The mod can delete this if they feel this to be inapproperiate but i need to see if anyone else has been in my shoes.

I mail about five books or so a week at the post office at the campus that I work for. I work right across the street at the campus library, hence the postal staff know that I am a staff member. Whenever I go in there is never a line, its a small campus, and the clerks always sigh and hestitate to wait on me. They treat me with little to no respect as an individual and verbally complain to me when I come to mail my books out.

Its been three months now since I joined this site and started swapping regularly. I live for books yet I get the most rude service every week because of my passion for reading.

My question that I would like to pose is if anyone else that is a regular at a po get the same treatment?

The folks at my post office seem to enjoy seeing how many packages I'll bring in each time.  If I just mail one book, they'll ask me if I had a slow week.  lol    They are nice and friendly to me.

I wish that they were. Whenever I go to a store and the cashier or other worker might seem to have an attitude I just think to myself that maybe they are having a bad day at work and just let it slide. I work 9-5 then take grad classes at night so I really don't have the time to go to another PO.

My postal clerks have all taken the time to get to know my name and there are 5 of them at 3 spots on various days.  They've been so friendly to me.  Some of them even ordered Girl Scout cookies from my DD because I went in to mail some to friends.  I mail out handmade tote bags and they've asked me to not seal the box until after they've seen them.

I've ran into a couple of them in public and they always say "Hi Mendy!"  My hubby was with me one time and asked who the person was and just laughed when I said it was Michelle from the PO.  hehe  He asked if they'd added my picture to the wall of fame as a best customer.  :O)

I think you have a bad bunch of clerks.

I would suggest buttering them up! Granted, you shouldn't have to do this to be treated politely, but a little honey never hurts. Take a batch of brownies next time you go with lots of books and tell them that you appreciate their hard work.

I'm lucky to have the nicest PO in the U.S.! For some reason, they think my book habit is hilarious. ;-)

Is there a mail box you can just drop your packages into?  If you use pre-printed postage, there's not even a weight restriction.

That's really sad that you have such a crummy experience there.

There is one lady at my PO who needs to learn to do her job-SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!! The other two are nice as can be.And I don't think you should "butter" up anyone who is being paid to wait on you.Without customers they wouldn't have jobs but that's just my opinion.

Stacy

i use the APC because i got tired of dealing with stupid people who couldnt do their jobs

I work for the PO.  I am a Letter Carrier.  It really is a terrible place to work as far as treatment of the workers.  Oh, the stories I could tell.  I think the clerks should be nice to customers but they do get a lot of gruff from management these days.

I have heard there are some nice managers at some POs.  I would like to know where.

I'll have to get my printer up and running again, ran out of ink, and try printing the postage from online.

Anywhere you work you can get treated like a drone from above, but it doesn't necessary mean that they should transfer that onto the customers themselves. I was a retail manager and if they were my clerks they would be out the door in a minute flat.

thanks for listening to my little postal triffs :)

Our valley has three post offices the main is down town, and then there is another not too far from where we live.

My dh and I have often said we've never seen such great postal employees anywhere else. They all remember the customers names, particular needs, they joke, smile, in general are just great. Al who runs the P.O. closest even told his wife about PBS and she joined.

I agree with the person who said "butter them up" postal  employees can't accept monitary gifts, but some homemade goody, or even a box of candy would brighten their day I am sure. The postal carriers who deliver our mail are just great, when she had her baby last fall I gave her a gift for the baby, she broke down in tears as she had been having a rough day, and the thought of someone caring made her day.

It is miserable to feel you are imposing on people, but I'm sure it isn't YOU causing them discomfort, give them a smile and remember you are also providing them with a job and know it is hard being in customer service, who knows what they experienced prior to you coming in.  One other hint, consider using PBS postage, then you only have to drop off the packages, I absolutely love the prepaid postage, so easy and cheaper than the post office.

Hugs Pat

As a postal worker, and one who has been both clerk and carrier, it makes me sad to hear the first letter. I, too, do not see the need to take the aggravation visited upon us by our power hungry, idiot managers out on our customers.

I am also heartened by all of the responses from those who have marvelous experiences with their postal representatives.

No, you should not have to butter-up the people who provide you with a service, But tokens of appreciation can go a long way to relieve the irritation received both from the rude customers and the pushy managers.

I recently had a customer tell me that they had never seen a passport clerk who smiled, and they thanked me for that. I told them that I have always found that, even with the grumpy customers who have had to wait in line for 15 minutes, a smile and a laugh go a lot farther than a bad attitude. It also helps to take the "grump" out of the customers!

