A First-Class Act : Valet Service at Beverly Hills’ New Post Office Helps Stamp Out Parking Woes.

It’s the city where reservations are required to shop in some stores and rainy-day parking tickets come enclosed in plastic bags. And now Beverly Hills has a new distinction: Valet parking service for the post office.

That’s right. Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of smog will keep attendants in white shirts and ties from tending the cars of patrons at the new postal station at 312 South Beverly Drive.

And for barely more than the cost of two first-class stamps, too: 50 cents for each 20 minutes (with a validation).

Postal authorities emphasize they aren’t going into a new business.

The arrangement, which made its debut Monday, grew out of the fact that the U.S. Postal Service moved into the first floor of a building owned by jeweler Haskell Faber, who also owns the lot next-door.

“He thought the best arrangement would be for us to pool our parking places with his since parking is such a problem in this city,” explained Postmaster Koula Fuller. “We (the post office) only had 14 places. But when we pool ours with his, we have 45. He agreed to privately furnish the valets.”

Fuller was speaking inside the newly remodeled building, which avoided the usual prison-gray look in favor of smoked-glass windows and a postal eagle embedded in the gray carpet at the front door.

Faber paid for the design improvements, including the eagle.

However, the post office did put out a spread of croissants and coffee.

“We do have an austerity program,” she said, “but it (the spread) is an appropriate way to welcome our new customers.”

Fuller preferred to call the parking lot workers “attendants.”

“When I think of valets I think of luxurious service,” she said. “This is more for practicality--to keep the lot from getting jammed up.”

Nevertheless, the sign at the next-door lot said: “XIV Karats, Ltd./U.S. Post Office Valet Parking Only.”

The public was slow to take advantage of the opportunity Monday. Only three postal patrons used the lot between noon and 3 p.m., one of them a tourist from Japan. Reactions were mixed.

“I think it’s typically Beverly Hills,” said Janis Bass, a local resident. “What other city would have this? I like it.”

“This is bad,” said Gaston Hakim. “This is a public place. It takes too long anyway. I drive in car. He takes car. He parks car. He brings back car...”

Tips were scarce, said lot manager Howard Magee. “A guy buying some stamps doesn’t want to pay more than 50 cents,” he said.

Customer Molly Schneir, who took an anti-valet position, found an alternate solution. “I parked in the Safeway lot,” she revealed.