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Taxing time

Employees help last-minute filers meet deadline

USPS employee
Retail Associate Kendra Collins works at the Royal Oak, MI, Post Office’s retail counter April 18.

The number of customers flocking to Post Offices on Tax Day has decreased, but not the assistance they receive.

Employees across the nation stepped up to help last-minute filers April 18, this year’s deadline.

“All the customers ask when they drop off their tax letters, ‘Will my letter go out today?’” Royal Oak, MI, Retail Associate Kendra Collins said. “I tell them absolutely, we’ll take good care of their letter.”

USPS estimates it canceled 54.8 million First-Class Mail pieces April 18, down about 15 percent from the last year’s Tax Day and about half the number canceled a decade ago. The Postal Service doesn’t break down First-Class Mail by type, so the exact number of returns isn’t available.

About a dozen offices extended their hours this year, including the Richmond, VA, Main Post Office, where it was all hands on deck.

Officer in Charge Tim Lewis and Custodian José Mujar assisted customers who dropped off returns in the parking lot, while Customer Relations Coordinator Tina Hawkes accepted mail and affixed and verified postage.

“Traffic was steady, though not as heavy as it used to be,” Hawkes said. “Without exception everyone said how glad they were we were out there and how much they appreciated it.”

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