Do you enjoy going to the post office?
For our upcoming registration I sent some postcards via the main post office for my area. I had 1800 cards to send… From years past, and pain, lots of pain, I’m somewhat familiar with the process.
First, you have to go to the back of the building where the trucks are. Find a spot to park. There are three, but I think two are taken up by staff members. One year, I parked in front of one of those 18 wheeler trailers. Anyway, go to the door, there’s a buzzer with what appears to be a camera, but its unlocked. But it looks locked and secure, and that’s what matters!
In the loading area there are baskets you need to put your mail in. I would think they would try to keep some baskets in the room they take the bulk mail, but that’s just me! So I grab a basket and into the room I go.
Now, you must put the post cards in the mail-bin in hand-grippable bundles. They, fortunately, provide rubber bands, so I wrap them up and put them in the bin. I give the mail clerk the bin, (the other is too busy on her cell-phone). He tells me, this bin is too BIG! You need to go out, and get the same length bin but smaller. He gives me directions… uhhhh where do you think I got this one from.
So I go back, grab another bin that’s half the height and switch my postcards over. I give him the bin, now he tells me, you can’t have the bundles of postcards all scattered like that. They need to be stacked upright…. No problem, I can stack em’!
Here ya go! Oh, now he tells me to grab 10 post cards and weigh them. He’s saying something about “I may have to zero out the scale.” Yeah baby, Weighs and Means… my specialty!
Still trying, I tell him I wasn’t sure what to fill out on the form. So he kindly highlights what I need. It’s kinda funny because one of the fields is Post Office location, and actually I’m not sure what to put there because I can address my mail with three different town addresses and it still gets to me… So I put the city down.. close enough… I’m in a suburb.
Ok done! Sort of…. I can’t pay there… oh, no no no! I must get into my car, drive around to the front of the building and pay at the regular customer entrance. So I hop in the car, drive around, park, go into the building, wait in line, and now its my turn!!!
My first question to the clerk is, can you tell me how much I have left in my account? Her reply, “Only if the computer is online.” Wow, is it down that often?!?! Am I requesting something crazy? Aren’t you on the computer right now? I hold back my “Here’s Your Sign” thoughts and proceed.
Now, its deposited and ready to go, I hope…. The guy at the other side of the building said he would see it when it went through on his computer (as long as it’s up I guess!!!!).
Just to send some postcards!!!
