James Balluff was the last of his kind. Balluff retired this month after an almost 53-year career delivering mail — which he spent entirely at the Elmhurst, IL, Post Office. He was the office’s last employee to have the title “special delivery messenger.” The title was given to individuals who were hired for Special Delivery mail, […]
A new Postal Service video explains the price changes that took effect Jan. 21. The changes raised Mailing Services product prices approximately 1.9 percent, while most Shipping Services product prices increased an average of 3.9 percent. USPS released the 1-minute video this week. The Retail and Customer Service Operations Blue page has a 2018 price change kit for Postmasters. […]
The Postal Service has released its Meyer Lemons stamps. The 2-cent denominated stamp can be added to other stamps to meet the necessary postage for a given mailpiece. The stamps are available in coils of 10,000. For collectors, the stamp is also available in coils of 500. Thought to be a cross between a lemon […]
WasteWise award. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently recognized two Postal Service areas for their increased efforts to reduce waste in 2017. Northeast and Great Lakes areas were recognized with EPA WasteWise Awards, primarily for their contributions to the National Recycling Operation, an initiative to expand and standardize postal recycling efforts. By properly identifying recyclable […]
After reading “Right on time,” I want to add my own thumbs up to USPS. I mailed last-minute holiday presents from St. Louis to relatives in Carrollton, TX, Dec. 22. The package arrived Christmas Day! Bravo to all the folks who help USPS exceed expectations. […]
Letter Carrier Karin Provance was delivering mail recently in Bremerton, WA, when she spotted smoke pouring out of a residence. Provance rushed to the front door and pounded on it until a woman answered. She said she and her baby had been sleeping, and they evacuated the house while the Postal Service employee called 911. […]
The Postal Service once again has the best job performance of any government agency, according to respondents in a new Gallup poll. The organization was ranked “excellent” or “good” by 74 percent of consumers surveyed, topping 13 other government agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (66 percent) and the Secret Service (63 […]
A Kentucky Postal Service employee is starting the new year with a new look — courtesy of the “Today” show. Lori Marcum, who manages Liberty Road Station in Lexington, and some family members were vacationing in New York City during the holidays when they joined the crowd that gathers each morning outside the NBC program’s […]
The Postal Service is reminding employees to drive safely during the winter, a time of year that presents unique challenges. Here are some tips: • Allow yourself extra time to stop and turn. Slow down well in advance of traffic lights, traffic signs and intersections. • Leave extra space between your vehicle and other traffic. Reduce […]
Ewing, MO, Rural Carrier Rick Sharpe was concerned when he recently noticed that an older customer’s mail had piled up in her box over several days. Sharpe went to the woman’s front door to check on her but got no answer. He then spotted her through a window, collapsed on her living room floor. The […]
The 2018 stamps featured in the “Sneak preview” story are the best ever. I especially love the John Lennon and Lena Horne stamps. They are true works of art. […]
USPS will continue to focus on the customer experience, including providing efficient, reliable service; service performance; innovation; and other business strategies in 2018. “In the coming year, we can look forward to continued momentum in launching new products and services, improving the experience of our customers, and elevating our service performance,” PMG Megan J. Brennan […]
What’s Informed Delivery again? You probably heard a lot about the Postal Service’s newest feature in 2017. If your New Year’s resolution is to learn more, Link can help. Here’s what you should know: • Informed Delivery bridges the digital and physical. The free feature allows users to digitally preview their incoming mail and manage […]
A young, enthusiastic USPS customer recently received a special tour of his local Post Office. Jaden Peavler greets Henryetta, OK, Letter Carrier Phillip Black almost daily as he delivers mail. The two have also struck up a friendship. Inspired by the child’s excitement for daily deliveries, Black invited Jaden — who uses a wheelchair — […]
Information, please. The Postal Service recently honored three employees for their efforts to respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests: Jennifer Farnquist, Greater Michigan District’s acting manager of Consumer and Industry Contact Esther Karl, a budget specialist in Performance Analysis at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC Sina Taihia-Siva, Seattle District’s acting manager of Consumer […]
