Post offices stamping out vending machines

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

The U.S. Postal Service is removing all its retail vending machines from post offices and other retail locations around the country by the end of February. It cites outdated equipment and lack of parts for the machines as reasons.
“The postal service tells us it costs too much to get parts for the vending machines,” stated Jeff Richardson, officer in charge of the Wytheville Post Office. “The machines would have to be upgraded to accept credit cards or debit cards. There’s a new five-dollar bill coming out this year that the machines would have to be programmed to accept.”
Max Meadows Postmaster Nancy F. Hodges will have her postage vending machine at the Flying J Truck Stop in Fort Chiswell removed. She does not have a stamp vending machine at the post office.
“It’s probably been there for 15 years,” Hodges said. “It averages $300 a month in sales. The postal service wants $500.”
Richardson stated, “Our vending machine did pretty good business. A lot of people used it when the window was closed.”
According to the postal service, some of the vending machines are 20 years old. Mechanical breakdowns are becoming more frequent and replacement parts are scarce because they’re no longer manufactured.
Richardson and Hodges noted stamps are still available at post office service windows and online. They also said stamps may be purchased from rural and city route carriers.
“We sell a lot of stamps on our rural routes,” Hodges commented. “Most of the orders are filled that day. Customers on city routes fill out an order form and their stamps are delivered the next day.”
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .