Someday soon, you may no longer be able to drive by your local post office and show your children where all those credit card offers and unread political mailings come from, as the U.S. Postal Service looks into the viability of nearly 3,700 of its 32,000 locations around the country.

Says Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe:

Today, more than 35 percent of the Postal Service’s retail revenue comes from expanded access locations such as grocery stores, drug stores, office supply stores, retail chains, self-service kiosks, ATMs and usps.com, open 24/7… Our customer’s habits have made it clear that they no longer require a physical post office to conduct most of their postal business.

In those areas that would be without a proper post office, the USPS suggests filling that void with what it terms a “Village Post Office… operated by local businesses, such as pharmacies, grocery stores and other appropriate retailers, and would offer popular postal products and services such as stamps and flat-rate packaging.”

“The Postal Service of the future will be smaller, leaner and more competitive and it will continue to drive commerce, serve communities and deliver value,” says Donahoe, who estimates that these closings could save the USPS upward of $200 million.

The particular locations to be closed will be announced sometime during the next four to six months, reports CNN, with closings to begin in January.

Nearly 3,700 post offices slated to close [CNN Money]

Postal Service Takes Next Step in Optimizing Retail Network [USPS]

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