The plot thickens. There is a complicating factor in determining why some USPS branches are better…read moreYelp-rated than others (see my list). Some branches are actually located ON college or university campuses. And since lots of American institutions of higher learning now have need-based scholarships and financial aid, there is basically nowhere else in the country where you can find the geographical, class, and racial diversity as on the campus of a first- or second-tier school. Age-wise, things skew towards the 18-22 year old crowd, but of course there are older students, faculty, staff, and parents around, so it's an interesting sample, nonetheless.
I used the Loyola University USPS branch quite a bit while teaching there in grad school. It was great! In the summer, when the undergraduates went home, the staff left out all the magazines and newspapers (for free!) to which students had annual subscriptions (They were too young, impetuous, or irresponsible to cancel them for the summer months, or this was not allowed by the mags and papers). Stuff like the NYTimes, Maxim, People, Martha Stewart, Oprah, Time, Sports Illustrated, Wall St Journal, US News & World Report, etc. That gets at least one star for being so cool!
Then, this branch was run by an amazing duo of female staffers (one white, one African-America, I think) who were funny, efficient, and patient with students who demanded packages all the time. I mailed many things internationally, including books and applications, and they never blinked. Express mail to Toronto? 2nd Day to NYC? Priority to Peoria? It was all good.
So, maybe location matters in a DIFFERENT way than I had been approaching this. Maybe it has to do with a mixture of WHO uses the post office WHEN and for WHAT purposes. Students, for example, don't send a lot of Christmas cards, since they are already home on break by then. And, if they fill out tax forms at all, they typically earn little and can use the 1040EZ forms, so the April 15 lines are also short.
Hmmm ... I need to think more about this. More Yelp USPS reviews to come!