Postal Service to Pitch Direct Mailing to Redmond Businesses

Less than a month after , the United States Postal Service has announced plans to host a "Grow Your Business" direct mailing workshop for Redmond business owners.

Postal service spokesman Ernie Swanson said the free presentation, set for 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 23 at the , will offer information about the agency's Every Door Direct mail service, which enables business owners to target potential customers in their immediate area without having to obtain individual addresses.

“It’s for small businesses, for the most part," Swanson said. "They can mail within a small geographic area, like right around their place of business.”

The postal service has offered similar presentations in the area before, and Swanson said he anticipates more will follow.

Although the workshop is free, direct mailing costs around 15 cents per piece, Swanson said. Asked whether the workshop is an attempt by the struggling postal service to generate additional income, Swanson's response was "absolutely."

“We’re taking steps at trying to find niches where people can find ways to produce more mail, and more revenue for us,” he said.

The organization's financial woes have hit close to home with the recent relocation of the downtown Redmond post office to a mail distribution center in Southeast Redmond. The two-mile move was largely due to financial reasons, Swanson . 

Meanwhile, Swanson said the postal service is still looking for a downtown business that would be willing to offer mailing services on a contract basis. Swanson said the types of business that might make a good fit include drug stores, stationary shops and convenience stores.

“We’ve made some initial contacts and haven’t come up with anything, but we’re certainly still open to anybody who might be interested,” he said.