News

Automated kiosk takes letters, parcels 24/7

May 20, 2004

ANN ARBOR, Mich.-There's no need to wait in line for the next postal clerk, according to an article in the Ann Arbor News.   The U.S. Postal Service is testing touch-screen kiosks, called Automated Postal Center (APC), that allow customers to mail letters and packages (express, priority, first class or parcel) without waiting in line for a clerk. The machines are made by IBM.

The kiosk also lets customers  buy stamps, look up zip codes, find the cost of sending a letter overseas (80 cents for a one-ounce letter to Iraq) or send an item with delivery confirmation.

The best part is that all the services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Ann Arbor office is one of only three in the state to offer the APC, said Madilynne Mulleague, customer relations coordinator at the main Ann Arbor post office. 

Ann Arbor was selected because of its high volume, a lobby that's open 24 hours a day, its wait time for lines and the high number of customers who use credit and debit cards, Mulleague said.

It's part of a plan to place 2,500 APCs in U.S. Postal Service facilities around the country over the next year. Central Florida, California and Washington already have a hefty number of them, Mulleague said, with others scattered around the country for a total of 106 sites, she said. However, the kiosk does have some limits: Packages can't be sent overseas and packages cannot weigh more than 70 pounds or measure more than 17 inches.

The machine has been a hit so far, Mulleague said. In the three weeks it's been in service, some $10,000 in business has been transacted on it. Once University of Michigan students return, business will be even more brisk, she said.

The APC offers security features. A screen asks customers the same questions that come from a window clerk: Does the package contain anything explosive, flammable, or infectious? Only credit and debit cards can be used, and a photo of the user is taken once the card is swiped.

"If a terrorist mails anthrax or a bomb, there will be a picture of him and who they are and when they mailed it will be on the label," said Lila Skjei, lobby assistant who is helping customers learn to use the APC.