Turning The Post Office Into A Destination

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is the biggest retailer in the country in terms of sheer size and locations, and a new Government Accountability Office (GAO)-commissioned report is examining the possibility of the post office growing its retail offerings. While the GAO is not talking about offering sandwiches, coffee or sleepwear, it is mulling expanding services that make the post office a destination – especially in rural locations. However, many ideas in the report were mulled over and then dismissed. All this, Today in Data.

Data:

31K: The number of USPS locations, which cover almost every town.

2005: The year that La Poste Group, France’s postal operator, established a bank.

25 percent: The approximate share of American adults who would be likely to use financial products if offered at USPS locations.

$10.5B: Approximate amount of revenue generated by USPS’ retail facilities in 2018.

€5.5B: Net revenues generated by La Poste’s banking services in 2018.