Evil Eye at the Post Office

Ok, I did it...I tied up the line at the Post Office during the busy lunch period and lots of folks in line gave me the evil eye..lol. I could almost see the steam rising and lightning bolts gleaming from them.
It all started with my 8 Priority Packages full of plants (what else). I had everything prelabeled but some boxes were not closed up. I usually preweigh my packages so I don't get any surprises at the PO. This time, though, I guessed and yes, I was off by 8 ounces on a few packages. Soooooo, I had to pull out some cuttings, remove some paper towels..you get the point..lol. Hey, I did get back in line a few times for reweighing of packages (gee, my other PO has a self-serve scale). I even brought my postal tape, scissors, markers and a 4 year-old child in tow. I think what broke the postal patrons patience was when Tom's English Ivy packages started a small leak through the box..I'm talking a few drips. The counter guy made me reopen the packages (I thought there was going to be a revolt by those waiting in line..lol). I had those packages Fort Knoxed, too. After opening the boxes, the water was coming from the leaves, which I had sprayed down. I have to say that the counter guy was a good sport about everything and the other counter postal worker was curious about the plants (read: not serving the waiting customers fast enough). So, after the Priority packages were put back together, I quietly filled out the Customs slips for some seeds going to South America, then made a subtle exit through the waiting crowd..only to hear from a waiting customer.."Were those drugs or pot plants that you just mailed to South America?" OMGosh...all in the life of a gardener..lol.
Trish

What a story!!

I love it!!!!! That is TOO funny! I know just how you feel Trish. Non-gardeners just don't have a clue.

I like the idea of a self-serve postal scale....wish my P.O. had one.

Oh, so funny. Glad you hung in there. That is why I try to go to my small local P.O., the postmisstriss is a flower lover and thinks it is so neat to trade over the internet. I hate it when her substitute is there, she gives off an attitude of why bother.

I'm not looking to start a controversy or anything, Dicentra, but I kind of side with the other patrons.

Many people can get to the PO at no other time but their lunch hour. If you're one of them, and are standing in line when somebody who has time consuming business that obviously could have been handled at another time, you get justifyably testy.

I remember when I was in those circumstances, and all the little old blue-haird ladies choose the lunch hour to cash their SS checks at the bank. They were retired, and could have cashed them at _any_ time.

We're just talking basic courtesy---something that seems to be woefully lacking in today's world.

Well, I try to be as courteous as possible. Thank God I live in a small town, where We wave, as we go by. I enjoy talking to people and I feel others have the right to use the facilities , and chat when they like. You have no idea what others schedules are like. Maybe that WAS the only time they could be there.
Courtesy is needed on both sides. Graciousness, is also a virtue. Patience, is another one.
I offer my LOADS of Zuchinni, and cherry tomatoes, Yellow pear, and sweet cherry 100's to my postman, and the people at the office.
I also put a sparkling cider in the box at Christmas. And I make them aware of what I am doing. I let people go in between , delays. We as gardeners are using the post office year round, like most use at Christmas.
OK, Brook, I guess I get irritated when people assume, just because , you have young childen, you take care of, stay at home Mom, that you have LOTs of time. My schedule is 24/7 not 9-5.

You only got one remark made, hmmn, you people must be very patient over there, lol.

Alan.

[ Removed per member request. - Admin]

Amen Patty! Trish, funny story! I am also glad I have a small town post office I can use! Lisa

When the package started dripping, you should have said, "oh no, that must me the box with the urine specimens!!!"LOL!!!

I have a small town p.o. also and I use to work with one of the clerks there a few years ago at a larger p.o. I use to go in to mail beanie babies-now its just plants. They know me by name and are all great....as for the others in line...it takes all kinds i guess. *hit happens!
I bet they're lives went on! Life is very short-we need to make the most of it.
I got a chuckle out of the visual of this postal outing!
have FUN,
dori

Frank, remind me never to go through an airport security checkpoint with you, LOL!!!! Hoo boy, I'd hate to see what you'd tell the nice folks at Customs!!!

My gripe isn't with the person tying up the line at the post office, it's that the postal service has such a monopoly on mail service that they can afford to be lousy at customer service. For example, we have one post office for our town of 65,000. Fifteen grocery stores, hundreds of restaurants, and one post office.

Which means there is never a good time to go - it's always busy. And they will not open additional lines to accomodate the crowd, no matter what. It aggravates the fire out of me to stand in line, while they dawdle along, and postal employees wander back and forth and gawk at the mob, but nobody tries to speed things up, or open up more lines to move things along. But they're the only game in town - nobody else is going to mail my letter for $.34 (it's like they say, everything has its price!)

