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34 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 7, 2004 Blake Spencer, 9, of Medford prepares a package for shipment Monday on the Automated Postal Center at the downtown Medford post office. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Those who try the Postal Service’s new mailing machines in Medford and Ashland find that it puts them on a ... Holiday fast track By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune A long line of customers, some with holiday packages, waited for traditional help at the Medford post office Monday, but 9-year-old Blake Spencer took his chances with technology. The Medford fourth-grader strode boldly up to the Automated Postal Center, the machine installed in August. He carefully weighed the large envelope of photos from his dad, inserted the ATM card offered by his mom and tapped a few icons on a computer screen. Within seconds, Blake’s package was metered and stamped and sent to be shipped. "It’s really easy to do," said Blake. "I don’t like to stand around." His sentiment is likely to be echoed by holiday customers of some 2,500 automated centers installed in post offices across the United States this year. In the Rogue Valley, post offices in Medford and Ashland have received the machines capable of performing about 80 percent of the most common postal transactions. Customers can weigh and rate letters, parcels and packages up to 70 pounds and send them via services that include Express, Priority, First Class, Certified and international mail, as well as Parcel Post. Advertisement The APCs, as they’re known, are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and housed in post office areas with constant public access. The machines accept only credit or debit cards — no cash. The machines also sell stamps, confirm deliveries and offer automated ZIP code searches. In Medford, the new machine is expected to tally up to $10,000 a month in services, said Charlene Patterson, customer service supervisor. During the busy holidays, the APC should cut down on long lines, she added. Holidays or no, the service already has made life easier for customers like Blake and Tim Burchfield of Medford, who followed him at the APC. Burchfield has used the machine several times since its summer installation and says it makes for a more peaceful postal experience. "See the line there?" he said, gesturing to the waiting crowd. "And frankly, the surly personnel? The machine just seems to do everything I want to do." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mailing deadlines are approaching Deadlines for holiday letter and package shipments are looming soon, U.S. Postal Service officials note. Here’s a roundup of some common services. For more information, visit www.usps.com/holiday/mailingshippingguidelines.htm . Dec. 11: Deadlines for First-Class letters and cards mailed to most military destinations. Dec. 15: Deadline to ship Parcel Post. Dec. 20: Deadline to ship First-Class Mail and Express Mail for military service. Dec. 22: Deadline to ship using Priority Mail. Dec. 23: Deadline to ship using Express Mail. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities