Simply-the-best-for-you Volunteer Community Mentor
Some cities have 24 hour PO's (actual PO's not just the lobby), usually near the city's airport.
As you've been told, many have lobbies that are open 24 hours BUT be sure to check as mine, which has 3 APC's in the lobby (so you can get your Acceptance Scan) has suddenly changed the lobby hours from 24 hours (which it's been for 25 years) to closing at 8pm & 6pm on weekends, due to vandalism. Also, be aware that many PO's have the same system for drop off, after hours, a metal drop-bin in the wall. The handles on those get stuck ALL THE TIME! If the drop area is full, they get stuck, if they are busy they get stuck, if the Mercury is in retro-grade, they get stuck, so you may NOT be able to drop your packages.
The scheduled pickup option can be iffy. Some PO's are great about it, others aren't. I use it a lot but only when my carrier is not on vacation, b/c sub carriers miss it all the time. Also, some carriers don't scan at pickup, so again, you have to be sure you're getting your Acceptance scans. I don't worry about porch pirates in my area, but YMMV.
You have to weigh your options. Whatever you choose, be sure you get your Acceptance scan. That is critical in many situations & 2 metrics are based on it. Whatever you do, I would not ship only once a week. Even if you disclose it, you will have a lot of unhappy buyers. A buyer expects quick shipment.
@onefootflipper wrote:I do 1000 orders a month and I haven't been to the post office a single time this year.
The overwhelming majority of your listings look like things you could drop in the slot of any mailbox.
Good point @onefootflipper , I forget about that option, since my pkgs won't fit. If OP is worried about the warning on mailboxes about being a Known Sender. If you're using an electronic postage service, you ARE a known sender & it's ok to drop pkgs in a blue box. But most blue boxes have those teeny weeny slots now, so only the smallest items will fit.
@soh.maryl wrote:OK, so you meant that the lobby is open, not the window where a clerk would serve you.
@soh.maryl IDK who else posted it & don't have time to go back & check right now. But when I posted it, I meant an actual PO that is open all the time, 24/7, NOT just the lobby. I've lived in cities that had them. They are often near the airport & function 24/7/365 & are very handy. I don't have one in my current city, so not really up on how many of these are out there nowadays, but I used to use the one in Mpls all the time back when I was travelling every week. One of the FA's told me about it. The flight crews apparently used it all the time. It was a HUGE facility, but still had normal stations in the lobby & functioned like any other PO, just open all day & night. Then I found out that many major cities had them.
Unfortunately, some of the lobbies at regular stations are no longer open 24/7. Mine just put a sign (after 25+ years) that they are now closing the lobby early 😞 I hate that as I'd often used it late at night, but they will be closing it at 8pm & 6pm! on weekends due to vandalism. Sad!
@onefootflipper wrote:
@simply-the-best-for-you wrote:
@onefootflipper wrote:I do 1000 orders a month and I haven't been to the post office a single time this year.
The overwhelming majority of your listings look like things you could drop in the slot of any mailbox.
Good point @onefootflipper , I forget about that option, since my pkgs won't fit. If OP is worried about the warning on mailboxes about being a Known Sender. If you're using an electronic postage service, you ARE a known sender & it's ok to drop pkgs in a blue box. But most blue boxes have those teeny weeny slots now, so only the smallest items will fit.
We drop envelopes and bubble mailers of all sorts of sizes into the box every single day. It definitely works.
@onefootflipper Don't you have the new boxes, which barely can fit 2 envelopes with a b-day card? If you don't yet, you will. Most of the boxes around here have been replaced with these new ones & the slot barely fits 2 envelopes.
It does work, if you have the old style boxes & I just wanted OP to know that they didn't have to worry about the "Known Sender" thing, as long as they printed postage.
