Specifically USPS products can be purchased from Associated Mail & Parcel Centers (AMPC) Members in the following ZIP Codes:  85016, 85026, 85201, 85224, 85255, 85257, 85258, 85260, 85308 and 85374. Those cover portions of Phoenix, Chandler, Glendale, Mesa, Scottsdale, Sun City and Surprise.

According to the article, the U.S. Postal Service has dealt with huge declines in both the amount of mail it delivers and revenue in recent years. Scores of post offices have been closed nationwide, and the USPS has partnered with many local businesses to help provide services through the USPS Approved Shipper Program.

The Approved Shipper Program creates a partnership between a mail and parcel center that provides packing, shipping, mailbox rental and other services through a number of carriers including UPS, FedEx, and the USPS.

Many customers who come into USPS Approved Shippers to purchase stamps and mail packages often purchase other items offered in their stores.

To find a mail and parcel store near you go to www.findashippingstore.com.

Associated Mail & Parcel Centers (AMPC) members pay dues to support the organization’s efforts to support their businesses. The money pays for a staff to develop benefits, programs, discounts, research, education, and advocacy for the members. Joining AMPC is easy. To help us support your industry and business, go to www.ampc.org and sign up.

Checking that site for the ZIP Codes above, we found the following 34 conveniently located AMPC mailing centers:

Mail Box Shop
7620 E McKellips Road #4
Scottsdale, AZ 85257
480-941-4227

Post Box eXpress
2990 E. Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85034
602-685-0123

PBX
2 North 30th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85034
602-685-0123

Postal Plus More
1810 W. Northern Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85021
602-870-3287

Postal Connections
2473 S Higley Road, Ste 104
Gilbert, AZ 85295
480-840-3511

Textbook & Mailbox Plus
3107 S. Gilbert Road #8-9
Gilbert, AZ 85295
480-782-1248

Box-N-Mail LLC
1155 S. Power Road Ste 114
Mesa, AZ 85206
480-396-2884

AZ Going Postal
5235 E. Southern Ave. D-106
Mesa, AZ 85206
480-985-9332

Mail & More
1106 N Gilbert Rd #2
Mesa, AZ 85203

Gilbert Mail Inc
745 N. Gilbert Rd. #124
Gilbert, AZ 85234

Mail Boxes Express
4406 E. Main Street
Mesa, AZ 85205
480-830-7199

Box-n-Mail
1235 S Gilbert Rd #3
Mesa, AZ 85204
480-892-3482

bp MAIL CENTER
1496 N Higley Rd.
Gilbert, AZ 85234

Postal Connections of America
1050 E. Ray Road Ste A-5
Chandler, AZ 85225
4808999488

Mail & More – Tempe
9920 South Rural Road #108
Tempe, AZ 85284
480-961-7382

Wrap Pack ‘N’ Ship
23623 N Scottsdale Road #d-3
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-585-0015

Art of Mail
14700 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd Ste 157
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
480-614-5599

The Mail Room
9393 N 90th St., Ste 902
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
480-860-2304

Safe Fax
605 E. McKellips Road
Mesa, AZ 85203
480-464-1707

PV Postal
4848 E. Cactus Rd #505
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
602-953-1717

Pack Ship and Print Center
4022 E Greenway Road Ste 11
Phoenix, AZ 85032
602-493-5542

POSTALMAX
15560 N Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd #B-4
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

PostalMax of Pinnacle Peak
23233 N Pima Rd Ste 113
Scottsdale, AZ 85255

Pack Ship and Print Center
4022 E Greenway Road Ste 11
Phoenix, AZ 85032
602-493-5542

Bell Road Business Center
1610 E. Bell Road Ste 103
Phoenix, AZ 85022
602-867-4814

Moon Valley Postal Center
13235 N 7th St., Ste 4
Phoenix, AZ 85022
602-942-0122

Express-Pak
3310 W Bell Road
Phoenix, AZ 85053
602-866-7759

The UPS Store
5350 West Bell Road
Glendale, AZ 85308
623-298-5411

Pack, Mail & More LLC
8987 W Olice Ave., Ste 117
Peoria, AZ 85345
623-878-0993

A-Z Print Ship
6630 W. Cactus Road Ste B107
Glendale, AZ 85304
623-878-7444

Michael’s Mailboxez
18402 N 19th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85023
602-862-8888

Postal Connections – Glendale
5830 W Thunderbird Rd Ste B8
Glendale, AZ 85306

Westside Mail Center
13794 W Waddell Road, Ste 203
Surprise, AZ 85379
623-825-6016

Shipper’s World
9839 W. Bell Rd.
Sun City, AZ 85351

The American Postal Workers Union responded to that Motion to Dismiss (http://shipp.in/g/1cw).

