I went to the post office this morning. It's a rare thing for me to go to there since I don't have much need to mail physical things. Email, PDFs, and especially online bill payment has replaced just about any reason for me to visit USPS.
This morning reminded me why I'd like to avoid USPS completely.
I got to the post office to find that about 8-10 people were in line. Not a huge deal since the lines tends to go down quickly since there are usually several people working the desk.
But just to avoid any wait, I went to the automated machine to see if I could get my postage done automatically. I tried finding the specific option on the machine but couldn't find it. So I figured I'd just go to the line since the lines usually just take 5-10 mins (at least at other post offices)
Lo and behold only 1 person is working the main desk. There's another woman working the passport desk and there at least a couple of people in the back since they keep poppping their heads out when someone rings the bell for pick up service.
After waiting about 10 mins, more people had joined the line (I counted 15 people) and only 2 people had actually gotten their task completed at the front of the line. Seeing these other USPS workers sit around seemingly doing nothing really pissed me off. I'm sure the other people were doing something useful, but what got to me is that none of these other workers thought to do a thing about the length of the line.
That means a few things:
1) Lines of this length are nothing new at USPS
2) One person working the line is nothing new at USPS
3) Other workers not being very helpful is nothing new at USPS
So I finally got tired of waiting in the same spot without making any progress so I went to the passport lady and asked if the automated machine should be able to help me (she wasn't doing anything anyways). Even though I explained that I wasn't able to find the option on the machine she didn't offer to help me out by showing me. What's more, I actually asked if there's anyone else who can work the main line and she just said nope. I asked her if she thought that having just one person there after a long weekend was a good idea since so many people were waiting. With a big smile on her face, she said I'd have to talk to her manager about that.
So not only is this person not helpful she happily passes the buck.
And our tax dollars subsidize this private company?
Yes, the USPS is a private company, it's not a federal agency like the IRS. Amazing how well USPS can act like a typical govt agency.
Anyways, I didn't bother to complain since I didn't want to wait around longer. I went to the machine and after clicking around in a few places I found the option I was looking for and was on my way.
On my way home from work, I'm stopping by again just to lodge a complaint. See you tomorrow.
1 comment:
You're doing a lot of beeyatching lately. ;)
But I feel your pain bro -- and I commend you for trying to do something about it.
I had a similar exchange with the manager of my local 24hr fitness. The A/C in our gym has been broken for at least 3 months. I ask the guy when it will be fixed, he said that the techs are supposed to fix it. I ask when, he says he doesn't know. So I ask him if it seems right that the manager doesn't even know what's going on in the place he manages. He has no answer for me. Meanwhile, I'm sweating even before I get on the treadmill!
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