I REALLY hate mailing things at my PO!

[plushroo]

I like to sell things because it's extra income I could use in turn to buy other things and I have a lot of stuff taking up room. I've already sent off a couple of packages this week, one was in a priority envelope so was going priority, but I had planned to send the other first class since it was only going a few states over. Postal lady said it had to go priority mail too I guess because I was mailing them at the same time? I had another package to mail this morning and this one was going out of the country so I was going to get my brother to mail it for me at another PO before he went to work, but he was going to to mail it up town instead. I hate sending anything out of the country at our PO because the lady gets frustrated with keying in everything on the customs form. That's not my fault they decided to make more regulations in sending stuff out of the country. This is why I take out of country parcels to other PO's. He said the lady made a comment like "Oh, another one?" or something like that. This same lady has worked there for years and while I don't really have a problem with her all the time, her attitude comes off as she's not appreciative of her job. While I understand it can be stressful since I currently deal with mail returns at my job,  I'd love a government job with benefits and a pension and not be rude when getting business. Does anyone else have this problem with getting their pony mail/selling? I've made a decision to just mail all my other parcels out of town.

[banditpony]

Ah, actually most of the people at my post office are pretty cool. One person is a grump, but that's ok. Although now I print every label, so I don't have to see any of them. We have a drop off box. Or when I did hand it over to them, they just put them in a giant bin to scan later. I totally got the comment "oh, another one?" and I would be like "lol, yup!"

I think the only thing I don't understand is why she made you send the package priority... That would bother me if it was based on her not wanting to key in the package.

But, yeah, you don't know what this woman's life is like that has turned her in such a grump. Maybe her supervisor makes her work life hell; maybe she just is struggling with something in her personal life. It's awesome when people that provide a service are outgoing and friendly (regardless of where it is)... but sometimes that's not the way certain people are.

[bluerose9978]

My parents have a problem at their post office. But it's receiving mail and it's only one person, too. They have a PO box but they also have a street address. When they order something, they need to know whether it's coming USPS or some other means because they have to put the PO box on it if it's coming USPS or it'll be sent back. If they put both the street address and the PO box on it it'll be sent back.

The problem is some companies ship part of orders to street addresses and then rely on the USPS for the rest of the order so that part of the order will be sent back! It's ridiculous! There is talk about someone filing a lawsuit against them. I really hope it happens!!!

[LadyMoondancer]

The post offices I've used on a regular basis (four different ones depending on the city / part of town I lived in) have all been fantastic.

Well, actually the first one I used had one postal worker who was kind of nosy about why I was sending so many packages; he wasn't exactly rude, just a bit too nosy to be polite if that makes sense.  That was when eBay was just taking off, so it was unusual for someone to bring in a lot of packages.  These days it's pretty common, I think.

Anyway, sorry you got stuck with a crabby postal worker.  The PO is a great job, it pays well and has good benefits, and it's a shame that lady is not more appreciative of her job.  Like, is it really even that hard to type stuff in?  C'mon.

Postal lady said it had to go priority mail too I guess because I was mailing them at the same time?

One time I was sending something to Oregon (one state over) and I had to send it priority.  There literally was no option to send it by anything else when I was using the PO's website to calculate postage.  Could it have been a situation like that?

If she was making you send it priority just because the other package was priority, then that's not right.

[DazzleKitty]

My local post office has a woman who was always rude to me. Even my mom had some negative run ins with her. But I started selling a lot more on eBay and starting bringing more and more stuff into the PO, and then she because more friendly. Maybe because I started to be a regular?

To me, it seems like it would be a hard job. You have to know all these policies, regulations, codes, and procedures. I can see where it would be frustrating. And there is probably a lot of lifting involved with all those packages. But still.....even at jobs I've hated, I tried not to take things out on other people around me.

[cloud_weaver]

This is a big reason as to why I invested in a food scale and ship from home.  That, and you get a discount for printing your shipping online (30% I think).  My scale was only $10 (including shipping on eBay) - might be worth a look!  You'll easily save that in your shipping costs.   And they pick up from home.  You can also mail international form home as well.

[Ringlets]

I had issues at a couple of POs locally too - they kept trying to over charge me! by a LOT! and the scales they had if you looked over at them already had a weight on them showing even when there was nothing on (before they put my parcels on  to bump up the price ..well that is until I pointed out to them what was going on   another one used a box to measure what service it was sent by (Uk size restrictions are a pain) but I happened to see into the box and he had put all scrunched up paper and other stuff in the bottom so that boxes that would have fit inside by 3-4 inches or more didn't fit so he said they had to go by the more expensive service! ..yeah..no!  )
I now use a different local PO. You still have to watch them trying it on with the scales already showing a weight, but I have my own digital scales and tape measure at home and I know exactly the size/weight of the parcel before it goes so they cant try anything on  
you do have to be careful. Some are lazy, some are clueless and some are out to make extra monies. if you have your own scale its easier not to get caught out by them

[MiRaja]

Oh goodness, this is just one of the many random perks of my new job. . .  Not at all PO related, but my new job is but a block away from a downtown postal hub and the employees there are JUST FANTASTIC.  They are so nice, so friendly, I don't feel any anxiety going there to ship stuff.

The last straw was when I was mailing a return in the box it had come in.  My old PO, which is but a few minutes away from my apartment, has had one stupid regulation after another.  ( Making me send things registered and buy 'special' envelopes to send things registered just so I could get things insured! )  The box had been a Crown Royal box.  A booze box.  But it was cardboard.  Cardboard is cardboard is cardboard.  It was quite literally and quite obviously not filled with booze bottles considering it weighed less than a single bottle.  Also, all the labels and logos on it had been taped off and out to obscure any sort of insignias or labeling so that the ONLY thing that it showed was the VIOLET color of the box.  That IS it.  The item was RECEIVED in this box, exactly as I tried to send it out and I get screamed at by the postal lady.  Like chiding me as if I were a 12yo and after I had waited in line quite awhile.  I tried to explain that it was a RETURN, and the item had already quite clearly gone through the post ( priority tape and what not ) but she just had a fit.  And she has been snitty before, as have many of the employees at the location have been.  They huff, they roll their eyes whenever they're asked to do their jobs.  Only one has a half-way decent attitude, and you have to catch her on the right day. 

Just was sick of it.  I painted the box black, and sent it via the other post office with a cheery lady who said that the other post should not have been quite so rude and it should've been more than fine if any and all markers of the box had been covered and removed, which they were.  I've been several more times, and everyone is friendly, asking how my day is, asking about the new restaurant which I've opened.

Which means I get the whole customer service thing.  I try to be as nice and patient as I can with other customer service and what not peoples, because I sure as hell know what it's like, but I tell you what, if I talked to a customer/guest like these people at my closest post, I would be fired after my first two tables of the day.  Do NOT roll your eyes at me, do NOT point at me and tell me I need to repack an item because the box is 'inappropriate' because it is PURPLE, do not huff and puff because I need to ship something internationally, or talk down to me because I have done everything to the T as it is listed per USPS's website, and yet your local branch does things differently, or I'm expected to be a mind reader I know something that is NOT listed online or on paper in any way shape or form.