I wish it worked as well behind the scenes, but that is for another discussion.

Jane, it's funny you mention that about the passport--it was my thought as a response the OP could use the next time she visits the PO with her books--'At least I'm not here to apply for a passport!'

Believe it or not but our Post Master ( who is also my boss) gives me a hard time about mailing books. You would think she would be happy that i am spending my money there ?? Instead she asks me,in a snotty way : " Why don't you just go to the library and check books out for free?!".She's said it to me one too many times and   I feel  really insulted that she said that, so now when i have to mail something i go to another small town nearby and mail items there.

Our small post office is only "allowed" one front desk clerk.  She must be the most centered person I sort of know.  She smiles no matter how long the line, chats with the people, knows her customers. She is appreciated.

I have a great bunch of people at my post office! They are always friendly. There was a couple that weren't too sure what to do with the packages with DC on the package.  I said something like i could tell you were hesitating....I walked them though what they had to do..the next time I cam in they knew what to do.  I generally use the prepaid postage, so I generally don't get furthur then the blue box in front of the PO.............but just to keep them all in lline, I do go IN the PO once in a while.

I never even saw a manager runnning around there.

And that would be one reason they'd have to smile!

I have a great post office.  Granted it is a very very small PO.  no mail route (mail comes from the next town over).  We only have one person working.  I love the workers at my PO. 

I just hate that my schedule doesn't allow me to go there to mail my books most of the time (I can only get there on Saturday mornings).  I'd use the preprinted postage, but need to give my little ol' PO the revenue (they've talked about closing it from time to time). 

Mary is always smiling and ready to chat (only go if you have an extra half hour to spend there).  Never has she complained about my packages.  She loves that I know how much it will cost (most of the time)..

I live in Chicago, and I have to say that a large percentage of the clerks at the various post offices I go to are either SLOW and unsmiling, or they don't know the details of their jobs.  But, just like every other profession, people are different and I will occasionally go in and have a clerk who is pleasant, polite, efficient and fast.  That just makes my day!  When I have been to suburban post offices the clerks are generally more pleasant.  I don't know what the management system is like for the postal system, I know that they are now considered a separate entity from the federal government.  I've always felt like the governmental agencies have more bad employees because the personnel policies are such that it's hard to terminate someone.  Managers can't run a good organization if they have no way to reprimand and/or get rid of bad employees.  On the other hand, I know there are a lot of conscientious postal employees and it must be twice as frustrating for them to have to work alongside people who aren't doing a good job.  Not to mention that any customer service type job can be hard when you get the challenging customers.

If I go to the main branch of the PO I get great service.  I noticed if I go to the satellite one at the grocery store-they don't really know what they're doing.  I only go there if I have a pre-printed postage box that won't fit in the blue box.  It's really hard to get parking at the main post office and so it's just easier to drop it at the other one.  But I won't take my books in to be mailed anymore because it becomes a project.  Every so often, I go to the main post office and buy some stamps.  I use them on the under 13oz books so I don't have to pay the postage printing fee all the time. I use that on audio cds, bulk orders and over 13oz orders.  I bought some $1, .90,.26, various smaller ones and some forever stamps. Then I can just put the single book type orders in the blue box.

I live outside a very small town and the people at the post office are great. My mom sells alot of stuff online and they know her by sight now..so now when I go in they are always smiling and helpful. they are always like that though.

I've had good and bad depending on which P.O. I went to.  I collect dolls and would sell some on eBay when I need to make room.  When it was an international shipment I would go to the P.O. and they were so rude it was unbelievable.  I moved a year and half ago to a town of 16,000 and I can't believe the difference.  They are so pleasant and whenever I get a package delivered they wrap it in a plastic bag so it doesn't get wet.  I haven't had any problems with mailing books out but I leave them in the mailbox and don't actually go to the P.O. 

I never have a problem at my PO.  They see me about once a week, and some of them ask what I am currently reading.

To the OP, I would just keep on mailing my books there and ignore and childish sighs or comments.  Maybe eventually they will stop.

Tanya, that is terrible!  It is not her business what you are mailing (as long as it's legal, of course) or where you choose to get your books from.  She definitely overstepped her bounds.  If it were me, I would go back to mailing my books from there.  You shouldn't have to waste gas money because she doesn't want to do her job, boss or not.

I love our postal workers, they are friendly, polite, and very helpful.  They laugh at me when they see all my books, and always ask if I've read anything good lately. :)