Stamp vending machines will soon become a thing of the past in post offices.

[The Straight Story]

Slow sales, few parts cause removal of stamp vending machine at post office

Stamp vending machines will soon become a thing of the past in post offices.

"We are the very last offices in the Columbus district to have our machine removed," said Cambridge Postmaster Dave Scott. "It was actually scheduled for Dec. 19. I did what I could and held them off until Jan. 23."

The Columbus district encompasses 380 post offices.

The unavailability of replacement parts from the manufacturer for the vending machines is reportedly the major reason for the move, as well as declining sales.

"The vending machines are no longer cost effective," said Scott. "The sales are going down."

There is an alternative Scott is pursuing.

"The postal service is eliminating all vending machines, except for 'APCs' which are automated postal centers," he said. "You can find those at Zanesville, Newark, Westerville ... most of the large offices. At an APC you can use a credit or debit card and mail packages. It weighs it, gives the price, you can buy books of stamps."

http://www.daily-jeff.com/news/article/4505405

[SoCalDem]

1. I have not bought a stamp in 5 years..

pay bills online, and I have no one to "write" to..We phone family:)

[Jamastiene]

2. Those machines never work right anyhow.

The machines here at the Rockingham Post Office are always:

1. Out of stamps
2. Out of order
3. Take your money and give no change
4. The change machine next to it is always one of the above 3 things too.

I don't trust a damn stamp machine any more. The only drawback I see to losing them is that when the stamp machines do give change, they give Sacajawea dollars, which I like. Otherwise, good riddance.

[Norrin Radd]

3. Those APC's won't let you mail packages via media mail -- rather inconvenient.

[The Bakery Wagon]

4. APCs take your picture, so be sure to smile (and say Hi to Orwell)

Cameras *everywhere*

smile!



See the little square black box under the word "credit"?. How long are these stored? Under what security? Are pics linked to CC info? Who knows,

After 911 there were proposals to link every single stamp purchase to some kind of ID. Lo and behold, vending machines without cameras have "run out of parts". The replacements have digicams that take your pic. And most PO's have installed cameras in the lobby. So, here we are!

Of course, since I have nothing to hide, there's nothing to fear...

[Davis_X_Machina]

5. Your ATM does also... n/t

[The Bakery Wagon]

8. I'm well aware of that, as most people probably are

But I'm willing to bet that most people don't know that they are being photographed when they buy postage from an APC. I've not seen a notice, perhaps they exist. Are you comparing APCs to ATMs now? Maybe that's a way to look at it. Everything everywhere tracked, photographed and databased by "homeland security".

Thats not a world I'd like to live in or pass on to my children. What's more, thats a world that I as a youth was told to hate, Those are the things that the Commies did, constant surveillance and such.

Checkpoints were a joke too, now most states use them as a revenue source and there's little outcry.

[ipfilter]

14. Those machines are also used to print and pay for prioity mail shipping labels.

One could use these machines to ship a "mail bomb". I can see the need for some surveillance on these, even though I generally do not like it.

[Kitty Herder]

6. I find this irritating as hell.

I had gotten used to being able to buy a stamp and put stuff in the mail any time of the day or night and not just during the relatively brief hours when there is someone working in post office. They go home at 4:30 pm, when most people are still at work. Then they got rid of the stamp vending machine, so I often find myself in the position of being out of stamps and there too late to catch the postmaster. There's an ATM that sells stamps at the grocery store, but it charges a fee. grrr.

[recoveringrepublican]

7. They are usually open Sat. Also, Walgreens and most grocery stores sell stamps, no fee. nt

[undeterred]

13. Me too.

Instead of being a quick errand I end up standing in line at the Post Office on a Saturday. There's a line at the desk, and a line at the machine.

[Maeve]

9. I miss the vending machines...they gave change in dollar coins!

I'd buy stamps from them just to get the dollars; for years I paid my kids' allowances in coins (slowed the spending down) and always tipped in 'gold'. Now I have to pull out the credit card and they only give you 18 stamps per sheet, not the 20 stamp booklet--and the stamps are so thin, you can see the box "put stamp here' thru them.

[madinmaryland]

10. I will invariably have a bill that I need to mail out once every two or three months.

I always use the stamp machine. I could stand in line for 15 minutes or walk-up to the stamp machine and buy one 42 cent stamp. They still have the machines here.

[juno jones]

11. I inheireted my mom's stamp collection

It's only worth face value, so I use it for stamps.

I'm hoping I never have to buy a stamp again, although I'm sure the dozen 4 cent stamps I have to put on an envelope drives 'em mad.

[Stevenmarc]

12. Who needs them, you go online and they deliver them to you.