I was reminded of this by visitors from Germany who asked me: Where is the post office? We hunted and hunted downtown for it, but we couldn't find it. We wanted to mail a few post cards...
Oh yes, I sighed... (I had forgotten to tell them...) We no longer have post offices. If you want to buy stamps, go to a DRUG STORE!
Seeing their surprised looks, I explained: A few years ago the head of our postal system decided it would be cheaper to shut down post offices and let the business of selling stamps and weighing parcels (and everything else a post office does) be done be private businesses. At first, when they made the change, it was very confusing. In my neighborhood, I sometimes didn't know where my local postal outlet was, it was changing all the time! But eventually things settled down. Now many shopping malls and large drugstores have them. Which is why, when I need to buy postage stamps or mail a parcel, I head for a drugstore. Three drugstores in my neighborhood have postal outlets in the back.
Occasionally - especially in smaller communities - you can still find a post office building. But they no longer are the impressive buildings they used to be, like this old one in Almonte...
Instead, they are smaller, boxy buildings - like Almonte's new post office...
It's just down the street from the old one.
I'm not sure what this old post office building is currently used for... But probably not for selling stamps!
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