The Post Office, currently dying a slow, prolonged death, is rattling out one final (?) wish this weekend, a postage price hike that surely won't be enough to save the institution. But they can try! more ›

Is your brain frazzled from staring at the computer screen all day? Want to save the Post Office? Looking for a bit of old-fashioned correspondance... with a famous person? The lit-lovers over at The Rumpus have just launched a great way to do all three, with a new project they've dubbed, appropriately, Letters in the Mail. more ›

In case you haven't heard, the Postal Service isn't doing so well these days. There have been layoffs, post office closures, and a recently-announced plan to kill off next-day mail. And New Yorkers aren't going to take it anymore! more ›

New York's post offices offer terrible service, if you haven't heard. Old school haters have been complaining for years, but nothing has improved. In fact, things have probably only gotten worse. And according to this map, it looks like our glass is still half empty, Brooklyn, with only 3 post offices getting high ratings. Actually, maybe all this complaining has helped! [via very small array] more ›

The Post Office, rapidly becoming one of the country's most endangered creatures, continues to dwindle on the brink of existence today, with word coming from Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe that he plans to slash jobs for some 35,000 postal workers. more ›

In this mixed-up modern world, the idea of a Post Office charging less than 50 cents to hand-deliver information across America is only "incrementally less crazy" than Urbanfetch, which, according to Jon Stewart, was "basically a service for people who were too high to go out and get things, but not too high to want things." In a funny Daily Show segment last night, Stewart marveled at the possibility that the Postal Service could shut down this winter if it can't make a $5.5 billion payment due later this month. more ›

The US Postal Service made it clear earlier this week that they were close to shutting down in the face of a $9.2 billion budget deficit and a $5.5 billion payment due on the 30th of this month. But now the Times reports that the Obama administration is proposing covering the gap for an extra three months. An extension? At least that's better than a "bailout," which would be totally unheard of and completely uncalled for. more ›

Maybe you don't spend a lot of time thinking about the post office. Maybe you even try to avoid yours. But the post office is a huge part of America's history, culture, and economy, and without it, your life would be a heck of a lot more difficult. Which is why it's so disturbing that the U.S. Postal Service is shutting down post offices left and right. Oh, what's that? You didn't know? Meet Steve Hutkins, who's single-handedly fighting to save your mail. more ›

Life imitates Seinfeld, once again. In a Newman-esque operation, a Brooklyn postal worker was caught with 537 pieces of mail in the trunk of his car. The Dyker Heights Post Office employee, 26-year-old Peter Ramsdal, was pulled over while driving to the Catskills on April 21st. Police discovered he had a suspended registration, and, upon impounding his car they found the hoarded mail—which then led to contacting federal postal inspectors. more ›

Hey, late tax filers, the James A. Farley Main Post Office (Eighth Avenue between 31 and 33 Streets) is open until midnight tonight. The USPS also tells us, "For additional convenience mobile postal retail units will also be parked in front of the Post Office on Eighth Avenue with postal employees selling stamps and accepting mail. Many New York City Post Offices throughout the five boroughs are regularly open until 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. on weeknights like April 15. Consumers can call toll free 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) or go on-line to usps.com for the business hours and Post Office locations closest to their ZIP Code." And more tips for last minute tax filers after the jump: more ›

A few months back the city confirmed its plans to turn its central post office into an extension of Penn Station, and now Sen. Charles Schumer says it's got a backer. The federal government is putting up $83.3 million for the conversion from mail center to rail center, which has been in the works for more than 15 years. According to the AP, the funds for Moynihan Station, as it's to be called, come from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Schumer expects the project to create thousands of jobs and rev up the economy on Manhattan's west side. more ›

After 40 were on the chopping block, word now is there will be no Brooklyn post offices closing anytime soon — which can only help the insufferable longs lines and customer service provided at various branches... right? more ›

Even when the USPS is trying to help, they're messing things up. Since their long, insufferable lines have caused so much grief, they decided to send out tens of thousands of postcards to Mill Basin customers, directing them to an alternate place to mail letters and buy stamps during the busy holiday season. How helpful... except they printed the wrong address. more ›

The battle for Worst Post Office in the Five Boroughs continues... and the NY Times hints that it may just be the Kensington branch in Brooklyn. They report that even during the busy holiday season, no holiday cheer can be found; one customer saying, “The people who work here are awful to people.” Their solution, head to the massive James A. Farley Post Office, where allegedly the average wait time is around two minutes, and there's even a "well-meaning supervisor striding around to see how he could help." The paper found customers there from Brooklyn and Queens who travel just to get efficient service... but has anyone checked for rats? more ›

Post offices have suffered a year of insufferable lines and rodent attacks, and now as a grand finale their terrible service is being featured in the Daily News. As holiday crowds rush to get their gifts shipped, there aren't enough USPS employees to keep things moving quickly. more ›

