US Post Office

Hello strip mall post office. Frankly, I’m just glad you are still here.
There’s something I can’t figure out. If nobody is sending mail anymore, how come there’s often a line to see a clerk? Maybe I’m coming at the wrong times. At least the lines tend to move pretty quickly.
I do miss the grandeur of old classic post offices. Those were fancy places. But Stuyvesant Plaza is pretty fancy in its own way. Perhaps, one of these days, the rent will be just too damn high and those pennies we spend on postage will no longer cover the costs for this outpost to stay open.
That would be a shame. So I’ll try to be happy with what we’ve got, and save the romantic idealism of the post office for the movies.

I rarely enter any post office. Generally I visit about once a year in early December to buy stamps for holiday cards. Unfortunately, this means that I’m there at the same time as a million other people buying stamps for the same reason and mailing armfuls of holiday gifts.
So I was expecting a long line when I arrived after work at about 4:50PM. I stopped just inside the front door, debating whether I wanted to wait behind all those people or if I should come back at a less busy time.
Then I glanced to the left, where I saw an ATM-​looking machine with not a soul nearby. I moved closer to investigate. And the angels sang! Who knew I could use this fantastic automated machine to buy stamps, pay for a post office box or even ship a package?! I have seen stamp vending machines at other locations, but never anything as great as this, and never actually *inside* the post office. So I bought my holiday bauble stamps and was on my way in under three minutes.
You may be thinking: «This chick really needs to get out more.» But I know for sure that they don’t have this service available at my local Post Office.
So thank you, Stuyvesant Post Office, for saving me from standing in line. At this busy and stressful time of year, any little hassle I can spare myself goes a long way.