The postal scale: an unassuming tool that weighs envelopes to see if one 37-cent, first-class stamp is enough, or if that last page pushed the weight over the 1-ounce limit into multiple stamps.

No need to wait in line if one can simply use the self-service scale in the lobby near. But in Bend, La Pine and Sisters, customers find no scale available and thus go to the window.

”It’s one of the conveniences that should be there,” said Don Golden, 54, of Bend, while waiting in line to mail a package.

”I’d like to see a scale because if you’re not sure if your envelope weighs an ounce or maybe a little over, you have to wait in line,” he said.

The Bend main post office has not had a scale in its lobby – open around the clock – for at least five years, and has no plans to put one in, Postmaster Robert Zlatek Jr. said last week.

It’s not worth putting a new scale in the lobby because of past thefts, he said. Moreover, he added, not one customer has complained.

”People need to understand, coming to the window is the best way to go,” he said.

The Bend station has had ”more than a couple scales” put in and subsequently stolen over the years, said Rick Wyman, maintenance manager.

In addition to stealing scales, vandals break windows and deface the post office, Zlatek said. He estimates a window is broken once a year.

Scales are installed based on the postmaster’s need, said Kelly Walsh, customer relations coordinator for the U.S. Postal Service in Oregon.

Money comes out of a special appliance and equipment fund, she said.

At the La Pine post office, it’s been about five years since customers were able to weigh parcels themselves, according to the postmaster.

”We put in a scale, and it sprouts legs and walks off in about two nights,” said Postmaster Kevin Bryan.

The 1-pound beam scales are bolted to the table, yet all it takes is a hammer and chisel to remove them. In one instance, a vandal not only stole the $30 scale but caused $200 in damages to the Formica table, probably with a crowbar, Bryan said.

”The police say that drug dealers use them because they’re accurate. They’re a very good drug dealer scale,” Bryan said. ”And we don’t feel good about supplying drug dealers with scales.”

Bryan has a theory why constantly replacing a postal scale is almost self-defeating.

”I’ve been in post offices where they sit for years, but once one scale goes, they keep on going,” Bryan said. ”If you’ve got one out there and no one thinks of it, it’s OK. Once someone sees that you can take it, they do.”

Bryan has heard only one complaint in the last five years about not having a scale in the La Pine branch.

”The demand doesn’t justify the cost or headache,” he said.

In Sisters, postal clerk Shanna Sproat said that in the 18 years she’s worked there, the post office has never had a scale.

Customers with their hearts set on weighing their own envelopes can go to Redmond’s post office, which boasts an electronic scale mounted to the counter in the lobby. It has a case on it, with a cabinet underneath that is secured to the table.

Larry Stone, the Redmond postmaster, said a thief would probably have to break the cabinet, then rip off the front of the scale to steal it.

”It wouldn’t be impossible, but it’d be very difficult,” he said.

The Redmond post office lobby is open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, which may deter thieves wanting to make an early-morning snatch.

The scale is able to calculate the exact postage with a variety of shipping methods, like priority or parcel post, and options such as delivery confirmation. The customer puts in the destination ZIP code to access this feature.

Redmond’s post office has a scale because it has a postal store, selling stamps and other items in a typical store format. Postal stores are designed to contain a scale, and usually serve areas of higher mail volume, said Walsh.

Memphis, Tenn.-based Triner Scale and Equipment Inc. supplies weighing machines to the U.S. Postal Service, ranging from $200 to $1,100, a company spokesman said.

The Triner TS-30P, a mid-priced electronic scale, is ”lobby-approved,” said the firm’s Web site. Those with smaller budgets may appreciate a TSR-5. It’s not specially designed to lock down to a post office lobby table, though.

Chris Young can be reached at 541-382-1811 x402 or cyoung@bendbulletin.com.