County towns face postal changes
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
Change is ongoing for the U.S. Postal Services, as officials look for ways to keep the iconic business afloat. Like many other entities hit hard by the economic slump, post offices across the nation continue to struggle to become profitable. Rising fuel prices and the increased use of the Internet have factored heavily into the problems faced by the USPS.
Among the changes proposed have been the closure of several smaller post offices, several of which are located in Aroostook County.
“Offices slated for closure include Crouseville, Sheridan, Oxbow and Orient,” said Denise Varano, corporate communications, Northeast area, USPS.
In addition, Varano noted there were several still being discussed for closure.
“Those still under study include: Saint David, Grand Isle, Perham and Benedicta,” Varano said.
At least one post office previously discussed for closure has escaped the axe — at least for now — she said.
“Westfield has been dropped from the study at the present time,” said Varano.
Varano said officials are working hard to come up with a solution, including working with a variety of venues to offer services once strictly performed by the post office.
“What postal customers want from the Postal Service is changing dramatically with the use of Smart Phones, e-mail and text messaging — and they experience this change in something as basic as buying stamps and shipping services,” said Varano.
Varano said business locations with a familiar face that are on the way home from work often offer postage and shipping.
“In additional to traditional post offices, there are about 70,000 banks, ATMs, grocery stores, pharmacies and retail stores such as Costco, Office Depot, Target and Walmart selling postal products and services in neighborhoods across America. A quick look up for these places is found at usps.com – a site accessible 24/7,” Varano said.
In northern New England, postal parternships equate to more than 300 locations, according to the postal representative. Nearly 35 percent of Postal Service retail revenue comes from the expanded access, she said.
“So customers can be efficient by deciding where they stop and also by using the Number 1 most used free business application on Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices. The Postal Service app allows customers to track packages, locate a post office and calculate postage prices,” said Varano.
Even more, Varano said, customers can go to usps.com to shop for stamps, order supplies, print postage or request a pickup.
Despite changes, the USPS continues to try to find ways to better serve customers, said Varano.