When Rural Carrier Margaret Denney recently delivered a package to an older customer’s home in Hayden, AL, the woman’s daughter answered the door. As they greeted each other, Denney heard someone calling out for help, and they soon discovered that the customer had fallen in a side yard. The daughter couldn’t lift the woman on […]
Atlanta, MI, Retail Associate Therese Valentine deserves thanks for her thoughtfulness and willingness to help an ill customer in need. […]
The Seneca Falls, NY, Post Office continued one of its best-loved holiday traditions this year: offering a postmark that celebrates “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The town — which is believed to be the inspiration for Bedford Falls, the setting of Frank Capra’s beloved 1946 film — reunites surviving cast members each year for a festival […]
USPS is continuing to restore service in the Caribbean following the one-two punch of hurricanes Irma and Maria. The devastating storms left much of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico without electricity, internet access, phone service or running water. Northeast Area, the jurisdiction that includes the Caribbean, has worked with managers in the region […]
Link received an overwhelming response to its recent request for stories from USPS employees who send holiday greeting cards. We included several employees in the article we posted last week, but we also heard from folks like Teresa Navarette, a San Diego-based disability compliance specialist who mails more than 150 cards a year, and Cher Rupp Riggeri, […]
USPS is reminding employees that counseling and other services are available through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) during the holidays — and all year long. If you need to talk to someone, you can call EAP’s toll-free number at 800-327-4968 (800-EAP-4YOU). The TTY number is 877-492-7341. Counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days […]
Postal Service employees delivering mail in Iowa and California recently came to the aid of older customers who fell. Waterloo, IA, Letter Carrier Thomas Kinn was worried about a woman who hadn’t picked up her mail in several days. He enlisted the help of a neighbor and they knocked on doors and windows until determining […]
Read More… from Thomas Kinn, Waterloo, IA; Franz Ibarra, Sacramento, CA
I’m also a Michael Jackson fan, and I love Central Islip, NY, Business Mail Technician John Lawless’s moves. […]
It’s all hands on deck for the holidays. The Postal Service expects to deliver 15 billion mailpieces between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day — and employees throughout the organization say every contribution counts. “We may not see our customers face to face, but we’re just as eager to get the packages delivered to our customers […]
The Postal Service is advising employees to safeguard mobile devices that contain personal and financial data while traveling this holiday season. To protect your devices, the CyberSafe at USPS team recommends the following: • Only connect when needed. Disable your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections when not in use. • Charge devices at home. Avoid using […]
The Postal Service honors the release of the Celebrating African American History and Culture stamp in a new video. The ceremony was recently held in Washington, DC, at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is shown on the stamp. “Like the museum, this stamp symbolically gives voice to the anonymous, makes […]
Fond farewell. Emory Townsend, who delivered mail on his Somerset, CO, highway contract route for more than six decades, has died. He was 94. The Somerset Post Office was flooded with letters and packages for Townsend during a career celebration in April. “I’m learning what he was to people in this valley and people all […]
Postal Service employees in Illinois and Pennsylvania recently responded to emergencies they encountered on the job. Leah Williams, a retail associate at the Easton, IL, Post Office, noticed that a customer in the lobby looked unwell. When Williams checked on her, the woman said she needed an ambulance. Williams called 911, and emergency responders took […]
Read More… from Leah Williams, Easton, IL; Francis Dudley, Media, PA
I read with delight Kenneth Race’s comment in “Past life” about how Railway Post Office employees handled Registered Mail. How things have changed. […]
The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has proposed an alternative system to regulate rates and classes for some USPS products and services, part of the regulators’ 10-year review of the Postal Service’s market-dominant pricing system. Under a 2006 law, the PRC must review the system used for regulating rates and classes for market-dominant products, including First-Class […]