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The U.S. Postal Service will decide by Oct. 1 whether to close 700 hundred post offices nationwide, including one in Prince George's County — the office in Landover Hills — in a cost cutting measure.

But several customers who frequent the office at 7400 Buchanan St. said they cannot see themselves getting mail service anywhere else.

The postal service is studying whether it is economically viable to keep offices such as Landover Hills open while facing an expected $6 billion budget shortfall and a drop in 20 billion pieces of mail since 2008, Luvenia Hyson, a USPS spokeswoman wrote in an Aug. 13 e-mail to The Gazette. The Landover Hills branch is the only one in Prince George's proposed to close.

The economic recession and an increase in the use of Internet mail contribute to the shortfall, in addition to the fact that USPS is not funded with federal tax money, Hyson added. The postal service will compare the costs to lease each post office building on the proposed list with its walk-in service revenue to determine which ones will close or remain open, Hyson wrote. Hyson did not provide revenue information for the Landover Hills branch.

More offices could be added or dropped from the list until Oct. 1, Hyson said.

Melody Gaskins, the Hyattsville post master, who oversees the Landover Hills branch, said she does not know why the service specifically targeted Landover Hills but said factors might include its proximity to other offices and the fact that the building's lease is set to expire in early 2010.

The Landover Hills branch serves 30 to 50 customers a day and as many as 150 customers per week according to Gaskins. The office completes 200 transactions per day, she said, adding that some of the most used services are priority mail, first-of-the-month money orders and stamp purchases.

ZIP codes under Gaskins' jurisdiction are in Adelphi, Cheverly, Landover, Langley Park, New Carrollton and Riverdale.

In the Washington metropolitan area, the postal service is considering closing nine offices in Washington, D.C, five in Baltimore and three in Montgomery County. The closest post offices to the Landover Hills branch are in Bladensburg on Tilden Road and in Riverdale on Kenilworth Avenue. Both are about three miles away.

Landover Hills resident Emmanuel Kundzro, 46, said he comes to the Landover Hills post office every two weeks to post letters, adding that he does not go elsewhere because he enjoys the customer service.

"They are the best," Kundzro said. "If there's any way for [USPS] to sacrifice for them to stay they should stay."

Delorise Otero, 69, of Landover Hills, said she occasionally brings the staff breakfast to show her appreciation for their kindness and concern about her mail.

"It's close to my house and I have a private box," Otero said. "[For] years I've been having a private box. It would be inconvenient if they close."

Clutching a white package to send to her sister, Elzenia Bishop, 64, of Hyattsville said she sends all of her mail through the Landover Hills office, especially during holidays such as Christmas.

"We need this," Bishop said. "If they send out a petition I would be sure to sign it."

E-mail Natalie McGill at nmcgill@gazette.net.