Sorting and delivery center lobbies aren’t the only USPS locations getting a retail makeover these days.
The organization is also modernizing retail lobbies at many stand-alone Post Offices, aiming to make it easier for customers to pick up their mail and packages and ship items faster.
The upgraded lobbies feature:
• Smart lockers where customers can pick up packages at any time, day or night. About 700 locations now offer these lockers.
• Enhanced self-service kiosks that allow customers to weigh items, print labels, purchase supplies and mail packages. About 2,600 locations have these kiosks, which have been shown to cut lobby wait times by 40 percent.
• Digital information displays that guide customers through available services, reducing confusion and helping them complete tasks quickly.
• Streamlined layouts that emphasize an open design and improve traffic flow, reduce wait times and make supplies easier to find.
• Government services that allow Post Office lobbies to serve as hubs for other federal agencies, enabling customers to handle multiple tasks — such as passports, fingerprinting and identify proofing —under one roof.
Additionally, USPS is offering a Rapid Drop mobile application that allows users to store prepaid shipping labels, find the nearest Post Office, track packages and subscribe to notifications, among other features.
“Modernizing our retail spaces is about meeting customers where they are today,” said Tracy Raymond, the Postal Service’s retail operations director. “People expect speed, clarity and technology-driven convenience, and that’s what our new lobbies deliver — while still offering the trusted, in-person attention that defines the Postal Service.”
Post Offices in several cities, including Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale, FL, now feature upgraded lobbies. The initial phase of retail modernization will conclude by the end of October, with more locations set for modernization next year.
The upgrades are part of the Postal Service’s long-range Delivering for America transformation plan to revamp operations, improve service and attain financial sustainability.
“It’s exciting to bring new capabilities across multiple platforms to our retail lobbies and watch our customers get in and out quicker at times that work for them,” said Robert Dixon, the organization’s delivery and retail modernization senior director.
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