A trip to the post office just became even more dreadful than usual! NY1 reports that residents of Brevoort East in Greenwich Village are complaining about rodent bites in their packages coming from their local Cooper Station Post Office on 4th Avenue. more ›

Earlier today, some of our favorite Muppets descended upon the James A. Farley Post Office on 8th Avenue to kick off the annual Letters to Santa program. The letter adoption program enables "members of the public and charitable organizations to respond to children’s letters addressed to Santa Claus, the North Pole and other seasonal characters." more ›

Yesterday the US Postal Service announced they would save 9 of the 14 branches that were set to shutter, due to a decrease in business. CityRoom reports that the five still being shut down are in the Bronx and Queens. more ›

The U.S. Postal Service released a revised list (PDF) of locations it is closing, due to its financial woes (it lost $7 billion in the fiscal year that ended September 30), and 16 NYC locations are listed. Seven are in the Bronx, seven are in Manhattan, and two are in Queens—full list after the jump. While it's not pretty, 53 locations were on the possible closing list in the summer. more ›

The Botanical Station post office in the Bronx is on the chopping block, as the Postal Service faces a $7 billion deficit. The NY Times visits the establishment, one older patron saying she doesn't "know what I would do" if it shut down. The PO's landlord doesn't want to them leave either, "They always pay on time. It’s like money in the bank." The paper notes that this is just one of 15 city post offices that may be shuttered, 7 of which are in the Bronx (here's a list of 14 of them). more ›

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney met with the NYC postmaster to discuss the possibility of closing the Pitt Station post office as part of much-needed budget cuts. The USPS points out that Knickerbocker Station is only three-tenths of a mile away. But LES seniors point out that that can be really far for some people, as well as the fact that Knickerbocker has stairs. And old people hate stairs. [The Lo-Down] more ›

The argument over where New York's worst post office is could go on forever, since they are all pretty much the worst, but one tipster is tossing the 9th Street Post Office of Park Slope into the hat. So angered by the slowness of the establishment, this morning one local (we have our suspicions) turned to the chalk to take out their aggressions. Now, now, let's all take a deep breath and recall when residents rallied for the now-closed Prince Street Post Office, declaring: "The Worst Post Office is Better Than No Post Office!" more ›

The United States Postal Service's budget problems are forcing the agency to consider closing many post offices across the county. Yesterday, the Postal Regulatory Commission released a list of almost 700 locations that might need to go. The AP reports, "Some of the offices could be closed while others could have some of their functions consolidated with other offices. For example, in some cases preparing mail for delivery may be shifted from Office A to nearby Office B, but the first office might still offer such services as selling stamps and mailing parcels and letters. In other cases one of the offices might be closed." more ›

The much-maligned yet convenient Prince Street Post Office (which later moved to Greene Street) closed last week. Of course, the location's P.O. Box customers only found out about the closing when they were greeted by the sign directing them to pick up packages at the Canal Street station. more ›

Residents and businesses near the 27 West 60th Street post office can put off having a cow for now: The post office will stay open for another year. According to the West Side Spirit, the USPS was considering closing the location (perhaps moving it) when the lease was up at the end of the month, because "the landlord was reportedly asking for more than twice the current rent of about $400,000 month." However, both sides came to an agreement for at least a one year reprieve (details are not disclosed as this point). Rep. Jerrold Nadler said, "This is great news for the West Side. I’m very pleased that the Columbus Circle Post Office was able to successfully renegotiate its lease. This means that neighborhood residents won’t have to travel far afield to do their basic postal errands.” Nadler is also working on trying to work with the USPS on the Prince Street post office, where the lease is up in July. more ›

Sorry, 24-hour party people in need of late-night/early-hour postal workers: The Daily News reports that the 24-hour retail window at the James A. Farley Post Office will close starting May 9. The new hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; and Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The Farley post office's lobby will remain open 24 hours a day, so customers can access their P.O. boxes and use the automated machines. Regarding the possible closings of Manhattan branches, USPS spokesman George Flood said discussions were ongoing and other locations for the branches were also being considered. more ›

A group of residents, businesses, lawmakers and others rallied outside the Prince Street Post Office (located on Greene Street) in Soho. The U.S. Postal Service has been considering closing the branch when its lease expires in July, but the group points out, "The Worst Post Office is Better Than No Post Office!" As 66 Square Feet said, "It is not unusual to wait in line for forty minutes. The mutters of dissent in the queue regularly approach the level of mutiny, strangers bonding in intense frustration." more ›

If it's April 14, it means people are scrambling to get their taxes mailed in time for tomorrow's deadline. A tipster tells us he went to a post office (Ansonia Station, at Columbus and 68th in Manhattan) at 7:50 a.m., 10 minutes before opening: "The facility was open, but the postal worker windows weren't opened, so we could line up. I ended up being ninth in line (two postal workers were available). By the time I left, there were 50 people in line for three postal workers." Here's the USPS's branch locator—the Farley post office on 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets across from Penn Station, is open 24 hours. more ›