Here in Australia, alot of the smaller towns don't have a post office. Instead the newsagent can become a mini version of a post office. Thye can deal with payments for bills, deposits to your bank account and deal with the mail. They don't deliver it, but will hold it untill you come into town.
Some remote areas have a plane do the mail run! It still costs just 50 cents for letters (it's discounted as part of a subsidy that Australia Post does), but parcels cost the normal comercial rate. On one run you can even go along as a passenger (paid, of course), but you better book ahead as it's booked up to a month in advance.
