eBray, there is no “self service” machine in any of the local post offices in villages within at least 5 or 10 miles of where I live (I haven’t bothered to check them all). Personally? I would have no use for one unless I was absolutely desperate with an envelope needing a stamp that HAD to be in today’s mail.

I do use online shipping labels – I truly feel they are incredibly better than hand prepared, with bar codes all created for me and any address mistakes corrected automatically. I used Stamps.com until the fees outpriced what my business could afford; then tried ShipStation but it was way too complicated; and I’m now using PirateShip and 99% delighted.

BUT – !!! HAHAHA ~! I have TWO rotary phones (well, they can switch between “Dial” and “Pulse”) and guess what — THEY KEEP RIGHT ON WORKING WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT!!! sorry, all you electric-dependent phone owners lose service when that happens. My biggest gripe with a rotary phone is the voice mail systems I encounter when trying to work through a computer prompt or leave a voice mail, that keep saying “Press this, Press that” and the schmucks do not understand they should add that their system will pick up if I stay on the line (which works for Rotaries). A tip of the hat and big thank you to people who are that intelligent.

“many mail-senders don’t seem to know about buying shipping labels online (and apparently don’t have any interest in using the self-serve machine).”

Betting these are the very same people who are proud to still use rotary phones.

There are probably 80 post offices of varying sizes in the metropolitan area where I live; I can think of 6 post offices within 5 miles of where I live and I know of at least that many more that I’ve either visited or driven past over the years; this covers just a small fraction of the metro area.

If USPS is planning on doing away with smaller neighborhood post offices, I hope they reconsider that idea. My rather small local post office often has lines out the door as it is (and it’s a freaking nightmare during the holiday season!).

Since my post office added the self-serve machine, I rarely have a need to stand in line (thank goodness!), but many mail-senders don’t seem to know about buying shipping labels online (and apparently don’t have any interest in using the self-serve machine).