USPSNEWS@WORK

Carrier pickup: A million packages and growing!

A cool million with a hot product! Online carrier pickup requests marked a milestone when the one-millionth package was picked up. The mailer, a small business in Augusta, GA, found the Postal Service'sTM online shipping solutions a great way to deliver "great smells on the half shell" to a worldwide clientele.

"It's a great way to ship," says Sheila Roker, owner of CandleNuts, a company specializing in unique, colorful, scented candles that are hand-poured into real coconut shells. CandleNuts, at www.candlenuts.net, primarily sells its products wholesale to gift shops.

Roker, who started her business in her garage, says she tried several delivery services as she built her business but turned to the Postal Service after being sold on the benefits of Priority Mail® service with Delivery ConfirmationTM service via Click-N-Ship® service, including free pickup, free shipping supplies and free Delivery Confirmation.

"Whether it's a 1-pound box or 45-pound box, my postal carrier can pick up everything at one time," she says. "The free shipping supplies were a great bonus for me and the great rates were a big boon to me also."

Customers submit requests for carrier pickup via USPS.com. The local Post OfficeTM receives the information and letter carriers pick up the packages during their normal deliveries. And combined with Click-N-Ship service, it's a winning solution for businesses everywhere.

It's the scent of success - sweet!

Talk to my agent: Your chance to be discovered could be soon

Let USPS® be your agent in the next casting call for new faces to represent the Postal ServiceTM. You could be discovered doing what you do best - demonstrating the teamwork, dedication and top-notch service that makes it possible for the Postal Service to deliver results every day.

The carriers chosen to represent USPS in this fall's "Working for You" ad campaign were just the beginning. The next search will be underway shortly and employees from a variety of positions will be featured.

It takes all of us to deliver the mail - from processing to maintenance, from human resources to retail, from rural delivery to customer service, from account management to information technology.

So, smile and watch for your chance to be discovered - you could be next!

Crowned the Kiosk King: Automated Postal Center wins industry award

The Postal Service's Automated Postal Center® (APC) has won the Best Retail Kiosk award from the Kiosks Org Association, representing the electronic, self-service kiosk industry.

The award recognizes the APC for its ability to provide a full range of postal products, services and information - and its ease of use.

"We are expanding the concept of retail from four walls and a clerk - to making service available to our customers, wherever they are and whenever they need us," said USPS Governor David Fineman at the unveiling of Philadelphia's APC.

KIOSK magazine notes the APC has the potential to "revolutionize" transactions for customers, saying, "These terminals could do for the Post Office what ATMs did for the banking industry."

About 685 APCs are installed around the country - and the number will grow to 2,500 by this year's holiday season.

100,000 and counting: Picking up parcels - and customers

Carrier pickup service is growing by leaps and bounds - hitting its first month of more than 100,000 parcels back in March. Now it has picked up its 100,000th customer, Hall-O-Fame Group, a sports memorabilia seller.

Hall-O-Fame Group specializes in quality limited edition sports-themed lithographs at affordable prices, sold online at www.hofgroup.com and through eBay.

The company ships 40-70 Priority Mail® packages a day - as many as 200 a day during the holidays.

Quick, easy, convenient Carrier pickup service. It's where the business is headed.

Watt's that: Zero-emission electric trucks plugged in to USPS fleet

Eight new zero-emission electric trucks have joined the USPS's New York Metro Area delivery fleet.

The 2-ton trucks are funded by the New York Power Authority as part of a $23 million voluntary initiative to offset emissions in New York State.

The vans will replace diesel trucks used to transport mail and bulk packages from distribution plants and Post OfficesTM in Hunts Point and Mott Haven, Bronx.

The trucks can travel 40 miles on a complete charge, with a top speed of 60 miles per hour. Over the course of a year, the eight trucks will eliminate about 39,000 pounds of greenhouse gases and 8 pounds of particle emissions. They're even efficient when the brakes are on - a regenerative braking system captures lost energy.

The trucks are the latest addition to the Postal Service's eco-friendly fleet. Last month hydrogen fuel-cell-powered mini vans began delivering mail on several Capital Metro Area routes.

SIX-CESS!: Lance is first rider to win six consecutive times in Tour de France

U.S. Postal Service® Pro Cycling team leader Lance Armstrong did what no cyclist has ever done - won the Tour de France, the world's most grueling bike race, six consecutive times. And he did it convincingly, dominating this year's Tour - the second fastest in the race's history - by winning five of the race's 20 stages. That tops his past record of four stage wins.