Now, the USPS has responded with somewhat of a defensive stance.  Click here to read the response.  There seems to be battle brewing.

Associated Mail & Parcel Centers (AMPC) members pay dues to support the organization’s efforts to support their businesses. The money pays for a staff to develop benefits, programs, discounts, research, education, and advocacy for the members. Joining AMPC is easy. To help us support your industry and business, go to www.ampc.org and sign up.

In the interest of fairness here is the response to that motion by the American Postal Workers Union AFL-CIO (APWU).

As reported here (http://shipp.in/g/1cf) on July 6th, 2010 the USPS requested a significant rate increase greatly exceeding the legal CPI-U based increase siting “extraordinary and exceptional circumstances.”

The Affordable Mail Alliance has submitted a Motion to Dismiss this request based upon the following reasons:

• The CPI Price Cap Of 39 U.S.C. § 3622(d) Is The Main Defense Established By PAEA Against Recovery of Excessive Costs From Users Of Market-Dominant Postal Products.
• The Exigency Exception of 39 U.S.C. § 3622(d)(1)(E) Is Narrowly Drawn.
• The Legislative History Of Section 3622(d)(1)(E) Confirms The Narrowness Of Its Scope.
• The Postal Service’s Projected Losses Could Be Avoided Through More Efficient And Economical Management.
• The Postal Service maintains an inefficiently large network of undersized and obsolete mail processing facilities.
• The Postal Service has an over-sized work force inflexible work rules, and low productivity.
• The Postal Service pays its employees above-market rates of compensation.
• The loss of mail volume to the Internet was not an unforeseeable surprise; the Postal Service had notice of this threat years before significant volume losses occurred.
• The Postal Service’s failure to cope effectively with the 2008-2009 recession is further evidence of structural inefficiency.
• The private sector, including the Postal Service’s competitors, responded quickly to the downturn by taking the painful austerity measures needed to return to break-even.
• The Postal Service has responded to the recession by letting its costs get further out of control.
• The Postal Service’s financial loss projections in this case assume no major improvement in cost control in FY 2011.
• The Postal Service’s alternative explanations for its losses are without merit.
• The Causes Of The Postal Service’s Losses Are Not “Extraordinary Or Exceptional.”
• The Postal Service Has Not Shown That It Needs An Exigent Rate Increase To Continue Providing Necessary Postal Services.

Under the Postal Regulatory Commission’s (PRC) rules, the USPS has seven days to respond to this motion. The PRC will make a decision on the rate increase by October 4, 2010.

The CSRS generally applies to employees who were hired before January 1, 1984 while the FERS applies to employees whose started with the USPS on January 1, 1984 or later, and CSRS employees that elected to transfer to FERS. Both systems have the same purposes, however, Congress decided to create a new set of rules and operating procedures.  USPS Inspector General’s Report.

Now, employees of the USPS receive a conglomeration of retirement money from CSRS, FRES. Thrift Saving Plan (TSP) and Social Security.  It is mentioned many times that the CSRS and FRES retirement plans are not funded by tax money.  The funds come from the employees contribution of around 7% and from the sale of stamps and other postal products.  If you are not convinced that the portion of a stamp price used to pay retired Postal Workers is not tax money, but stamp money, you may need more training – contact a Congressman.

Congress requires that the USPS fund both the retirement program and the health plan at 100%.  The average for the S&P 500 funding is 80%.  Other federal employees is 41%; the military is 24%; and the some government bureau which requires the USPS to fund at 100% does not fund its plans at all.

Due to the usual government accounting standards, requirements and regulations, the USPS believes that they have over-funded the plans by $75 billion and they want it back.  The amount of $75 billion is equal to a year’s income at the USPS.

The is not a current method to pay back over-payments.  The only way the USPS can be paid back is by an act of Congress.

The money paid into these plans is invested in Treasury Notes, Bonds, and Bills – in other words, the federal government “borrows it.”

