USPS Tests After-Hours Mail Pickup

The U.S. Postal Service began testing an after-hours mail pickup system this month for packages that could not be delivered during normal business hours. Currently, after an unsuccessful package delivery attempt, customers must request redelivery or pick up the package at their local post office during normal operating hours. The pilot program consists of a vertical carousel, a touch screen and a barcode reader. Undeliverable parcels are loaded into a carousel in an area accessible to the public 24 hours a day. The mail carrier scans each piece’s barcode, which corresponds to a barcode left with the attempted-delivery notice at the customer’s residence. The carousel holds up to 300 packages, but can be scaled for 800. Customers can pick up their packages by scanning the barcode on their attempted-delivery notice into the carousel’s barcode reader. Customers then must swipe a credit card for identification. There is no charge for the service. Northrop Grumman Corp.’s Electronic Systems Sector created the system, called the Automated Mail Pickup Service.” The service is being tested at post offices in Germantown and Fort Washington, MD. Another system will be installed at Fernandina Beach, FL, next month.