Contract Post Offices Fill a Need

North Carolina's News Observer reports, "Yogesh Manocha wanted to increase foot traffic in his Citgo station convenience store. So between the cash register and the drink cooler, he recently opened a post office."

Reporter Catlin Baker pens, "Manocha is the latest Triangle business owner to open a Contract Postal Unit, miniature post offices owned and operated by private businesses. CPUs, as they are called, offer all the services of traditional post offices, except P.O. boxes, and allow the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service to extend its reach with minimal investment."

Manocha (shown above) is quoted as saying, ""The convenience that we're providing to the neighboring community is great, because of the longer hours and because we're open on weekends."

According to the article, "Store owners purchase CPUs from the Postal Service and receive a portion of the revenue they generate...Each supplier must demonstrate to the Postal Service that the CPU will be able to make enough money to sustain itself. Most are found in busy areas that do not have another post office nearby. Postal Service also does not have to staff CPUs since they are run by store employees. "

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