20 thoughts on “USPS To Remove Stamp Vending Machines in Western Area by 2008”

1. I was a sspc tech for 24 years and was very proud of servicing all those vending machines under my care. I got alot of satisfaction watching the customers using the machines, which saved them time from not having to wait in line. I think it’s really sad how the postal service lack of concern and “SERVICE” for it’s customers.Perhaps, if more customers at all the post offices were the vending machines have been removed, raised Hell, perhaps someone will listen perhaps.

2. The machines have finally been decommissioned here in Oakland, California. I really felt for the folks at downtown Oakland’s Byron Rumford Station on the afternoon of December 22. They had to wait in line for more than 40 minutes simply to buy a few stamps to put on their holiday cards. In the past, they could have purchased them from one of the station’s three vending machines (2 that dispensed packets of stamps, plus one that dispensed stamps one-by-one). Instead, everyone had to get in line. The one (and sometimes two) clerk(s) on duty were doing a great job, but the staffing didn’t reflect the pre-holiday need, and the absence of vending machines did not help.

3. I’m a “nobody”, just a customer; not even in the western U.S., but they are doing the same thing here in GA. Stupid! I’ve supported the Postal Service down through the years as they have tried to hang on and come back. I’ve used them instead of private carriers to handle my “express mail” needs. I’ve pulled for them to remain our number 1 mail processor, but this is just the opposite of what they need to be doing. Making the Post Office less customer-friendly is just plain lame and extremely counterproductive. We the “people” don’t like it!

4. This is riduculous. I’m a carrier in Seattle. I haven’t worked here as long as most, but in the few years I have seen all sorts of “money saving” cuts the PO has made. We used to have 8 Blue Boxes in our zip, part of a collection route and park & loop delivery. They removed 4 boxes and added 2 hrs of delivery to the route (it took about 45 min) so now they have someone drive out of their way to do collections plus pay the daily hour OT. Why can’t they get machines that accept debit cards? Because they are not interested in the future, just look at our “new” archaic scanners and the computers. Everyone making the decisions for the company doesn’t see the impact they make on the carriers/clerks. When customers get bad service, who gets the blame? The mailman.

5. You are all missing the point. Our customers are not going to stand in line to buy a book of stamps. The goal of this directive is to push customers to the Internet. They will find a way to buy stampts and print postage without entering a Post Office, and this ladies and gentlemen IS THE GOAL of the USPS policy. SAD! They will lose a third, and 2-thirds will find a way to print their own postage. Victory… ???

6. This really is an attempt to force cashless
   society down our throats and to track each stamp
   to the person who bought it-eventually they’ll
   wanna make it illegal to buy stamps for someone
   else, like a needy relative or friend who just
   needs them to pay bills & mail for very basic
   reasons and doesn’t have room for stamps in their
   budget.

7. United States Postal Company LLC

8. I went to my local post office last night after 5 p.m. and I was surprised to find a big empty spot where the stamp vending machine used to be! I thought it must be out for servicing, but when I went back today and finally got to talk to a postal service employee (after standing in line), he told me they were all being taken out! I said why would “our post office” do that? He responded that it is “not your post office” anymore, that it is owned by a corporation. Not our post office? A woman behind him said, if we leave them in, there goes our jobs. (Was this decision driven by the postal workers’ union?) So I said, so you mean that if I talk to my Congressman, it won’t do any good, because we have nothing to say about it? And the guy at the window said, “No, it’s not your post office anymore.” Gee. I thought the federal government was still responsible for the post office and how it serves the American people, which includes me. If this government corporation is feeling that independent from common citizens like me, maybe our federal representatives in the House and Senate should do something about it.

9. This is just the cheap way out of the 2008 requirement to accept and dispense dollar coins. It looks like they don’t want to pay the $$$ to upgrade the machines to dispense dollar coins. In their mind no machines = no upgrade!!! All they care about is their bottom line, not the customer.

10. Why does the post office not contract the machine’s?
    This is a mess we have service members not getting mail because of no stamps. You have disabled people who cannot stand in long lines for stamps.
    I can’t wait for election time

11. I a SSPU tech in New York City, Originally they were to do away with vending in 2014 and now all of a sudden they want vending eliminated by 2010, why the 4 year jump???…Guess what someone in Washington is getting mucho money under the table,for what…guess APC!!! so why not SPEED things up, so they can get paid NOW…The machines are not outdated, we upload everytime a new bill comes out, and the 624’s CAME with a credit/debit reader…why haven’t we ever used them??? I understand that vending made 45 million dollars last year…We don’t need 45 million???…What company in their right mind does not need 45 mil..no we want the customer to stand in line and wait…wait for what??? Yes even in NYC we don’t have enough window clerks. What specialized stamps do we get??? The variety has been gone for several years…Upper management is at it still again…can anyone say PRIVATIZE…

12. I have serviced vending machines for 18+ years..I have taught vending techincians on various procedures etc..dealing with vending..I was one of 16 trained on the 624 when it was first introduced.. The only reason the vending machines are losing money is because..USPS doesn’t have product..and other than the 624..didn’t listen to technicians when notified of various problems…like when the new ardac vallidators were installed…yeah..you had to bend the lock mechanism to install it..yeah..what happeneds to quality control..who bought these things…the Rowe vallidator could be cleaned and taken apart..these new ardacs are plastic junk..and I am not going to talk about the spring tension..it was a phantom error..or bad cleaning..wrong..6 months later ardac introduced a new spring..to add extra tension to the belts..so it would accept bills correctly…
    ..
    Bottom line.. The USPS doesnt listen to it’s front line people..(kinda reminds me of our President)

    TC

13. The poor working smuck (our customers) won’t be able to get stamps because the only hours our clerks are at the windows are the hours that he’s working himself. They’re taking the “Service” out of United States Postal Service.

14. This is going to reinforce the publics notion that we don’t care about the little guy who just want to run in drop some coins for a stamp, mail his bill out and go. He will see the light and start sending electronic payments. He will also start buying his stamps at the ATM or Costco, etc. I had a bad feeling about that job, and didn’t bid on the vacancy that came up a couple months ago. Glad I stayed put.

15. Get rid of all the machines natonwide. Hire more window clerks to provide the personal service our customers so deseve!

16. this is one oF the dumbest ideas they could come up with & A MAJOR INCONVENIENCE FOR CUSTOMERS IN A HURRY .. that DON’T WANT TO WATCH THE POSTAL CLERK WORK SLOWER THEN DEAD SNAILS as the MALES TRY TO WORK THE LINE TO WAIT ON THE HOTTY IN IT 🙂 like they all do here in FLORIDA !!

    & I go at night & don’t like to USE DEBIT/ CREDIT CARD that time of night !

    THE ONLY GOOD THING USPS has done in 20 years was the VENDING .. U GO IN / PUT CHANGE.. U GET STAMPS AT THE POST OFFICE AnYTIME / MAKES SENSE & U DON’T HAVE TO GET INVLOVED WITH THEIR PEOPLE !!!

    ANOTHER DUMB IDEA / U GO USPS

17. What happened to the practice of Customer SERVICE that is stated in our name. U.S. Postal service?

18. I think this is a BIG mistake to remove coin vending from service. The customers WILL NOT BE HAPPY!. Many demographic areas do not use credit or debit cards and many customers choose to buy one stamp at a time. The mystery shopper requirement of a 5 minute or less wait in line at the P.O. will be out the window. The line for the customers will be around the building. The USPS has always preached Customer service, but where will it be then? The vending machine bill acceptors HAVE been updated to take the new dollar bills and for security reasons, to say they haven’t, is a Bold face lie!! I updated the machines myself. I am a SSPC TECH in Florida and I take great pride in servicing my route and keeping my machines operative 24/7. I really do think the Postal service is “shooting itslef in the foot” with this recent decision. However, the Posatl service never did seem to operate using common sense or any sort of reason.

19. I have worked for this company for 23 years and NEVER have I seen the level total disregard for customer service. These Western Area managers are systematically trying to destroy the USPS. Everything they do is about providing less service to our customers, and I am sick of it. To all of you Western Area Managers, I hope you can sleep well at night when your mail is delivered by Brown or anyone of a number of companies who will do a crappy job of delivering the mail. I have busted my ass for the USPS and I will be damned if I will sit by and let you ruin MY company.

20. This is one more effort to force customers to come inside to the service window where they will have to wait in line; here they will be “pressured” to buy bears, toys,etc and/or services they do not want nor need.

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