So to keep my blood pressure in check ;0), I make it a point to use a smaller PO in a nearby outlying community - never a line, and they're much nicer to deal with! (I'm not sure how they'd take the urine comment, though!!!!)

I must say, I do sympathize with the people waiting in line, but it's no different from someone having 5 packages to mail and maybe other transactions to do. I usually have to wait at least 5-10 mins. in line regardless of the time of day.

IMHO, it's the P.O. that is to blame. As mentioned earlier, no matter how many people are waiting in line or what time of day, they will NOT open additional stations to help speed things up. Tax $$$ at work, ya know?

I don't want to be put in a position where I'm defending the PO. God knows, they have more than enough management and operating problems. And you're right. By and large they will not do anything about them, because they don't have to. Anyone who thinks otherwise has the PO confused with people who care.

However, this particular complaint won't wash. Walmart doesn't put on extra check-out clerks just because the lines are long. Nor does the local squat & gobble restaurant. Nor the supermarket. Why do you expect such service from one "company" and accept it at all the others?

The fact is, there are three times of day when the PO is particularly busy. From opening until about 9:30 or so; during the lunch krunch (11:30-1:30) and the half hour just before closing.

If you have a choice, just make sure to avoid those periods.

I was indicating the number of businesses we have in our fair city, not really comparing them to the PO. But since you raised the comparison, here's the difference: I can go somewhere else if the line is long at the restaurant, supermarket, or discount store. Harder to do when there's only one PO in town.

In all honesty, several supermarkets I've used over the years WILL open up additional lines during their busy times - they don't want to lose customers. (One even used it as a marketing tool, with banners stating that all checkout lanes would be open from 5-7 pm each evening.)

Restaurants....now just WHAT ON EARTH is a "squat and gobble"???? Doesn't sound appetizing, but you've got me intrigued, at least? hee hee

Our PO is busy every time I've been in there - I tried timing it for mid-morning, or mid-afternoon, and it was just as congested as any other time. So I found a smaller PO that isn't as close, but is a lot less congested - much easier on the nerve.

Now DO tell.....what's a squat and gobble? I'm getting a visual image of chickens, but I'm not sure.....

So-called fast food restaurants, Go-Vols. You know, like McWendy's King? Personally, I avoid them like the plague.

For the record, my town is bigger than yours, and there's only one post office. Probably 20 or more of the S&Gs, a Walmart Superstore, a Big K, several chain supermarkets, etc. etc. The pattern is, I think, the same everywhere.

As to opening during busy times. Nowadays, most large stores (i.e., supermarkets, department chains, etc.) have their staffing needs set by a computer, and it gets cast in concrete. If, based on it's superior knowledge, the computer says "8 check out people tonight," then only eight are called to work. If the machine messes up and there are unexpected crowds, you are still stuck with those eight. They _cannot_ open another line, because there is nobody to staff it.

Supermarkets are generally a bit more flexible than the department stores. But not by much. And I'll never figure out what criterium the computers use. I've been in a supermarket, for instance, on payday evening (normal payday, that is, not my own), and they had only three registers open at 7 PM. Lines literally stretched down the aisles.

Never heard 'em called that. Our favorite "fast food" places are Sonic and Steak 'n Shake, but those are reserved for a soda fountain treat........makes me hungry for a cherry limeade just thinking about it!

As far as the comparison to other businesses, all I can say is I've seen (within the past few months) several stores pull everybody possible to the registers when the need arises. Not always, but it does happen regularly enough to know it's not a one-time fluke.

I can always choose to walk out of a private enterprise that's too crowded, whether it's a restaurant, supermarket, whatever. And I can try another one down the street. Not so with the good ole USPS.

To get the thread back on track, I'll close by saying I DO think it would have been funny if Frank could have been there to make his urine comment for Dicentra! That would have cleared the room, I bet!!!!

>.....if Frank could have been there.....<

On that we can agree.

Frank, you ever think of doing stand-up for a living?

Have to agree with Go. They do pull everyone from everywhere if the lines get long. perhaps you should move closer to Go-vols to get better service. :)

Yeah, but whatever you do, don't get behind me in a line, anywhere. I am cursed, jinxed, whatever. Once I get in line, it is guaranteed to be the slowest! I've actually told people behind me in line to try another one because of this phenomenon. (hee hee)

listening to your post office grips makes me feel better about mine. at least i have 2 here. and they both have self service scales too. so i guess i can deal with those strange looks from the postmen and the fact that my post person once (and maybe still does) think that i'll sending drugs through the mail. they never really ask me what i'm doing or sending really.

have you tried putting in request or suggestions for a self service scale? but yes the post office monopoly has been discussed elsewhere before. on the news even. sometimes i wonder what the goverment is up too. just wondering why the try so hard to stop monopolies, while there exists one right in their nose and shodily ran too. 2 heads is better than 1, but a lot of heads can make a big headache.

