The modern day Post Office.
In the US the modern day Post Office isn't as valued as highly as before. It still has a very integral relationship to the mailing and shipping industry but post offices aren't being added. Instead smaller businesses that operate as a Post Office and other services are becoming more popular.
What are your thoughts about all the smaller businesses that now have the same function as a Post Office since they are allowed legally to have the same functions and also use US Postal Services for free. What I mean by free is that they can collect the US Postal Services Mail from the Post Office or collect mail for the people and send it to the Post Office.
These locations also tend to have weird names because they are considered as local businesses and aren't part of FedEx or UPS but also provide those features as part of deals they have with the said carrier.
The question then is, are these local postal stores considered the same as a Post Office and are they viable as a candidate for a portal as a result?
Comments
Post Office yes.
UPS / Fed Ex / those "left mail lockers" outside some shops or garages - no
I would say no. US post offices provide many additional government services that are unavailable at mail companies, in addition to having a historic background in the United States (pony express, etc). Special consideration should still be given if there’s something that makes the business unique.
There's a lot of these inside Meijer stores around Grand Rapids, MI that are labeled "post offices". I don't think I would clarify them as such, since they're basically mail drops and a place to buy stamps. I've also seen "post office" portals that were literally just a mailbox.
A standalone post office is the only kind of "post office" I would recognize. Anything inside a store isn't really a post office, so I'd say no.
xWhoabot that is technically a post office. I have been to one they function as a slimmed down version of a post office they might not have p.o. boxes or passport offices but still valid POI. Just because it is in a brick and mortar store does not disqualify the portal if they use the sign like a regular post office no generic business rules are being broken.
While I'm not familiar with the way things work in the US, here in the UK we used to have "Crown Post Offices" and "Sub-post offices". The former were dedicated buildings, usually located in town centres, while the latter would be found in the suburbs in towns that were large enough to have more than one PO, or in outlying smaller towns and villages.
The "standalone" post office is very much a dying breed, and more often than not you'll find that they're located within convenience stores which would normally be classed as "generic businesses". It's still "the post office", but not as we used to know it. A quick search on postoffice.co.uk should confirm the location.
I'd love to have some official clarification on this! In Finland, "stand-alone post offices" are all but gone. Instead, pretty much every convenience store now has postal services. They have this small "official post office" logo displayed on the outer wall (right next to signs of official betting services, official travel tickets and official event tickets :D), and people are taking photos of them and submitting them as "some location post office", trying hard to disguise the fact that the building is actually a convenience store. Quite a few of these have been accepted, too!
On one side, you are able to get all the postal services in these places - and with the old standalone places gone, you don't even have any other options for your sending and receiving needs. On the other, should every convenience store really be automatically accepted as a portal?
There was official clarification on this message board in the AMA forum:
Q: msz21 - What are your thoughts about all the smaller businesses that now have the same function as a Post Office since they are allowed legally to have the same functions and also use US Postal Services for free. What I mean by free is that they can collect the US Postal Services Mail from the Post Office or collect mail for the people and send it to the Post Office.
A: The response from NIA OPS is, businesses that offer postal services will not meet the criteria for Post Offices and should be evaluated based on historical/cultural value, community significance, or distinctive architecture.
Thanks @Kliffington , I hadn't seen that before. :) It's good to see that my gut feeling was right.
@Meepu No problem! I was wondering too so I'm glad we have an official stance.
@Meepu you've misunderstood or misinterpreted the question and answer.
The question and answer concerned non official post offices that carried out postal services, located inside a business. It states they actually send items to the post office.
What you have mentioned is an actual offical post office, located inside a store.
There is a subtle but definite distinction between the two.
An official post office located inside another business is valid, a business that just offers postal services but isnt a post office are not
@Theisman I'm not sure about that interpretation. Inside the stores, there is no separate area or separate personnel for postal services. You can send mail and receive packages there, but the stores are not associated with sorting, transportation or delivery of mail. That is handled in local post centrals by actual post employees. (These centrals may or may not have customer service.) In my opinion, convenience stores are in the business of selling low-quality coffee and overpriced snacks. Being able to leave your parcel there to be picked up by post employees doesn't make them post offices.
But this is one of the issues where all I want is clear instructions. I don't care all that much whether it's accept or reject, I just want consistency. :D
@Meepu this one of those situations where its different things for different countries.
In the UK most post offices (as individual buildings) have disappeared, however post offices have moved inside of other business, have a separate counter/area of business inside a store, separate staff (usually, or at least if it is the same staff member they are officially employed by the post office as well) and carry out all of the functions of an official Post Office, Car Tax, passport applications etc etc.
Sorting delivering of mail etc for the UK is irrelevant as thats all handeled by Sorting and Distribution Offices.
So for the UK it would be a valid submission, as an Official Postoffice inside another business , where as if it was just say Fedex inside a store, it wouldn't be