depot stores across the country. Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes and envelopes, Priority Mail service, Express Mail service, Parcel Post, stamps, Delivery Confirmation and Signature Confirmation now are available at those Office Depot stores.

Priority Mail Flat Rate shipping is one of the best options for small businesses and consumers alike. With Flat Rate Boxes, customers pay one, low rate to any state without worrying about weighing the package — and there are no surcharges when using Postal Service shipping products.

“We’re excited to extend some of the best shipping values in the country to Office Depot customers, at a time and place that’s convenient to them,” said Paul Vogel, president, Mailing and Shipping Services. “Small businesses, especially, will be able to compare shipping companies side by side and see for themselves that Postal Service prices are very competitive and affordable.”

The partnership with Office Depot is one more example of how the Postal Service is adjusting products and services to better fit the changing needs of its customers, while finding creative solutions to generate much needed revenue.

Office Depot stores in the Puget Sound area participating in the program include:

As an Approved Postal Provider, Office Depot is the first national retailer to offer Postal Service shipping products and services.

“Office Depot is all about helping our customers take care of business, and by providing smart mailing services through the Postal Service in our stores, customers can enjoy the convenience of shipping while they shop,” said Kevin Peters, president, North American Retail for Office Depot.

Office Depot and the Postal Service worked together to ensure Office Depot employees could answer any customer concern or question on Postal products. Customer convenience and service are key to both companies.

Expanding access to products and services is one of the key components of “Delivering the Future,” the Postal Service’s action plan for the future. That plan also identifies shipping as one of the key growth opportunities for increased financial stability.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

A b-roll package is available in the USPS Newsroom: www.usps.com/news

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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 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.