I have my own PO story- as I, my six-year old and my three year old granddaughter were half-way down the long line, heading for home stretch(must get those stamps for the swaps, ya know!)after waiting in said line for a good fifteen minutes for all the above-mentioned reasons, I had a good view of the meter maid putting the parking ticket on the windshield of my car! I didn't get out of line!! I figured the damage was already done!LOL

I dont have any problems at the post office, I only go when absolutly necessary, but the one worker Jim scares the heck out of me. I always put on my happiest face and try to make my trip there as easy as possible. He looks like a ticking time bomb! He seems so miserable with his job that I am expecting him to be the next postal worker to snap.
I had to send out cert. letters to all my neighbors when we were going to build an extension and there were 3 workers at the counter that day and of course who do I get???? Yup. Jim. He was getting madder by the letter..all 28 of them. Just glad I made it out alive!
Janice

Grrrrrrrr. Boy am I ever ticked off at the Post Office right now!!! I mailed at package to ladygreenthumbs on 3/27 by express air mail (next day) and it still hasn't gotten there!!!

Hey Pete2, good to hear from you - I had just started thinking I hadn't "seen" you around the past few days. Of course, if your weather has been as nice as ours (and it's probably been nicer, considering your farther south), it's tempting to stay outside all day!

OK, let me make an additional note for the record..I ALWAYS try to hit the Post Office when it is NOT busy, since I am the last person who wants to stand in a line. Sometimes, though, I cannot avoid getting there during the lunch crowd because the PO is en route to picking up my preschooler about 45 minutes away from my home (one way). If the preschool lets out 10 minutes late, which happens, then I get stuck in the lunch crowd at the PO. I agree about basic courtesy, however, sometimes one cannot avoid certain scenarios concerning mailing out laborous packages and doing postal businnes.
The PO closest to me has the self-serve scale and it's very helpful but I avoid this PO like a plague since it has the reputation of at least a half-hour wait in line! (I had a previous post about one patron screaming at the workers for this reason). Patrons are notorious for mailing suitcases and TV boxes full of clothes, etc..to Russia, and to boot..the many patrons speak poor English, so the wait can be 45 minutes in line or more!
I think that a good attitude and courtesy can go a long way when doing Postal business..even in those times when water runs out on the counter or when your lunch time is up in 5 minutes.
Trish

I found this about sending odd things by post and thought it was fun:

http://www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume6/v6i4/postal-6-4.html

You know , I like the postal workers here . But, It must be awful, to dislike people so much. When you have to deal with them all day. Why not stick these people doing night work or something? Then they would have the total isolation they crave! Why are they on the counter?

Pete...you can get back the money you spent for express mail, since it didn't get there in the appointed time.

Dicentra...Most people have held up the line at the post office at one time or another. They just seem to have forgotten their turn at the counter. If I was behind you in that line I would have asked if you still needed those cuttings. lol

I feel the post office needs to catch up with the times and start extending it's hours. The post office here closes at 11:30 am on Saturday, a day when alot people do not have to work. Extending the hours on a few weekdays would also help.

I love the postal workers in my little city. They're extremely nice. I did a track on the missing package yesterday and found out what happened. Somehow the postal workers at ladygreenthumb's post office fouled up and said she didn't have a package there when really she did. Well, that's what the tracking revealed anyway. (sigh)

Terri

Oh well, you can't tie the line up at lunch at my Post Office. They are closed from 11:30 to 1:30.

Byron

Yup, that's what happened! ladygreenthumb's postal workers misplaced her package for 9 days but they found it thank goodness! Whew! I'm relieved!!!

Byron, I had to laugh at your message...until I visited my preferred PO (it's in an itty bitty town about a mile from my kids' school.) I never go in there at lunch time - I'm usually in there right before school lets out, or after school. But sure enough, they're closed from 11:30 - 1:00 for lunch too!

If I have to post more than 4 zones away, I use UPS. The stores and offices that contract with UPS and vary greatly, but most are curteous and even amazed about the plant-trading.

When I use the PO nearest the farm I always an sure to bring a farm-fresh edible or two for the Postmistress and her assistant. When day-olds arrive, they let me know right away.

Marshall