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June 13th, 2004

USPS Does it Right With Their New Shipping Station

The post office I use most frequently is the one that’s notorious for four things: long lines, not answering the bell for the package pickup door, waiting six months to take down Christmas-themed advertisements, and having a “self-service” shipping station and stamp machines that were broken 75% of the time.

Well, finally, the USPS has given me something to smile about: an all-in-one shipping station, complete with weigh station and the ability to charge as little as one stamp to your credit card. And to top it off, it really works! The touch screen interface is surprisingly easy to use and intuitive and the process is generally quick. Because of people’s general techno-phobia, I foresee this being a great alternative to waiting in line, not to mention being able to ship whenever I’m able to make it to the post office. My only complaint about the system is the differentiation between a “letter” and a “package.” When mailing a CD, I was asked if I was sending a letter or a package, so I answered “package,” of course. The label that printed covered almost the entirety of the front of my package. I clearly should have chosen “letter.”

Nevertheless, it’s a great system and as long as it doesn’t break down too frequently, I think it’ll make me not dread mailing a package so much.

Posted in Miscellaneous

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