Parcels are moving faster than ever through five USPS plants that are testing new small-package sorting equipment — and exceeding expectations. Since installing the machines earlier this year, the Postal Service has found they can sort more than 6,000 small parcels per hour, or roughly 1,000 more per hour than expected. The top-performing site is […]
Happy anniversary, USPS. It’s an honor to work for such a viable organization. […]
“I enjoy my job and want to make sure I represent the Postal Service in a positive way. When I’m asked to manage a Post Office, I give 100 percent to ensure that the office does well.” […]
Today’s hero is a full-length article […]
The Click-N-Ship (CNS) application on usps.com allows customers to use their own computers to print shipping labels with postage for Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Global Express Guaranteed, Priority Mail International and Priority Mail Express International. Click-N-Ship generated more than $534 million in postage sales last year. […]
Andy Twedt was crossing a street in St. Paul, MN, earlier this year when she stepped into a drainage hole, tumbled backward onto a sidewalk and felt a snap. “As I lay on the sidewalk, staring at a leg that refused to obey, a kindly male voice said, ‘Need some help?’” Twedt recalled in a […]
Sometimes boosting efficiency and productivity are a matter of organizing things in an orderly manner. Just ask employees at the North Platte, NE, P&DF, which has reorganized its workroom floor, and Gateway District, which has consolidated casing equipment at facilities in Illinois and Missouri. Both projects were recently honored through the Lean Innovation Challenge, a […]
If you think New York City slows down on Sundays, think again. That’s why the Postal Service is using an innovative technique to quickly deliver Sunday packages to customers in the city. Through dynamic routing, USPS sorts delivery points in logical, efficient 4-5 hour delivery routes. Turn-by-turn driving instructions for letter carriers are included. “It’s […]
“We can deliver everywhere.” […]
The Employee Self-Service (ESS) system allows users to make changes to Flexible Spending Accounts, Thrift Savings Plan accounts and other personnel-related applications. […]
Louisville, KY, Letter Carrier Steve Young was delivering mail when he noticed a man canvassing several houses. Young watched from a safe distance as the man jumped over a fence and entered one home. Young asked a neighbor to call police. He later learned the man was suspected in a string of robberies in the […]
It was wonderful reading about Kalind Haynes. Kalind, keep using your voice. […]
Hipsters, take note: The new Summer Harvest stamps are made for you. The four stamps, issued July 11, showcase cantaloupes, sweet corn, tomatoes and watermelons. The artwork evokes vintage crate labels from the 19th and 20th centuries. In a new essay on the Atlantic news site, writer Steven Heller suggests the stamps could help the […]
Reminder: USPS offers Package Intercept, a service that allows customers to redirect shipments that haven’t been delivered or released for delivery. Customers who use the service can have a package or mailpiece redirected to a different address, returned to the sender or held at a Post Office for pickup. Customers can learn more at usps.com. […]
Chuck Vellar knew there had to be a better way. Vellar — a mail processing equipment mechanic with 33 years of postal experience — fixes machines at the Kansas City, KS, Network Distribution Center (NDC). One machine, the Automated Package Processing System (APPS), scans and sorts as many as 9,500 Priority Mail parcels and bundles […]
USPS has improved My App Box, a computer desktop tool that allows users to create shortcuts to popular programs such as eAccess and eBuy2. The improvements include better search options, a glossary of available apps, faster startup and other new features. My App Box is available on ACE 3 computers. To access the tool, click […]
Pittston, PA, Letter Carrier Michael Kasisky was delivering mail when he noticed the front door of a customer’s house was open and inside a man was lying on the floor, calling for help. The man said he fell the night before and injured himself. Kasisky called 911 and stayed with the man until help arrived. […]
“I have worn many hats in my postal career, but the one constant is that customer satisfaction always comes first.” […]
Bulk Business Mail (BBM) describes Standard Mail and other presorted mail that requires USPS verification of preparation. BBM is normally handled through a business mail entry unit or detached mail unit. […]
I love reading stories about how our employees have given back to their communities. […]
Washington, DC, Letter Carrier Byron Anderson recently participated in a school’s career day alongside a special guest: first lady Michelle Obama. Anderson, a 42-year postal employee, visited Capital City Public Charter School to help about 75 seniors complete and mail college applications. Obama also dropped by to offer advice and encouragement. “I was pleased to […]
The Postal Service has introduced an online training course to help employees better protect information in the workplace. The brief course, CyberSafe 101: Passwords and Phishing, is required for all employees with ACE user IDs. The deadline for completion is Sept. 30. The course will provide employees with a basic understanding of information security. Participants […]
The Postal Service has issued four stamps that showcase fruits and vegetables, which are growing in popularity as consumers seek fresher foods at grocery stores and farmers markets. The Summer Harvest stamps depict cantaloupes, sweet corn, tomatoes and watermelons. The artwork was inspired by vintage produce advertising, including crate labels from the 19th and 20th […]
Answer the phone within three rings, offer a friendly greeting, provide assistance and always end calls by thanking customers for using the Postal Service. Remember to keep necessary reference material close to the phone to better serve customers. […]
“[Online shipping with USPS] has cut my operating costs, streamlined my shipping process and increased our efficiency. My carrier now picks up the mail orders from my cosmetics store every day. This has made my life so much easier.” […]
Cissna Park, IL, Rural Carrier Glenn Berg became concerned when he noticed uncollected mail in a customer’s mailbox. He knocked on the woman’s front door, but no one answered. Berg called the Postmaster, who contacted police. Officers entered the house and found the customer in dire need of medical care. She was taken to a […]
The article about Charles Anderson brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for letting people know how important postal employees are. […]
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is expected to make the world’s first flyby of Pluto July 14 — and the Postal Service will be along for the ride. Well, sort of. The 1991 Pluto stamp is affixed to the probe, the Collect Space news site reported this week. The stamp is part of a series celebrating […]
The Postal Service is now delivering groceries in New York City, one of several tests underway in the nation’s most populous urban area. More than 25 city carrier assistants are making twice-daily grocery deliveries in the Bronx, the city’s northernmost borough. The trial, which began last week, aims to build on the success of similar […]
Not all letter-writing traditions are disappearing in the digital age. Children who go away to summer camp still mail handwritten notes to their families back home, “NBC Nightly News” reported last week. (Some employees may be unable to view external videos on postal computers.) The segment features parents reading amusing letters they’ve received. “Dear family, […]