USPS Won't Close Offices, Will Conduct Studies First

The United States Postal Service announced Tuesday they will be studying 3,700 post offices to determine the need for physical retail locations. USPS currently has nearly 32,000 offices nationwide.

Although the USPS did not release the timeline for the study, it said with more people using web applications and smart phones to shop, pay bills and communicate, it needs to reevaluate.

“Today, more than 35 percent of the Postal Service’s retail revenue comes from expanded access locations such as grocery stores, drug stores, office supply stores, retail chains, self-service kiosks, ATMs and usps.com, open 24/7,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe in a press release. “Our customer’s habits have made it clear that they no longer require a physical post office to conduct most of their postal business.”

The USPS is referring to third-party retailers, such as local grocery stores or drug stores, as "Village Post Offices." It says if these locations offer access to postal services, it may be a successful alternative to a traditional post office.

“The Postal Service of the future will be smaller, leaner and more competitive and it will continue to drive commerce, serve communities and deliver value,” Donahoe added.

The will not be included in the study. But out of the 3,700 post offices to be studied, a few are in the West Los Angeles area.

Post offices in the local LA area to be studied are:

For a complete list of the post offices USPS will be studying in California, click here.

For a complete list of the post offices USPS will be studying nationwide, click here.

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