And then they spend it.

Should the $75 billion be paid back and the funding requirements  be reduced, the USPS would be in better shape.  If they were required to fund the plans at a lesser rate, they would be in better shape.

The big problem with  returning the $75 billion to the USPS is, because of the rules Congress has created, giving the money back would increase the deficit by $75 billion.   Over the years, the Federal Government has made the deficit look better by subtracting the funded pension and health plan money from the deficit numbers. Not many Congressman are willing to add numbers to the deficit right now.

The House postal oversight subcommittee approved H.R. 5746. The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) on July 15, would alter the methodology for allocating the Postal Service’s share of pension costs for employees whose careers spanned the former Post Office Department and the USPS which created the $75 billion in question.  This is the first step in a long process to make the changes that the USPS wants.

The bill must be considered by the full Oversight and Government Reform Committee before it can be voted on in the House.

H.R. 5746 directs Office of Personnel Management to transfer any surplus to the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund. This transfer of funds would alleviate a major source of the Postal Service’s recent economic problems.  The funding of 100% of future retiree health care benefits, as required by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, costs the USPS more than $5 billion annually.

I would expect this bill or one similar to it to pass in some form or another.  I would also expect that the bill will be flawed and the USPS pension and health care funds will be significantly under-funded in about two years.

As a postscript I need to mention that the USPS says that fixing the overpayment and funding issue will not alter their request to increase rates by as much as 23% (http://shipp.in/g/1cf) next year or their request to eliminate Saturday delivery.

Associated Mail & Parcel Centers (AMPC) members pay dues to support the organization’s efforts to support their businesses. The money pays for a staff to develop benefits, programs, discounts, research, education, and advocacy for the members. Joining AMPC is easy. To help us support your industry and business, go to www.ampc.org and sign up.

“The single-piece, first-ounce price, commonly known as the stamp price, is the most visible price offered by the Postal Service. It is also the single most important price in terms of revenue generated.

“Yet, despite the attention it draws, both in the public and regulatory arenas, the typical household is little affected by changes in the stamp price. A change of two cents in the stamp price amounts to only about 41 cents per month for the typical household which pays about $6.89 per month for First-Class Mail sent. In addition, since 2007, the Postal Service has offered the Forever Stamp, which allows single piece First-Class Mail customers to minimize the potential inconveniences of stamp price changes.

“Because the actual expenditure on postage by the typical single-piece First-Class Mail customer is small, and because the additional expenditure caused by increases in the stamp price are even smaller and can be effectively mitigated through the Forever Stamp program, the Postal Service does not believe that the erosion of single-piece mail through electronic diversion can be materially affected by limiting the growth of the stamp price.

“Factors other than the stamp price itself are the driving forces leading to electronic diversion. One is a matter of simple convenience.

“Another powerful factor driving the diversion of hard copy to electronic communications is the incentives offered by large companies for switching to electronic statements and billing (these “incentives” sometimes are presented as an additional fee for receiving paper statements). In this case, the driving force behind the erosion of single piece mail originates, not with the individual single piece mail customer, but with the large business mailer that does not itself use 2 single-piece mail to send its bills and statements.

“As long as these forces are in play, efforts to hold down the stamp price to “protect” the single piece customer will be unlikely to spur usage of single piece mail among users, for whom convenience trumps the small impact of the postage savings. ”

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People seeing themselves in the door as they approached the store saw a much thinner person that what was expected.  This allowed them, not only to feel quite content to purchase more ice cream than they planned, but gave them a general feeling of comfort when looking back at themselves as they walked away from the store enjoying that triple scoop of double chocolate.

The store became a landmark visited by tourists and Luxury Motor-coaches full of plump seniors with discretionary cash.

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I worked for a large corporation that had its own credit union tucked away in an obscure suite just off of the reception area. Employees, ex-employees, retirees and their families were allowed to become Credit Union Members. Wanting to teach our kids the value of saving, I signed up my whole family with accounts. And as members were added to my family, members were added to the credit union.

As credit unions work, each member is a shareholder and has to have a minimum amount in their saving account. Savings was easy and convenient as the designated amount was taken out of the paycheck. Interest paid on the balance was usually greater than banks and the interest on loans was usually less than the banks.

