If you have a special mailing to do, do NOT go to a post office, especially this one; go to a mailbox store that has good customer service. Their livelihood depends on good customer service! (In this area, I recommend Number One Mailbox on Olympic & LaPeer; see my review.)
Yesterday, I had to go to this post office because a parcel was being held for me there (living things that could not sit out in the heat). I got the delivery confirmation e-mail; the online retailer told me I had to provide the name of the person who would be picking it up (me). Wanting to travel light, I took only my house key, tote bag, and confirmation e-mail (I live within walking distance from the post office).
I showed the woman behind the counter the e-mail and said a package was being held for me. She asked me if I have a P.O. box there; I said no. She asked me if I had a photo I.D.; I explained I didn't bring it. Instead of saying politely, "I'm sorry, it's Post Office policy that without a photo I.D., we can't release the package," (I would have understood that) she said with an extremely smug and superior attitude, "Well, I can't give it to you, then." She looked like she actually ENJOYED telling me this. I said, "Can you at least please check if you have it?" Again in a smug way she said, "Oh, I have it," again like she was enjoying her petty power over me. It was 4:15, so I walked home super fast, got my wallet and walked back super fast. I really wanted to tell her off, that she could have explained this politely instead of having a smug attitude, but I didn't want her to say something even nastier to me. In revenge, I should have told her that the package contained LIVE INSECTS (pet beetles from Bugs in Cyberspace, a great company).
I know some postal employees are nice, but there are others that know they cannot be fired unless they steal mail or kill someone, and take full advantage of it.
Another thing that happened at this P.O. a couple of years ago that was not this bad, but still shows a total lack of intelligence in dealing with customers: I had to return something to a company, using the return label they provided. The only box I had was a Priority Mail box, but I totally obliterated every "Priority Mail" on all sides of the box with thick blue marker. Showing the parcel to the postal employee (a different one), she pointed to it, looking like she was pointing to the label, and said, "You can't use that." Thinking she meant the label, I said, "But this is what they gave me." She repeated "You can't use that." I explained again that this was the return label provided by the company. FINALLY she said she meant the Priority Mail box. I said I had totally crossed out all the words "Priority Mail," but she said it didn't matter. It took her so long to explain what she meant. I was livid. A close friend of our family who was a Professor of Psychology once said that a key element of intelligence is to be able to put oneself in another person's position; one aspect of this is to explain what you mean so they can understand it. This seems like common sense, but it's been said that "Common sense is not common, and it can't be taught." read more