toledoblade.com --

So it's 4 a.m., and you're just dying to mail that snow globe from your trip years ago to Idaho to the gullible customer from eBay who bought it. But alas, the post office isn't open.

In the old days - as in a month ago - you would have had to wait several hours until the post office opened. Now you don't have to wait anymore if you're a resident of Toledo and some suburban and regional communities.

Thanks to 24-hour "automated postal centers" installed at 11 area post offices or stations in northwest Ohio during the last few weeks, letters and packages can be mailed any time of day. The blue machines, which resemble automated bank teller machines, can perform about 80 percent of the services postal clerks do - including weighing packages, dispensing stamps, and accepting packages, said Craig Cummings, customer-relations coordinator for Toledo's postal operations.

"They've been working fantastic," Mr. Cummings said. "Customers can use the machines out in the lobby without waiting in line."

POSTAL AUTOMATION

The U.S. Postal Service’s new 24-hour automated postal
machines are available at 11 area post offi ces in northwest Ohio. They are:

TOLEDO
• Main Post Offi ce, 435 South St. Clair St.
• Franklin Park station, 5151 Monroe St.
• Reynolds Corners station, 6020 West Bancroft St.
• South Toledo station, South Detroit Avenue just north of Glendale Avenue

SUBURBS AND REGION
• Defiance, 420 West Second St.
• Fremont, 2120 Enterprise Dr.
• Holland, 6923 Angola Rd.
• Maumee, 1375 Ford St.
• Oregon, 3054 Dustin Rd.
• Perrysburg, 1205 Louisiana Ave.
• Sylvania, 5745 Post Office Way (off West Alexis Road west of Whiteford Road)

Customers can mail letters or packages weighing up to 70 pounds using the Postal Service's express, priority, first class, or parcel post options. However, the machines only accept credit or debit cards.

Monica Suraci, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service in Washington, said her agency's plan is to have 2,500 of the machines installed at post offices throughout the nation by the end of the month. As of yesterday, 107 machines had been installed in Ohio, and 71 in Michigan.

"We're going where our customers are," Ms. Suraci said. "Access is the key feature. This certainly simplifies life because it can all be done at the automated postal center."

One of her colleagues uses the machines frequently and has gotten each transaction down to 17 seconds, Ms. Suraci said.

Customer feedback so far has been positive, and more machines could be added at other sites in the coming months, she said.

The automated centers are expected to get some heavy use with the holiday season approaching, both from after-hours customers and those who don't want to stand in a potentially long line to buy stamps or send packages.

Postal Service officials remind the public that letters and packages sent to troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other overseas locations should be sent early.

Though the time varies, military mail letters are typically delivered within seven to 10 days, depending on the destination. Priority parcels will take 10 to 15 days. Parcel post takes about 24 days.

More information on mailing options is available through the Postal Service's Web site at www.usps.gov or by calling the post office during normal business hours.

Contact Luke Schockman at:
lshockman@theblade.com or
419-724-6084.

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