We have yet another new employee at the window in our small town office.  It's only her, as we are only open 4 hrs per day.  Each new person has been at least partially competent upon arrival.  This one, not so much.

tried to mail my book as an envelope   ...   did not give us all our pkgs when we turned in the pkg slips (1 pkg sat for over a week, and said we did not turn in the slip even though we had EMPTIED Our box 3x the week before, and gotten (some) pkgs from them   ...   was "surprised" that the price suggested by PBS on the label was the right price--for ONE Media Mail book!   ...   did not know how MM vs First Class worked...

What the heck is going on out there?!?!?

the "rule book" is huge, like 7-8" thick, so someone new just can't know everything, and with it only being a 20 hour a week office *4hr day X 6 days) they can't find people ....of a higher quality, so to speak?.... They also think that OJT is enough....give her time, she'll either learn, or move on.

When I started as a Postmaster, my clerk "budget" was for 18 hours per week.  The clerk would come in and work alongside me for that many hours per week, usually during the busiest hours of the day.  So the clerk had a chance to see all different kinds of ttansactions, and watch how I handled them, and my demeanor toward the customers.  They could also learn in that way, that I would sometimes have to call other postmasters, or even long-serving clerks, with questions from time to time.  One person just isn't going to know everything.  Or if you only do something once or twice a year, you're still going to need a refresher.  Or when the rules change, as they do constantly, to check with another person if your understanding of the new procedure is correct.

So that was all well and good.  Then they started cutting the clerk hours, until the only time the clerk worked was Saturday mornings, or when I was off work for whatever reason.  There was no one for the clerk to model behavior on, and sometimes some clerks would get the feeling that they were on their own, or that they shouldn't have to ask anyone for help, information, or advice.

So now we have today, where a newly appointed PMR gets 24 hours of training, then starts right in running an office 4 hours a day, 4 hours a week.  And they are expected to provide the full range of services.  It's just not possible in 24 hours of training, but that's what they get. 

Don't blame the poor individual that finds themselves in that situation.  Blame the USPS upper level managers that thought this was possible & would work.  Obviously, it doesn't.

To answer your questions, "What is going on out there?" and "Why don't they train new employees?" I guess I would say, they are trying to save money.  Of course in my opinion, they are saving money (IF they are actually saving money, which is questionable) in exactly the wrong place.  It's a very STUPID policy.

well, it's not just the lack of training, i guess.  it's that she is not willing to let me tell her what i need, considering i know what i usually get for postage and she knows i've been mailing pkgs there for years (she used to be the cleaning lady, i have seen her there regullarly for years)... she could at least listen to me.

Almost every job that I can think of, if you really want to be GOOD at your job, you are "training" way outside the normal amount of hours you actually get paid for.  I have many times, in my career, taken home information and studied it, stayed late at work off the clock, etc. 

This is called making an "investment" in your career/job    

The problem with that is that, in today's environment, when corporations also have no loyalty to workers, workers do not want to "invest" in them either.

It's a 2 way street and once everybody starts doing that again (don't hold your breath) things will change.

I have so many friends in professional jobs who have been tossed out due to ageism (the longer you work for a company the more you make too) and they just get rid of people in their 50s so they can hire cheaper.  There goes all the wisdom, experience, knowledge, etc. but in a world where ONLY the "bottom line" means anything, you expect that.

There are still a few companies around that do it right.  Not a lot, but a few.  

My rural PO is in trouble.  It's 40 miles from any other PO and now that they have abbreviated hours, who wants to take a job for 2 hours a day and drive all that way, as casual worker.  Its really not their fault, every week we have a different "fill in" at my po.  they can't keep it covered since they decreased the hours. 

Again, bottom line wins.  Customers lose,  Workers lose.

wow, yours is open less than ours is!  and we have others a lot closer... wow... that is just crazy.

At my old PO, they once had a package of mine sitting back there for 9 months, a week is not that bad :P Still, super frustrating! 

i talked to our new girl about this thread today, told her about the 2hr-a-day-40-mile-away post office.  she was not surprised.  wow.   how sad.  but 9 months?  what was their excuse, Becca?

at least now the girl at ours will let me tell her what it is i need and she tries to look it up from there!

That's a big help, if they are at least willing.

she is now.  :)

"but 9 months?  what was their excuse, Becca?"

It was funny, because the manager there was actually the one who handed me the package. And I was like, "WTF???" and he just shrugged his shoulders. He made a photocopy of the label and said he would look into it, but he never did. It was something I had ordered while pregnant and totally forgot I ordered, so I never thought to check the tracking at the time. I confirmed with the company that they had not re-shipped it or anything like that. It had a delivery scan from 9 months prior, so I think it got put out in a package pickup box, but the key never made it to our PO Box, and then somehow it just sat in some corner for a very long time. I think he found it by accident, I had other packages I was picking up, I think he just stumbled upon it by mistake, I don't think the slip I had was for that package. 

My mom uses some obscure USPS service... if memory serves (and it's probably faulty), I think if the bills she sends out get forwarded, she gets some kind of slip back indicating the new address, and she has to pay a small amount per slip. When the crappy manager at that PO left and they got a new one, they found one of those slips from over a year prior. At least you can justify losing a little piece of paper more easily than a package! 

I'm just so glad I moved away and that I have the most lovely post office staff on the island I am on now :) 

becca that is really sad.  it's such a shame the usps can't be more trustworthy.