Don't Go Postal

Important breaking news: The Harvard Square Post Office is closing half an hour earlier everyday starting May 11.

Actually...

Important: False.

Breaking: False.

News: Undetermined.

Ann Powers, a spokesperson for the Boston district of USPS, called the shift "an economical decision." Apparently, there wasn't enough "foot traffic" during the weekday 6:00-6:30 timeslot for the Mount Auburn Street post office to remain open for that grueling half hour.

As to why the decision was made now instead of a year ago, Powers’ response: "They don’t make these decisions overnight. They do studies." Code for "Oh crap, the economy is burning! Let's cut half an hour worth of salaries and power costs per day!"? We think so.

FlyBy is happy to report, however, that this reduction in hours hasn’t fazed the resilient Harvard student. Ricky Kuperman ’11, who was at the post office earlier today, said he doesn’t usually bother with snail mail. Neither does Dominik P. Nieszporowski ’12, who said his visit to the post office yesterday was his "first time in here."

But Nieszporowski didn't even need postal workers for his visit: he used the Automated Postal Center (a machine that issues stamps, prints packaging labels, and only takes credit cards), which will remain open 24/7, Powers said. And if the Harvard student wants that certain human touch when sending his or her mail, Powers had advice for that as well:

"We’re open in Boston at the Fort Point station until midnight." That's only 4.3 miles away, says Google Maps. And you thought the Quad was far.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Air Force photo,Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo