Life's annoyances

[actor61]

I had to mail a small package to Switzerland on Monday. I wrapped it per instructions, and filled out the customs form per instructions, and then headed for my local post office. There was a line of about 15 people and 1 very slow gentleman at the counter. Lots of other postal employees were walking around behind him but not one of them opened up another station at the counter. After about 30 long minutes, it came my turn and I stepped up to the counter at which point the employee held up his hand and said, "I'm going on my break. Somebody will be right with you." And left. The man next in line groaned, "Oh puleeeese", and the departing employee said to him, "Sir, if you have a problem I can call the manager." The guy didn't say a word and the employee said, "I thought so" as he left.

 

A few minutes later, a very large. apparently disgruntled woman slowly walked in to replace the guy who'd left for his break. On her way, she stopped to chat with another employee about the weather and their kids, then she got up to the counter and had to swap out cash drawers, then she had to log on to the computer, then she had to adjust the postage machine, shuffle envelopes, write something on a notepad, replace a couple of pens, and adjust the scrunchy in her hair. When these apparently onerous tasks had been completed, she looked at me as though I was already a pain in the ass, sighed and said, "Yes?" I told her I had a package for Switzerland and she motioned me to put it on the scale. I mentioned that I had the customs form and she replied, "Did I ask you for that?" She began typing and on the screen facing me, I saw that she had typed Swaziland. I spoke up and said, "I'm sorry. I'm sending this to Switzerland, not Swaziland." She grunted, deleted what she'd typed, and then put in Sweden. "No," I said, "Switzerland." She grunted again with a great deal of annoyance, deleted Sweden and without looking at me said, "Spell it." Which I did while she typed, grunted and sighed. Once this was done, it took another 5 minutes for her to print the postage, stick it on the package, decide which copy of the customs form stayed with her and which went with the package, and then toss it into the appropriate bin. I asked her how long it would take to get there and she responded, "You should have asked me before I printed the postage." I just shrugged and said, "Oh gosh. Sorry. My bad." I think the irony sailed over her head. The bill was $16.20 and I handed her a 20 dollar bill. She looked at it and said, "Couldn't you use a credit or debit card?" I said that I preferred to pay cash and she had to get help to make change.

[+ azdr0710]

Government efficiency in action.

[jawjateck]

My small town post office is a piece of cake, but like you, I learned to avoid the busy PO near my place in Midtown Atlanta. Major time waster.

[Reluctant Daddy]

Government efficiency in action.

 

I deal with government agencies daily as part of my job. It's a wonder how some of these employees can dress themselves without an instructional video.

[+ sf westcoaster]

Your experience is not unique. With one exception every post office in my area operates as you described and on top of that it is rare that I encounter a clerk who speaks understandable English.

[+ Archer]

I use the post office frequently. It's a large and very busy facility, but I have never witnessed anything like you describe. If the line gets long, they open extra windows and the clerks are very helpful. I've heard these stories over the decades, but have never experienced such bad service in any of the cities where I have lived. Perhaps I'm just lucky.

[+ bigjoey]

Government efficiency in action.

 

Now these are the people who many want to give us health care.

 

I use the Leawood, Kansas post office and have similar stories.

[+ glennnn]

I once spent 8 hours mailing two packages of souvenirs home to the States from Rome, Italy. It was very cheap. One arrived in 3 months. The other took over a year. I also mailed one home from Switzerland. It cost more than the tourist crap it contained and the transaction took 15 minutes. It arrived in California in a little over a week. Annoyed at the time, I now find the whole thing amusing. BTW I've never been back to Switzerland (too expensive, too Disneyland, too boring), but I've spent many happy vacations in Italy and even learned the language. I don't know what this proves. Sono un idiota?

[+ bashful]

Frightening she had no knowledge of geography. You would think a person needed to be a least a high school graduate (or have a GED) to get a job at the post office. Maybe a map of the world should be sent to them, and the manager could quiz them once a week.

[+ deej]

Frightening she had no knowledge of geography. You would think a person needed to be a least a high school graduate (or have a GED) to get a job at the post office. Maybe a map of the world should be sent to them, and the manager could quiz them once a week.

 

It's interesting she knew those other countries. Most HS graduates couldn't find Switzerland on a map. Sad, but true.

 

A friend spent a semester in college (40 years ago) in an exchange program in Austria. She told anyone who wanted to send her mail to address it "Austria EUROPE" lest the post office send the letter first to Australia.

[gallahadesquire]

when I graduated high school, I worked in the Post Office for one summer. My government employee test score was too low for a second summer job, as there were all kinds of Vietnam Vets coming back (now 1970) who had precedence.