The ladies that worked there got to know us over time and it was just a pleasure doing business there. Occasionally I would ask a loan for a small purchase over the phone and the check would be ready for me to pick in a few hours. Under a preset amount, no approval was necessary. Car loans took 24 hours. The payments, like the saving account deposits were taken out of the paycheck.

As you know, things change. Bigger is better. Over the years our friendly neighborhood credit union became just another faceless bank. Anybody could join, removing the exclusivity and community aspect. The interest rates became closer and closer to the other banks’ rates. A separate building was purchased, checking accounts, safe-deposit boxes, drive up windows, lengthy loan reviews, and on and on.

The ladies that we all knew that worked in that small attached suite retired or got fed up with new bigness and were replaced by young people who radiated the fact that they did not want to work there, nine-to-fiver clock watchers who did not know or care about any of us.

Something happened, I don’t remember what, but a teller who could have a career opportunity at the DMV or the Post Office really made me mad. I felt my “Don’t you know who I am?” arrogance start to percolate, but I remained calm, conducted my business and left.

The next week I closed all of our family accounts – not enough to cause a bank failure by far, but accounts that I would think they would like to keep. After the stone-faced, pod person closed us up, she asked us to sit on the bench while a manager finished closing us out. Beginning to steam at the five-minute wait a corporate suit-type woman summoned us to the cubical.

She told us everything was taken care of and she would like to know if we would share with her the reason we closed the accounts (policy, I’m sure). I referred her to the line of people waiting for a teller. “Look at them. Look at their faces as they arrive.  Look at their faces as they turn to leave.  Just like me, they feel and look worse when they leave here than when they arrived. Your staff has affected your customer’s outlook for the rest of their day.

“Life is too short for a teller to ruin any part of mine.  Life is too short for me to visit here again.”

Social workers and rescue mission people call it compassion fatigue. People behind retail counters suffer from it also. Sometimes there is only so much you can take from that small population of toxic people. But, overall if you can make people feel better for seeing you and visiting your store than they felt when they arrived, the experiences will be stored subconsciously in their psyche as positive rewards.

They store a good feeling about visiting your store.  They may not even be able to put their finger on where it came from, but they know that something good has happened, there is a general sense of well-being.  And that is the source of fortune.  On the other hand, when they know something bad has happened, there is a general sense of discomfort.  And that is a source of failure.

Yes, this is a story about drop-offs.  If you can make the most unpleasant of Frisbee throwers feel as though something good has happened to them, they may return for money-spending reason.  And if you can pierce the psyche of the most hardened of louts, the rest of the world is at your feet.

Classic AMPC Membership doesn’t cost; it pays.

HotTalk Discussion Group Where members help members – veterans discuss and answer questions asked by new and experienced store owners alike.  What you learn here will alone pay for your membership.

The Packipedia A Mail & Parcel Center Encyclopedia of resources, forms, contracts and other useful information.  Shipping guns, shipping batteries, APO/FPO shipping restrictions, freight class codes, deceased box holder, and 100 more topics to help.

Your Own Print Shop Adding a print shop to your copy business with a website with your store brand and logo allows you and your customers to order low-cost, high-quality full-color printing with ease and professionalism. See www.mailboxesprintshop.com for an example.

Free Web Page and Hosting Your AMPC memberships comes with a free website for your store with free hosting.  Free tracking, Twitter posts, and custom coupons

AMPC Store In-store promotional signs, one cubic foot peanut bags, copy bags, the official CMRA Undeliverable Stamp, and more added continuously at www.ampc.org

AMPC Store Locator www.findashippingstore.com with a link to the store’s web page can be custom searched according to the service the consumer is looking for.

Industry Advocate AMPC meets with carriers, the USPS, and the Postal Regulatory Commission and stays active pursuing your store’s interests and the interests of the community.

RSi Training The Retail Shipping Institute offers classes in the core fundamental skills and training required to operate a successful store.  Elective classes covering additional profit centers are also available at events.

Conventions/Conferences AMPC conducts one national and various regional training and networking events.  Learn, meet vendors, and network with veteran store owners.

MPC Today Magazine Issues are printed and mailed as well as sent digitally.

AMPC Freight Discounted freight service with personal help and guidance from freight specialists.  Help from the quote to delivery.

