topic Re: Your Local Post Office in Community Chat

Your Local Post Office

Puppy Lips — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 20:17:56 GMT

Anyone else have complaints about your local post office? Our local post office in my small town is a joke these days. I have to go there after work, 5 days a week to mail things. And yes we do click & ship and other methods of shipping, but some items have to be mailed at the post office.

They used to always have 3 windows open. Then they cut back to 2 due to their cutbacks or downsizing. Many times the line is out the door and I have to wait a long time to be waited on. On top of that, there is one mail clerk there 4 days a week who is the SLOWEST person ever at the window. I swear that the longer the line is, the slower he goes. He is a young guy, so no issues there. He just moves at a snail's pace and does not care how long anyone has to wait. There is no speeding him up. And he will have extended conversations with customers that will take up way too much time.

In addition, when the line gets long, the Postmaster will come out and ask the people in line if anyone is just "picking up mail." Rarely is anyone there to just do that. When people say something like, "I just need one stamp," he tells them they have to wait in line. One time some of the customers (older folks) got really annoyed that the Postmaster could not open up a window and help. Then it came out in a round about way that due to "Union regulations" the Postmaster could not open a window and wait on customers.

My last complaint is with the delivery of our home mail. For the past 6 months or so I would periodically get mail for my neighbor one street over -- bills, bank statements, cards, etc. The only similarity is the last 2 digits of our street address. This happened 6 or 7 times and each time I took their mail back to the post office to point out their error, in writing, talking to the clerk and then eventually the Postmaster. We went out of town at the end of June and had our mail held. Well when we got back and got our mail, I found that they held some of my neighbor's mail as well. This time I made copies of the envelopes and took the actual mail to the neighbor myself, only to find out that they have gotten our mail as well. I took my copies to the post office and talked to the Postmaster again to voice a bigger complaint and give him my strongly worded written complaint.

There is nothing I can do to fix the post office, but it is aggravating. Sorry to be so long winded. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced frustration at your local post office.

Re: Your Local Post Office

chrystaltree — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 20:32:30 GMT

I've had my issues with the p.o. but over all, I'm pleased with the service. I go into our p.o every Saturday morning., which is small, just 2 windows. Yes, when the line is long, they ask whose "just picking up" and they take care of those people. That works for me because I'm always "just picking up". It does speed up the line. My biggest problem is that they claim to open up at 8am on Saturday but most of the time, that isn't true. They do open the doors at 8am but no one comes to the windows until well after 8am, usually 8:30. So, you stand in line with a bunch of grumbling, ticked off, mad as a wet hen customers. Not a fun way to being one's weekend. So, now I make my p.o. run later, around 12 noon.

Re: Your Local Post Office

151949 — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 21:42:32 GMT

We use a po box in the summers so if we get a package delivered - which is fairly often as I get CPAP supplies delivered and we get some meds, plus I order clothing while we are here because of no tax on clothing in Pa. Anyway, we know when the packages arrive at the PO because of the online tracking but often they are not out for delivery to us for 3 to 4 days.

Re: Your Local Post Office

NanaS — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 00:24:15 GMT

I had mail stolen out of my post office drive up mailbox. Was called in the middle of the night by the ChicAgo police telling me they had two of my checks that were confiscated from two men at the airport. IM IN DALLAS.

DO NOT PUT YOUR MAIL IN THE OUTSIDE CURB MAILBOXES AT THE POST OFFICE ! ITS A HASSLE BUT JUST PARK AND GO INSIDE TO DROP YOUR MAIL. ITS SAFER !

Re: Your Local Post Office

NanaS — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 00:26:01 GMT

MY PET PEEVE AT THE POST OFFICE IS PEOPLE THAT COME IN WITH THINGS TO PUT IN A BOX TO MAIL BUT HAVE NO BOX, NO TAPE, NO LABELS AND THEY WALK UP TO THE CLERK AND EXPECT THEM TO PACK IT ALL UP FOR THEM !!! TAKING TIME FROM THE PEOPLE STANDING IN LINE. THEY SHOULD HAVE A SPECIFIC LINE IN THE POST OFFICE FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT ORGANIZED. LET THEM ALL STAND IN THE SAME LINE AND SEE HOW THEY LIKE IT.

Re: Your Local Post Office

151949 — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 00:53:01 GMT

On 7/23/2014 NanaS said:
MY PET PEEVE AT THE POST OFFICE IS PEOPLE THAT COME IN WITH THINGS TO PUT IN A BOX TO MAIL BUT HAVE NO BOX, NO TAPE, NO LABELS AND THEY WALK UP TO THE CLERK AND EXPECT THEM TO PACK IT ALL UP FOR THEM !!! TAKING TIME FROM THE PEOPLE STANDING IN LINE. THEY SHOULD HAVE A SPECIFIC LINE IN THE POST OFFICE FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT ORGANIZED. LET THEM ALL STAND IN THE SAME LINE AND SEE HOW THEY LIKE IT.

The post office sells boxes and they pay for the service they are getting - packing it for them.

Re: Your Local Post Office

redtabby — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 00:55:37 GMT

My post office sounds very similar so I never go to the post office unless I need to pick up mail after a hold. For stamps or mailing packages I go to a substation that is in the grocery store. Several grocery stores in my town have substations, no surcharge on mail services like those mail places. The one drawback is that the substations' last pickup is usually around 3.

Re: Your Local Post Office

Sooner — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 03:32:49 GMT

My pet peeve is retired and non-working folks who show up at the Post Office during the normal lunch hour for working people then COMPLAIN loudly about the crowds!

Re: Your Local Post Office

Kachina624 — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 05:56:13 GMT

We've got a town of about 90,000, one post office with 3 clerks and one is always on break, vacation, sick, at lunch, somewhere else. I always have to wait in line and I can only stand a few minutes. In their infinite wisdom, they got rid of the take-a-number machine. By the time I finish at the window, I can hardly make it back to the car.

Re: Your Local Post Office

Vivian — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 12:30:15 GMT

I was just at our local post office yesterday. I needed to return a pair of shoes. We have a big beautiful post office in our small city but the service is awful. As a university town, we have many international students. They come to the post office with many packages and must fill out forms before sending. The lines are long and, with only two clerks to serve customers, waiting times are atrocious. When I finally got to the clerk, she asked me to read some sort of bogus statement and click on the screen. Then she asked me a series of questions, told me about insurance and other subjects I had no interest in hearing about, and finally I got a long receipt and was permitted to leave. It seemed as if the transaction took twice as long as it used to. I wondered what |d|ot had approved procedures that take even longer than before. My home delivery is fine although it comes at all different times of day but the post office is a disaster.

Re: Your Local Post Office

pinkskates4 — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 14:07:30 GMT

I was in line to pick up mail and the man in front of me picked up passport renewal forms. A woman came out of her office and handed him the forms. When I got to the counter, I asked if I could also have two renewal forms. The clerk informed me I would have to make an appointment to see the Passport Officer. I said I didn't need help, just the forms. She again said I needed an appointment to do that (I guess the man had had one). She told me I should call and make one (apparently I couldn't do that in line either.)

Not only did I find this unbelievable - and rude - but I later found out the forms are online and printable - which the clerk couldn't be bothered to tell me either (now maybe if I had called to make an appointment.....)

Re: Your Local Post Office

RedTop — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 16:38:16 GMT

I seldom go to the post office for anything, but within the last month, I have mailed 2 packages for my daughter from different locations. The first package was mailed from the "big" post office in town; only 1 clerk was working, and I was #8 in line. Spent 1/2 an hour of my life I'll never get back, in line there. Package #2 was mailed from a small rural post office on our route to the VA Medical Center. There were no other cars in the parking lot, so I walked right to the window, mailed the package and left. Both clerks were very efficient and friendly, both asked if I needed stamps, or could assist me with anything else. I order all stamps online these days, but wouldn't hesitate to stop at the small rural post office again on our way to and from our VA appointments.