But the Tour de France is a team race, and Armstrong has said that this year's crew is perhaps the best Postal team ever. Together, they propelled Armstrong into the history books.

Chief Marketing Officer Anita Bizzotto congratulated the team at the finish line. "On behalf of Postmaster General Jack Potter and the 700,000 men and women of the U.S. Postal Service, our congratulations to Lance and the entire team," said Bizzotto. "Well done."

Hottest site on the Web: The Postal Store racks up big sales following Lance's win

The digital ring of electronic cash registers resounded throughout The Postal Store's® Web site as they tallied up an astounding $53,000 in sales in just 18 hours after Lance Armstrong and the USPS Pro Cycling Team brought the record Tour title.

The clicking and ringing continues as fans purchase jerseys, T-shirts, hats, lapel pins and sets. Stop by The Postal Store on USPS.com® to get your gear, too.

Drop Lance a line: Congratulate the team

Want to send a letter to Lance Armstrong and the rest of the USPS Pro Cycling Team congratulating them on their victory?

Write to Lance and the team at the following address:

CONGRATULATIONS LANCE AND THE BLUE TRAIN!
C/O US POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 23783
WASHINGTON DC 20026-3783

Investing in your future: Banking sick leave - with interest

Your Postal Service sick leave accumulates every pay period - building up a bank of hours you can withdraw when you need it. And few investments grow at the rate of saved sick leave. If you use an hour of sick leave that you earned 15 years ago, it's paid at your current wage - not your wage when the hour was earned.

HR Health and Resource Management has more information. Go to http://blue.usps.gov/hrisp/hrm/eap.htm for copies of posters and a service talk, and check the USPS- TV schedule for the video "Don't let your team down." New kits will be distributed every two months.

Protect your future - bank your sick leave.

Administrative Services

Lock `em Up - The key to Vehicle Security

USPS® has given it a lot of attention, but it's still not a locked-in practice.

A safety check by the Inspection Service this spring uncovered 61 instances of vehicle security problems - most involving unlocked and unattended vehicles.

"The remedy to this is simple," says COO Pat Donahoe, "Lock a vehicle when it is not in direct, full sight. This requires no money, no program, no task force, just awareness by every employee that this is a mandatory procedure."

See Pat Donahoe's letter on page 4.

Follow the steps below to keep all USPS vehicles safe and secure.

• Lock any vehicle when it is not in your direct, full sight.

• Report broken or malfunctioning vehicle locks so they can be repaired.

• Verify that all carriers have postal identification and a valid driver's license.

• Take a physical inventory of vehicles and government license plates at least once a week.

• Note the presence and security of government license plates during pre-trip vehicle inspections.

For more information on vehicle security, visit our Web site at http://blue.usps.gov/delivery/dvo/del_vehicles_ security.htm.

- Chief Operating Officer and
Executive Vice President, 8-5-04

I Can Identify With That - Postal ID Protects Your Security

Protecting the security of Postal ServiceTM facilities isn't just about keeping buildings, equipment, and the mail safe - it's about your security too.

Fortunately, USPS® has a guide to help make sure only authorized personnel are permitted onto postal premises - it's Administrative Service Manual (ASM) 277, Identification Security. And it clearly states that every Postal Service employee, contractor, and temporary, including casual employees, must have photo identification. All personnel assigned postal identification must wear it during official duty hours.

"It is absolutely critical that all employees protect the security of our facilities," said Chief Operating Officer Pat Donahoe. "We must maintain our focus on critical security measures that protect USPS employees and assets, and we must be held accountable for compliance with these measures," Donahoe said.

See Pat Donahoe's letter on page 5.

Postal IDs are accountable property. That means employees and contractors are required to return their ID when leaving the Postal Service, or when a contract ends. If attempts to collect a postal ID are unsuccessful, the Inspection Service needs to know about it.

Access control is a key part of the USPS security system. Protecting employees, customers, and the mail depends on it. Do your part to make sure it's done right.

- Chief Operating Officer and
Executive Vice President, 8-5-04

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Customer Relations

Mail Alert

The mailings below will be deposited in the near future. Offices should honor the requested delivery dates. Mailers wishing to participate in these alerts, for mailings of 1 million pieces or more, should contact Business Service Network Integration at 202-268-2225 at least 1 month preceding the requested delivery dates. The Postal ServiceTM also offers electronic Mail Alerts via ADVANCE. For more information, see the ADVANCE Notification & Tracking System Technical Guide on the Internet at http://www.ribbs.usps.gov/files/advance/ADVTECH.PDF or contact the National Customer Support Center at 800-458-3181.