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GREENSBORO — The U.S. Postal Service wants its customers to handle their own postage — and is offering cash prizes to those who do.

At post offices nationwide, including three in Greensboro, customers will get a chance at $250 daily cash prizes and a grand prize of $10,000 when they use the Automatic Postal Center kiosks rather than standing in line to be served.

"It's a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week postal clerk, basically," said Carl Walton, Greensboro spokesman for the postal service. "Most people don't realize that 70-80 percent of the transactions they do at the window could be done at these kiosks faster."

Walton said the service hopes the contest — open to anyone with an Automatic Postal Center receipt — will drive more people to try the kiosks and make it a habit.

"We liken it to automatic kiosks at banks or airports," Walton said. "When they were first introduced, people didn't go to them. They wanted to deal with a live person for every transaction.

"But they got used to it and it went faster," he said.

Shannon Hughes, 22, said she hasn't yet used the kiosks at the post office on Yanceyville Street — but the contest probably will draw her in.

"It will be nice to have it available 24 hours," she said.

Hughes said she thinks the kiosks are a natural progression of technology.

"I trust my money in ATMs and my plane tickets to machines at the airport," she said. "If it will make it quicker and easier, I can see this as the next step."

Contact Joe Killian at 373-7023 or jkillian@news-record.com