Re: Your Local Post Office

Puppy Lips — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 23:25:43 GMT

On 7/23/2014 Sooner said:
My pet peeve is retired and non-working folks who show up at the Post Office during the normal lunch hour for working people then COMPLAIN loudly about the crowds!

Yes that happens at my post office too. We have a lot of retired people in our town and they do go to the post office, and then the bank, around lunch time. It seems they would get faster service if they wend mid morning or mid afternoon.

Re: Your Local Post Office

Clover29 — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 00:41:02 GMT

Mine's awesome. I just moved from a city where the post office was like everyone else's (ie terrible). My new city post office only has one clerk, but there was no line at all and the clerk was friendly and efficient. I was shocked.

Re: Your Local Post Office

Peaches McPhee — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 02:33:56 GMT

Wow. My post office has an automatic machine (like an ATM), from which you can buy stamps, and mail packages. I have not been in the window part of the post office in years.

Re: Your Local Post Office

happycat — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 03:53:49 GMT

On 7/24/2014 Peaches McPhee said:
Wow. My post office has an automatic machine (like an ATM), from which you can buy stamps, and mail packages. I have not been in the window part of the post office in years.

Ours use to have one of those, but for some reason they took it out. I went today to buy stamps and to my surprise they now close at 4:00. Give me a break.

Re: Your Local Post Office

MikafromTopeka — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 13:31:40 GMT

On 7/23/2014 happy housewife said:
We use a po box in the summers so if we get a package delivered - which is fairly often as I get CPAP supplies delivered and we get some meds, plus I order clothing while we are here because of no tax on clothing in Pa. Anyway, we know when the packages arrive at the PO because of the online tracking but often they are not out for delivery to us for 3 to 4 days.

I'm just wondering how you manage this? Do you just pay for the box all year or open a new one each season?

I have been paying for a PO Box since our mailbox got hit by a snowplow a few years back. At first I just had mail forwarded to it but after a year they won't allow forwarding. I didn't want to permanently change our address to a POB for SS reasons so I eventually just let everything flow back to our mailbox. Now the POB has come in handy for handling my deceased mother's mail but I'm contemplating whether or not I want to hang on the box to use when we retire.

Re: Your Local Post Office

Sooner — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 16:50:45 GMT

On 7/25/2014 kaybee said:
On 7/23/2014 happy housewife said:
We use a po box in the summers so if we get a package delivered - which is fairly often as I get CPAP supplies delivered and we get some meds, plus I order clothing while we are here because of no tax on clothing in Pa. Anyway, we know when the packages arrive at the PO because of the online tracking but often they are not out for delivery to us for 3 to 4 days.

I'm just wondering how you manage this? Do you just pay for the box all year or open a new one each season?

I have been paying for a PO Box since our mailbox got hit by a snowplow a few years back. At first I just had mail forwarded to it but after a year they won't allow forwarding. I didn't want to permanently change our address to a POB for SS reasons so I eventually just let everything flow back to our mailbox. Now the POB has come in handy for handling my deceased mother's mail but I'm contemplating whether or not I want to hang on the box to use when we retire.

How much are POB's these days? I have been thinking about one.

Re: Your Local Post Office

MikafromTopeka — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 17:05:53 GMT

On 7/25/2014 Sooner said:
On 7/25/2014 kaybee said:
On 7/23/2014 happy housewife said:
We use a po box in the summers so if we get a package delivered - which is fairly often as I get CPAP supplies delivered and we get some meds, plus I order clothing while we are here because of no tax on clothing in Pa. Anyway, we know when the packages arrive at the PO because of the online tracking but often they are not out for delivery to us for 3 to 4 days.

I'm just wondering how you manage this? Do you just pay for the box all year or open a new one each season?

I have been paying for a PO Box since our mailbox got hit by a snowplow a few years back. At first I just had mail forwarded to it but after a year they won't allow forwarding. I didn't want to permanently change our address to a POB for SS reasons so I eventually just let everything flow back to our mailbox. Now the POB has come in handy for handling my deceased mother's mail but I'm contemplating whether or not I want to hang on the box to use when we retire.

How much are POB's these days? I have been thinking about one.

I'm paying $32 per 6 months for a small po box.