Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 17, 1993                   TAG: 9311170100
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RON BROWN
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

POST OFFICE TO FOLLOW SHOPPERS TO MALLS WITH RETAIL OUTLETS

Postmaster Billy Martin announced Tuesday that plans are under way to put postal outlets in Tanglewood, Towers and Valley View malls.

The post office hopes mall outlets will increase convenience for customers while decreasing long lines at post office windows.

The U.S. Postal Service has outlined a goal of serving all window customers in five minutes or less.

"If we get retail outlets at the mall, it will take some of the traffic away from the windows," said Mary Patton, the customer-service coordinator for the Postal Service in Roanoke. "It's a way to pull people into the mall."

Tanglewood and Towers malls have already agreed to postal outlets, Patton said. Negotiations are under way with Valley View.

Patton said she hopes the mall postal outlets will be a reality within a year.

The proposal must be approved by regional postal managers, Patton said.