Deserted post office

[Black Bart]

Odd thing. Went by Monday at 2 P.M. and the place was completely empty -- no customers at all. I've never seen that before on the last tax day. Except for me and one clerk up front (workers in back maybe), the large building was quiet and vacant.

The extended deadline might have played a part since many people didn't know about that. Too, I noticed their trade was fairly brisk on the 15th.

Sign of the times, though. Apparently the full weight and force of IRS' e-filing mandate has struck home to them.

[DTS]

Bart

All my business mail comes to a POB and I go most days to pick up and drop off. This time of year I avoid going in until late at night. This past week was dead! I was shocked that the longest wait I had in line was about 3-5 minutes.

[Black Bart]

Hey, Dennis

How's it going? Did you have a good season?

Yeah, strange isn't it? It was so still around there it seemed like going into a big cemetery vault. I guess their employees are getting pretty worried about now and, of course, it'll be even worse next year when the filing limit drops to 10 paper returns instead of 100.

Best regards, Bart

[FEDUKE404]

Quiet party at the post office

All my business mail comes to a POB and I go most days to pick up and drop off. This time of year I avoid going in until late at night. This past week was dead! I was shocked that the longest wait I had in line was about 3-5 minutes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/us/19lawrence.html?_r=1&src=recg

"The crowd, though, has thinned a bit as the percentage of Americans filing online has grown from less than a third a decade ago to more than 80 percent this year, according to early estimates from the Internal Revenue Service."

The Lawrence post office, like others elsewhere, no longer remains open until midnight on tax day because of the declining demand and financial strains on the Postal Service.

Several years ago, post office workers volunteered to work unpaid till midnight to keep the party going. But on Monday evening the doors were locked, a minute late, at 5:31.

“Things change,” said Jim Brothers, who plays the washboard for the group, “But we sure milked that cow.”

FE

[S T]

New

We had this new little contract PO Office open about 1/2 mile from the house - and it has been so busy - godsend for me, as I can take my over 13 oz packages there instead of at the Main Office 6 miles away.

Can't tell how busy for tax return mailings - and then we had postal rate increases on 4/17/11 - I love the flat rate packages now, that is one good implementation of the Postal Service.

But for sure, the Postal system will be losing revenue with the online DIY group.

Sandy

[DTS]

How's it going? Did you have a good season?

Bart,

Things are going pretty good, a lot of irons in the fire for me right now. My season was better than I thought a few weeks ago. Extensions down to 25 from my usual 35-40 and only 5 did not come in, yet. I suspect those 5 won't be coming.

Hope your season was a successful one!

[DTS]

"The crowd, though, has thinned a bit as the percentage of Americans filing online has grown from less than a third a decade ago to more than 80 percent this year, according to early estimates from the Internal Revenue Service."

FE,

I guess this answers my statement earlier.