Mailing List Discounts Either sending postcards to your neighbors, your current customers, or selling lists and mailing to your clients, with a small $30 minimum and low per thousand rate these demographically and geographically sorted lists can increase your shipping, mailing and printing business.

Credit Card Processing Low non-tier rates with free virtual terminal that lowers the cost of reward, corporate, and debit rates.

Digital Weekly News Letter Current industry and AMPC news from the previous week sent once a week

Industry Research Reports The yearly Pricing Study tells you what other stores are charging for products and services through the polling of the stores across the country.

The Yearly Demographic Study defines the mail and parcel customer to save you advertising expense by marketing to your market.

Gift Card Mall National brands and phone cards along with a display and a verifier are all free.

Toll-free Help Line If you have a question or request, just call AMPC.  We have the resources to get most concerns met.

Benefit Packages

• My AMPC 24/7 Doctor Care Plan
• My AMPC Automobile Dealer Deals Network
• My AMPC Premier Health Discount Plan
• Dental Discount Plan
• My AMPC Prescriptions For Less Card
• ID Theft Protection, Legal Services, Credit Counseling, 24/7 Roadside Assistance and more
• Shopping services where members receive discounts up to 50% off, savings on entertainment, vacation packages, dining and more

Vendor Discounts

• Refund Technology
• Fotozoomer
• MPC Coaches
• Sudden Values email marketing
• Kinek
• Answer Mailbox
• My Digital Doorman
• FP Mailing Solutions
• Southwest Plastics finishing products
• Jackson Products Rubber Stamp Maker
• Mediak Children’s CD maker
• ShipRite and ReSource POS systems
• ASI show passes and discounts
• Supply Side packaging products
• InkCycle Remanufactured ink and toner
• Avanti Greeting Cards
• Supply Source One, and America’s Box Choice
• Jilson and Roberts decorative mailers
• Jim Baer’s Seller’s Program
• FP Mailing Solutions Meter Discounts
• Konica Minolta Discounted Copier Program

Other Vendor Relations

• UPS
• USPS
• FedEx
• Endicia
• Packmeister Custom Box Maker Program
• Stocklayouts.com
• istockphoto.com
• Olson & Ives
• You-Shred Shredding Machines
• Priderock Fingerprint scanning
• Affinity Express – Low Cost Graphic Service
• Shipsurance Discounted Parcel Insurance
• PackFreight Referral Program
• FP International Air Cushioning Machines
• Sealed Air Instapak Systems

We have been helping stores succeed for 28 years.

A shocking surprise is the 23.3% average increase proposed for Standard parcels and NFMs, which the Postal Service claims is necessary to make these products “profitable.” Postal spokespersons also said they expect to ask the Postal Regulatory Commission, in the very near future, to move these products and perhaps First-Class parcels to the Shipping Services side of the business where they could be priced and treated (e.g., contract rates, etc.) like Parcel Select, Priority Mail and other “competitive products.”

This afternoon the USPS will file the proposed prices with the PRC, which by law has 90 days (until October 4) to review them and issue a final decision on whether “extraordinary and exceptional circumstances” exist to justify this effort, and whether the prices are “reasonable and equitable and necessary.”

Associated Mail & Parcel Centers (AMPC) members pay dues to support the organization’s efforts to support their businesses. The money pays for a staff to develop benefits, programs, discounts, research, education, and advocacy for the members. Joining AMPC is easy. To help us support your industry and business, go to www.ampc.org and sign up.

On July 1st the Postal Service issued a Press Advisory that it will be announcing its price proposals for Mailing Services products on July 6th.

The proposal goes to the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) for its consideration.  The Postal Service has indicated it hopes to implement price increases next January (see http://shipp.in/g/1bn and http://shipp.in/g/1c0) . A broad group of mailers and mail associations has vowed to oppose any price increase, arguing that there is no legal basis for increasing prices in this manner.

In a related (and helpful) development, the actuarial firm commissioned by the PRC to study the question of the adequacy of funding for postal retiree pensions opined earlier this week that the Postal Service is over-funding its pension plan by more the $50 billion. If the Congress and the Administration accept this conclusion (which they have not in the past), that could diminish the need for near term price increases.

Expect that Congress will provide some short term financial relief for the Postal Service late this summer, but price increases as well as the other cost cutting initiatives previously announced by the Postal Service, will still be necessary.