I’ve given up trying to understand the United States Postal Service system of mailing packages. I’ve bitched before about some of their rules which strike me as odd, and about the fact it took me until I was 40 to really understand the difference between Priority Mail and First Class Mail (actually, never mind, I still don’t really understand).
Today I dropped off a package at the service counter and said, “Parcel Post, please.” The USPS employee measured it and said, I’m sorry, you can’t send this parcel post; it’s too light.”
Too light.
I was friendly and responded with, “Just send it however is cheapest.”
Thus another leaf in the story of How Are Mortals to Understand the Post Office? If I were a USPS user every day, sending packages priorty, or not, of different sizes and weights, I might eventually grok this whole thing. Alas, at this point, I’ve given up. What I’m reduced to doing is going to the post office, handing them a package and making the employees go through my options of delivery time and cost, then choosing the one that best meets my needs.
While that seems like a reasonable way to approach it from the customer’s standpoint, it can’t be very efficient for the USPS system. I honestly want to help them out by knowing before I show up how I want to send it and how much it will cost me. Then there won’t be any back-and-forth, just a payment and I’m off. Counter time recduced by at least 50%.
Doesn’t that seem useful? Wouldn’t that help out the post office? Or am I just dreaming?
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