I know this is deeply unglamorous, but the self-service kiosk at the post office on 33rd was down again last night at 7:20. The screen still glows, the scale works, but the card reader just freezes at "Swipe/Insert." Then the attendant tells me lobby machines "only work until 6"? That's not what the door says!! This is the third time I've tried to mail a return after work. I can't be the only one who needs to print a label and get a receipt without standing in the retirement-fund line on Saturday. Where are people actually going after 7 p.m. in Manhattan where the kiosk still takes a card and the package drop isn't full? I'm in Forest Hills but work near Grand Central, so I can detour. Have you tried the one at Farley? I heard it's 24/7 but the drop bin locks at some point. I need details!

I gave up on those machines. Half the time the touchscreen is covered in label glue. If I have to mail after work I just buy the label online and drop it at the counter at Grand Central. The line moves okay before six, but after that it's the kiosk or nothing. My local on Third Ave has a machine but the scanner gummed up once and swallowed my QR code, no receipt. For returns I just use the preprinted QR at a shipping store now. Maybe not the answer.

Up in Wash Heights the Dyckman post office keeps the lobby open later but the kiosk is hit or miss. Sometimes it's fine at 8 p.m., sometimes the card reader gives the same freeze you're describing. I've had better luck at the smaller one near Columbus around 74th? It was working last Tuesday around 7:30. I didn't try the drop bin there though, just grabbed a receipt and left. If you're near Grand Central maybe try the one near 52nd St before walking over to Farley. The Farley lobby is always open but the kiosk lines get weird at night.

ForestHillsFan, this is a service problem that varies branch to branch, and one machine being "24/7" doesn't guarantee the card reader, scale, or drop bin. I've used kiosks around the city for years. The best bet is to separate three needs: (1) buying/printing a label, (2) printing a prepaid return label or QR, and (3) dropping the item. If you need a stamped receipt, you want the kiosk or counter. If not, online label plus a staffed back counter until they close is usually faster.

To MurrayHill_M's point, buying a label online is often the only part that's reliable. For your location: the Grand Central retail floor is useful before 6; after 6, I'd try the Farley building. The main Farley lobby has kiosks and a self-service drop, but the bin near the 8th Ave side can fill up early evening when the Queens Midtown tunnel crowd hits. Don't rely on the last pickup time printed on the bin; if the bin is jammed, your package scans but tracking may not update until next day. I've learned to check the bin by opening the handle before paying for postage if possible.

I also wouldn't sleep on the smaller lobby at the Lenox Hill station on East 70th. It stays open later some nights, but the machine can be down too. Use the USPS locator and filter for self-service kiosk, then call before detouring, though that's a gamble. Last time the automated line said yes and the kiosk was off.

If this is for prepaid returns, the QR code return at a participating shipping store can be less stress. No receipt, but the drop scan happens in front of you. Not useful if you need proof of mailing. My practical order after work: buy label on phone, print at the office or library, then drop at a lobby with a staffed window still open. If I need a kiosk receipt, I go early enough the next morning and avoid the Saturday line entirely.

oldyork_otis, thank you for the breakdown! I never thought about checking the bin before paying, that's genius! I think my mistake is trying to do label + drop + receipt all at once. I usually have a 9 p.m. window, so the office/library printing doesn't work unless I bring labels from home. Have you tried the kiosks on the 34th Street side of Farley after 8? Sometimes there is a guy sitting near the door but he just points at the machines. I might try Lenox Hill tonight and report back. Do you know if that one has two machines or just one? I hate standing behind someone doing passport forms at a kiosk! Maybe not passport forms, but still.

Chelsea here. I used the Farley machine on a Tuesday around 7:45 last month. It took my card and printed the label, but the drop bin near the back was stuffed. I ended up walking the package to the counter and asking the cleaner? Don't do that. I now use the online label and hand it to the overnight clerk at the window if I'm nearby before 8. Not helpful for after 7, but if you can cut out of work ten minutes early it's better than two buses to Lenox Hill. Also, my local on 8th Ave has a machine but it's behind a locked door after 6. The sign says 24/7, the door says otherwise.