Postal Unit Opens at City’s North End
Printed Sep. 01, 2006
By Ellen Holland
Residents living on the northern end of the city no longer have to travel the length of Atascadero’s El Camino Real to access the services available at the post office. A contract postal unit opened July 19 in Golden Gate Shell, located at 2000 El Camino Real near Mission Oaks at the Annex.“It’s basically just like the post office, same rates, the only thing we can’t do are money orders and offer post office boxes,” Golden Gate Shell District Manager Randy Shores said.
While the Atascadero Post Office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday though Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, the contract postal unit opens later and stays open longer. It is open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. The mail will be picked up at 4 p.m. daily with no pick-up on Sundays.
“I wanted to find the perfect location that could service our customers on that side of town,” Atascadero Postmaster Priscilla Jeng said. “It is for customers’ convenience. It provides our community with alternatives to purchase our products and services.”
The contract postal unit opened in an area of the Shell station left vacant in 1999 when a TCBY yogurt closed. Shores got the idea to open a contract postal unit upon seeing a flyer in the post office window.
“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback just from people coming in,” Golden Gate Shell Manager Cindy Connolly said. “I have a feeling once everybody knows about it we’re going to be super busy.”
“It helps the people of Templeton and it’s part of Atascadero,” Shores added addressing the post office in Templeton, which is also at the town’s northern end.
Both Connolly and Shores and a few other Shell employees took part in classes offered by the post office to train them about offering its services and products, in addition to receiving hands-on training at the post office itself.
“They are a contract station so they are not postal employees,” Jeng said. “We want to make sure they’re comfortable with all the products because it’s a lot to cover. I’m looking forward to working with [Shores]. He’s a wonderful partner.”
In the near future the post office will send postcards to all residents of Atascadero and Templeton to invite them to the postal contract station’s grand opening to be held Thursday, Sept. 21.
The grand opening celebration begins at 11 a.m. and will be kicked off with week-long sales promotions throughout the station. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. gas will be offered at a discounted rate and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bookoo Energy Drink will be at the station offering free samples of its products. A raffle for a 50 c.c. race bike will also take place at 5 p.m. Tickets for the raffle cost $2 individually or three for $5. All proceeds from the raffle will go to Atascadero Loaves and Fishes and tickets are available at the station.
“It’s a slow time for Loaves and Fishes right now so they need all the extra help they can get in the off times when it’s not the holidays,” Shores said.
Customers are already utilizing the services and products available at the contract postal unit.
“We think it’s great,” said Steve Morgan, who lives in north Atascadero. “It’s comfortable. The people are nicer, the lines are shorter and it’s easily accessible.”