A post office, historically also a posthouse, is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail, such as letters, small packages, and usually money.
Post offices offer mail-related services such as acceptance of mail and sale of postage stamps, post office boxes, and sale of packaging and stationery. In addition, some post offices offer non-postal services such as passport applications and other government forms, car tax purchase, money orders, and banking services.
A post office may have a main customer service and point of sale area. Many postal codes or ZIP codes route an item to a specific post office; some correspond to a specific route or even delivery point (business, residence, or post office box).
In a "sorting office" or "delivery office", mail is sorted or processed for delivery. Large open spaces for sorting mail are also sometimes known as a sorting hall or postal hall. Over time, sophisticated mail sorting and delivery equipment has been developed, including Mail Rail.
In Commonwealth countries, many of the larger post office buildings in capital cities used the official title of General Post Office. In parts of Europe, special Postal censorship offices were known as Cabinets Noirs.
After 1900, dedicated mail exchange facilities became common and postal services colocated customer services with businesses such as newsagents or railway stations for the convenience of customers and to cut costs. As a result, many purpose-built post offices became redundant and either fell into disuse or were adaptively reused; sometimes retaining the title of Post Office prefixed by Old or Former for historical and heritage reasons.
Read more about Post Office: History, Unstaffed Postal Facilities
Other articles related to "post office, post, post offices, offices":
... Post Office Telecommunications was set up as a separate department of the UK Post Office, in October 1969 ... The Post Office Act of that year was passed to provide for greater efficiency in post and telephone services rather than run a range of services, each organisation would be ... By law, the Post Office had the exclusive right to operate the UK national telecom network, and limited ability to license other providers' services and equipment ...
... Instead, residents pick up their mail at post office boxes in the centrally-located post office or at private post office boxes located on 22nd Street ... The main Post Office features an award winning wall mural designed and painted by local artist Katy Brack ...
... and southern sections of the township is served by the Wapakoneta (45895) post office, the northwestern section by the Spencerville (45887) post office, and the ... Buckland (45819) maintains a local post office ...
... Post Office I ... Naturalised Phalaris canariensis Canary Grass Post Office I ... Post Office I ...
... Mail boxes and post office boxes are already in widespread use for dropoff and pickup (respectively) of mail and small packages outside of post offices or when offices are closed ... Deutsche Post introduced the Packstation for package delivery (both dropoff and pickup) in 2001 ... Postal Centers in many locations both in post offices (for when they are closed or busy) and in retail locations ...
Famous quotes related to post office:
“A demanding stranger arrived one morning in a small town and asked a boy on the sidewalk of the main street, Boy, wheres the post office?
I dont know.
Well, then, where might the drugstore be?
I dont know.
How about a good cheap hotel?
I dont know.
Say, boy, you dont know much, do you?
No, sir, I sure dont. But I aint lost.”
—William Harmon (b. 1938)