At least a half-dozen metro Atlanta U.S. Postal Service retail outlets may be headed for closure to help the financially troubled agency cut billions of dollars in costs.
As more people rely on the Internet and other services to send mail and packages, the USPS is struggling to justify keeping hundreds of its locations open. The agency lost $8 billion last year.
In all, nearly 50 outlets across Georgia are being considered for closure, most of them in small towns with names like Jewell, Ideal, Mystic, Cisco and Tennga.
But locations in metro Atlanta are also on the list: Northlake, West End, Lakewood, Peachtree Center, Phoenix Station and Cascade Heights.
The USPS is studying 3,653 local offices, branches and stations for possible closing. It operates 31,871 retail outlets across the country, down from 38,000 a decade ago.
"It's no secret that the Postal Service is looking to change the way we do a lot of things," Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said at a press briefing in Washington. "We do feel that we are still relevant to the American public and the economy, but we have to make some tough choices."
Coming under review doesn't necessarily mean an office will close. The post office announced in January it was reviewing 1,400 offices for closing. So far, 280 have been shuttered, and 200 have finished the review process and will remain open.
Some of the closed locations will be replaced with Village Post Offices, in which postal services are offered in local stores, libraries or government offices.
Postal officials have also sought permission from Congress to reduce mail delivery to five days a week and to ease the requirement that they pay $5.5 billion annually into a fund to pre-pay future retiree medical benefits.
-- The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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