Many post offices around the state have had their retail hours cut back, including a number of branches on Maui.
Most changes took effect this week, although the reduction in hours at the Wailuku and main Lahaina offices won't kick in until Oct. 26.
An announcement attributed the changes to an "unprecedented decline" in both volume and revenue this year.
The Postal Service says access to post office boxes will not be affected. Customers will be encouraged to use Web services at USPS.com; or alternate access to some postal services, such as ordering stamps by mail or by using the limited postal services at grocery stores, drug stores, ATMs and Postal Service Automated Postal Centers.
District Manager Daryl Ishizaki said, "We regularly evaluate retail traffic patterns to determine the most efficient hours of operations for individual offices. Retail hours can and do regularly change based on customer needs and customer traffic. The goal is to get our products to our customers as efficiently as possible."
The Postal Service is a self-supporting agency of the national government but receives no tax money. The decline in business earlier this year led to the closure of a few small offices on Oahu.
Besides Web-based services, stamps can be purchased by phone (1-800-STAMP-24) and by Stamps by Mail. Automated Postal Centers are in post office lobbies and can be used for more than 85 percent of all counter transactions, whether adjacent retail lobbies are open or closed.
Hours at Maui offices are now:
* Haiku: 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9-11 a.m. Saturday.
* Hana: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. M-F; closed Saturday (no change).
* Kahului: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., M-F; 9 a.m.-noon Saturday.
* Kihei: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., M-F; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday (no change).
* Kula: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., M-F; 9:30-11:30 a.m Saturday.
* Lahaina Downtown: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., M-F; closed Saturday.
* Lahaina Main Office: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., M-F; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday (new hours to take effect Oct. 26).
* Makawao: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., M-F; 9-11 a.m. Saturday.
* Paia: 8:30-11 a.m. and noon-4:30 p.m., M-F; 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday.
* Pukalani: 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., M-F; 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday.
* Puunene: 8:30 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m., M-F; closed Saturday.
* Wailuku: 9 a.m.-4 p.m., M-F; 9 a.m.-noon Saturday (new hours to take effect Oct. 26).