 

I will say this: The government employee test, for an 18 year old, was hard.

[+ nycman]

Three words.....Governemnt Run Healthcare.

 

If you didn't just feel a shiver run down the back of your neck.....you're a moron.

[+ Truereview]

I can't wait for the day when I have the wisdom to realize that life's little annoyances should be a reminder of how fucking privileged I am.

[actor61]

Frightening she had no knowledge of geography. You would think a person needed to be a least a high school graduate (or have a GED) to get a job at the post office. Maybe a map of the world should be sent to them, and the manager could quiz them once a week.

I'm half Swiss (Swiss mother, American father), live in the States and travel home to Geneva to see the family once, sometimes twice a year. Here in the U.S., if I mention my Swiss background to people, the remark I invariably get is, "Oh yeah? Say something in Swedish."

 

Sigh.

[AdamSmith]

It's interesting she knew those other countries.

Or the screen she was entering the order into was auto-offering her a list of countries based on her first one or two keyed letters, and she was choosing at random.

[+ bashful]

I'm half Swiss (Swiss mother, American father), live in the States and travel home to Geneva to see the family once, sometimes twice a year. Here in the U.S., if I mention my Swiss background to people, the remark I invariably get is, "Oh yeah? Say something in Swedish."

 

Sigh.

 

I guess I have a similar perspective. Being first generation, and always hearing of, and being around those from the "old country" during my childhood, I assume everyone has some of knowledge of geography. As many of us are, I'm privileged to have had more than one culture shape who I am.

[rvwnsd]

Or the screen she was entering the order into was auto-offering her a list of countries based on her first one or two keyed letters, and she was choosing at random.

That is likely what happened. People get lazy or confused and select the wrong value. A geography test is not going to help assuage situations where someone is not paying attention to what they are doing.

[Nvr2Thick]

Or the screen she was entering the order into was auto-offering her a list of countries based on her first one or two keyed letters, and she was choosing at random.

 

http://m.state.gov/mc17517.htm#s

 

Swaziland

Sweden

Switzerland

 

She had three to choose from and gave up at number two.

[Guest]

It's interesting she knew those other countries. Most HS graduates couldn't find Switzerland on a map. Sad, but true.

 

A friend spent a semester in college (40 years ago) in an exchange program in Austria. She told anyone who wanted to send her mail to address it "Austria EUROPE" lest the post office send the letter first to Australia.

Poor Austrians....

http://images-cdn.9gag.com/photo/3369246_700b.jpg

 

You can even get the T-shirt.

https://ohffs.spreadshirt.com/australia-worst-country-in-europe-blue-t-shirt-A4546841

[Guest]

I mentioned that I had the customs form and she replied, "Did I ask you for that?" She began typing and on the screen facing me, I saw that she had typed Swaziland. I spoke up and said, "I'm sorry. I'm sending this to Switzerland, not Swaziland."

 

At least Swaziland, unlike Switzerland, is a member of the European Union!

 

http://www.drapeaux-shop.com/pins-amitie/drapeau-Swaziland/Pins-Swaziland-Europe.jpg

[Nvr2Thick]

Our neighborhood post office branch has had terrible customer service for years. There are three others in the area that are the model of polite, helpful efficiency. Those branches staff up the windows at lunchtime and just before closing. Most everyone will proactively explain how your transaction works and walk you through options. It has become a joy to go to the good post offices, and such a shock to go to the one in the neighborhood. At our branch even when it seems like it's going to be an uneventful transaction it will always take a turn for the worse. Once a guy had started looking up rates for a package for me when he stopped to shout out to a friend in line. He started flirting with this girl he knew and went so far as to say, "you make sure you come to my window so I can check you out in those new jeans." When they were done with their little chat he looked at me blankly, making no motion to continue, and said, "What can I do for you?" When I said as calmly and politely as I could, "You were looking up options and rates for me for this package," he got pissed and mean and said, "Don't be a damn smartass - I know, I know what I was doing." He was shitty to me for the rest of the transaction.

 

A lot of families subscribe to a Dolly Parton children's book club. Our branch manager has established a policy for the carriers; bend the books to fit in the mailbox -- do not set them on a dry spot on the porch. I've never owned a dog, but I've had mail service suspended three times because our carrier said that my house looks like it has a dog. She used to do it any time anyone put a fence in the front yard. My back yard has had a 6' privacy fence for 15 years, but the manager will explain that her carrier was concerned about my new fence. I now have a small sign above my mailbox that says "Please remember: I do not have a dog. My fence was installed in 2001, and it surrounds the back yard."

 

Lunch hour 11AM - 12:30 PM they run one window. When that guy takes a break they'll open two windows for a bit, but those two will be the least efficient, poor listeners who will argue with you if you didn't know exactly what you wanted to do. They'll run one window when things pick up at 4PM, and open a second around 4:30PM when the line is impossibly long. It's always the same woman, and she makes a big production about getting the cash drawer and computer online. The sigh she gives when she's got it all together would make you think she just climbed the Statue of Liberty. If you're next in line and you even shift your weight from one foot to another before she's ready she will shout, "Not yet! Not yet! I didn't call for the next person in line, Hun!" When she calls "Next person in line," it's always followed by an impatient, "Let's keep it moving; Keep it moving," no matter how quickly you spring into action. They're supposed to accept customers into the branch up until 5PM, but she will stop in the middle of your transaction to shout, "Whoa whoa whoa - we're CLOSED!" at anyone coming in after 4:30PM. If she gets too many of these she'll keep waddling up to the door to lock it, even though it gets unlocked every time someone leaves. When the door gets unlocked she'll groan, and sometimes she'll proactively go to the door again and lock it. I was there when someone tried to bolt the door for her after a customer left, and she barked at him, "Don't you dare touch that lock!" as she stormed to the door to lock it. With all of her drama her window runs at 1/4 the efficiency of the other one. If you can't laugh about the situation being there 4-4:30PM the anxiety is unbearable.

 

This is true of most of the people who work the counter -- if you're the slightest bit polite they'll glare and sneer at you. "Hello" and "Thank you" are words that sting.

 

A neighbor started a social war against our post office branch. He would post weekly to the neighborhood social media sites with instructions on how to complain about our branch online. He printed out a small poster with the top USPS Customer Service link and instructions on how to register a complaint, noting our branch number. The poster read "If you've had a poor experience today please report it to customer service." He would post these on the doors and bulletin board. Nothing ever got better. In fact, the woman I mentioned above would sometimes remark to some customers, "You must be one of those people who complains about us on the Internet." I got that from her a few times during fairly normal transactions - even when I quickly bought a book of stamps and paid with exact change. This is how it went:

 

"Next person in line"

"Hello! May I have a book of stamps, please?"

"<grunt> Four seventy"

"Here's four... and seventy cents."

"You must be one of those people complaining on the Internet. You know you can buy stamps from the machine in the out there."

"Thanks, yes, I checked, but there's an out of order sign on the machine."

"Everybody's gotta tell me their problems."

"Thanks so much for your help!"

 

We all dream of the day when our branch manager retires. It's a running joke in our neighborhood.

[+ bashful]

http://m.state.gov/mc17517.htm#s

 

Swaziland

Sweden

Switzerland

 

She had three to choose from and gave up at number two.

 

Therein lies a big problem these days. More and more it's reaction to information provided (e.g. the listed countries), and less proactive thinking.

[gallahadesquire]

I know i am stupid and naive hereupon, but isn't there a postmaster who's supposed to look after these things?

 

In my town in Central Mass, we have:

• Central Mass Processing Center for USPS
  
• Central Mass Processing Center for UPS
  
• Central Mass Processing Center for FedEx
  

The UPS unit is cool. If you get a non-delivery notice, you can go down (I forget if you have to call them) and pick up your package after 8PM, when they have a van ready to disperse same. It feels a little like buying a VCR out of someone's trunk, but it's damned convenient, given the rest of UPS relatively archaic system.

 

I used to write my Mother in Greater Chicagoland. If I got my letter in the local PO by 5 PM on tuesday, she'd get it on Thursday. don't ask me; I don't understand it, either.

 

 

 

Our neighborhood post office branch has had terrible customer service for years. There are three others in the area that are the model of polite, helpful efficiency. Those branches staff up the windows at lunchtime and just before closing. Most everyone will proactively explain how your transaction works and walk you through options. It has become a joy to go to the good post offices, and such a shock to go to the one in the neighborhood. At our branch even when it seems like it's going to be an uneventful transaction it will always take a turn for the worse. Once a guy had started looking up rates for a package for me when he stopped to shout out to a friend in line. He started flirting with this girl he knew and went so far as to say, "you make sure you come to my window so I can check you out in those new jeans." When they were done with their little chat he looked at me blankly, making no motion to continue, and said, "What can I do for you?" When I said as calmly and politely as I could, "You were looking up options and rates for me for this package," he got pissed and mean and said, "Don't be a damn smartass - I know, I know what I was doing." He was shitty to me for the rest of the transaction.

 

A lot of families subscribe to a Dolly Parton children's book club. Our branch manager has established a policy for the carriers; bend the books to fit in the mailbox -- do not set them on a dry spot on the porch. I've never owned a dog, but I've had mail service suspended three times because our carrier said that my house looks like it has a dog. She used to do it any time anyone put a fence in the front yard. My back yard has had a 6' privacy fence for 15 years, but the manager will explain that her carrier was concerned about my new fence. I now have a small sign above my mailbox that says "Please remember: I do not have a dog. My fence was installed in 2001, and it surrounds the back yard."

 

Lunch hour 11AM - 12:30 PM they run one window. When that guy takes a break they'll open two windows for a bit, but those two will be the least efficient, poor listeners who will argue with you if you didn't know exactly what you wanted to do. They'll run one window when things pick up at 4PM, and open a second around 4:30PM when the line is impossibly long. It's always the same woman, and she makes a big production about getting the cash drawer and computer online. The sigh she gives when she's got it all together would make you think she just climbed the Statue of Liberty. If you're next in line and you even shift your weight from one foot to another before she's ready she will shout, "Not yet! Not yet! I didn't call for the next person in line, Hun!" When she calls "Next person in line," it's always followed by an impatient, "Let's keep it moving; Keep it moving," no matter how quickly you spring into action. They're supposed to accept customers into the branch up until 5PM, but she will stop in the middle of your transaction to shout, "Whoa whoa whoa - we're CLOSED!" at anyone coming in after 4:30PM. If she gets too many of these she'll keep waddling up to the door to lock it, even though it gets unlocked every time someone leaves. When the door gets unlocked she'll groan, and sometimes she'll proactively go to the door again and lock it. I was there when someone tried to bolt the door for her after a customer left, and she barked at him, "Don't you dare touch that lock!" as she stormed to the door to lock it. With all of her drama her window runs at 1/4 the efficiency of the other one. If you can't laugh about the situation being there 4-4:30PM the anxiety is unbearable.

 

This is true of most of the people who work the counter -- if you're the slightest bit polite they'll glare and sneer at you. "Hello" and "Thank you" are words that sting.

 

A neighbor started a social war against our post office branch. He would post weekly to the neighborhood social media sites with instructions on how to complain about our branch online. He printed out a small poster with the top USPS Customer Service link and instructions on how to register a complaint, noting our branch number. The poster read "If you've had a poor experience today please report it to customer service." He would post these on the doors and bulletin board. Nothing ever got better. In fact, the woman I mentioned above would sometimes remark to some customers, "You must be one of those people who complains about us on the Internet." I got that from her a few times during fairly normal transactions - even when I quickly bought a book of stamps and paid with exact change. This is how it went:

 

"Next person in line"

"Hello! May I have a book of stamps, please?"

"<grunt> Four seventy"

"Here's four... and seventy cents."

"You must be one of those people complaining on the Internet. You know you can buy stamps from the machine in the out there."

"Thanks, yes, I checked, but there's an out of order sign on the machine."

"Everybody's gotta tell me their problems."

"Thanks so much for your help!"

 

We all dream of the day when our branch manager retires. It's a running joke in our neighborhood.

[gallahadesquire]

Whilst I'm story telling:

 

When I lived in the South End in Boston in the early '80's, the mail was left on the doorsill of the townhouse I lived in. At least for awhile. We then got a new Mail delivery person, who said he couldn't deliver the mail, because we didn't have a "regulation" mailbox.

 

So I went and got a post, and a rural "mailbox."

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bqCxQKDqifI/S9sp2PIWS4I/AAAAAAAADgE/mU7FFUtIm6k/s1600/mailbox.png

 

That worked for awhile, at least while Cleveland Grover [sic] was our postman.

 

I noticed at one point that the new / temporary mailman had stopped delivering our mail.

"why aren't you leaving it?"

"You don't have a regulation mail box."

"Yes we do ..." (pointing at the box on the pole at the bottom of the stairs).

"Oh ..."

 

Just one of life's little annoyances.

[rvwnsd]

The post office in my neighborhood is tiny. There are typically three people working the counter with one position reserved for the person who relieves the others for lunches and breaks. All three are very friendly and if they see someone standing in line with what appears to be a prepaid box (such as the flat-rate Priority mail box or pouch) they suggest to leave it at the counter to avoid waiting in line. If they see someone with a missed delivery notice, the call someone from the back to get the piece of mail. They are the polar opposite of the stereotypical postal employees.

 

On the other end of the spectrum is the postal station at one of the local malls. Most of their employees are the embodiment of every post office stereotype imaginable. One time I made the mistake of stopping there when I was at the mall. After what seemed like 20 minutes I left out of frustration. The next day I went to the local post office and explained what happened. The lady asked me what I was thinking when I went to that location as it is terrible. She also joked that it was punishment for cheating on the local PO.