Everyone hates going into the post office, and yet everyone has to do it sooner or later. The lines are almost always long, and you’re guaranteed to be waiting and waiting and waiting. But never fear, the United States Postal Service is doing something about it. They’re removing their wall clocks.
No big loss, since they were always set fast anyway, right?
It turns out that USPS is on a drive to standardize the look and feel of all 37,000 of its retail locations. And part of that makeover involves removing all the clocks from customer-accessible areas.
You heard right. Instead of making their customer-facing operations more efficient, so you move through the line faster, they remove the clocks, hoping you won’t notice how long you’re having to wait. As if you didn’t have a watch.
The idea is to have you look at the pretty displays of envelopes, stamps and mailing supplies instead, and perhaps buy more postal supplies you don’t need — and perhaps, by the time you get to the counter, forget why you went to the post office in the first place.
“Well, they’ve been removed,” confirmed Stephen Seewoester, a Dallas spokesman for the Postal Service, which is an independent agency of the federal government’s executive branch. “We want people to focus on postal service and not the clock.”
“It’s always long here,” groused Al Cunningham, 49, of Fort Worth, who became an insurance adjuster after working 10 years for the post office.
When told that the clock was removed to coax customers to focus more attention on signs and service, Cunningham said: “That’s bull. Look, do you see any sense of urgency?”
Also gone is a vinyl sticker promising service in five minutes or less. Seewoester said that was part of a discontinued service program. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The USPS Strategic Transformation Plan 2006-2010 acknowledges that “The Postal Service recognizes that customers form expectations on critical attributes such as waiting time in line based on their experience with other similar services, and compare Postal Service performance to best-in-class providers,” and points to the introduction of expanded hours and automated postal centers, which can weigh packages and issue postage without human intervention, as addressing the problems. I’ve never seen anyone use the automated postal center.
In other words, they haven’t done anything which will actually improve customer wait times, and they have no idea how.
I hear they want to raise the price of stamps again, too. Just where is all that money going? Clearly it isn’t going into providing a top-quality service at a reasonable price, like it would if government didn’t enforce its own monopoly on mail service.
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BelchSpeak
Mar 05, 2007
Michael,
Why pick on the postal service? Its the only federal beaurocracy that pays its own way. They have a good online service and the postal inspectors general are good folks. My biggest complaint is that other federal services don’t operate a similar way.
The lines may be long, but have you seen the morons who can’t figure out how to mail something? And these morons always pick the lunch hour to flood the post office.
I just use the local Mail Boxes, Etc for my postal needs.
Now if you wanna pick on the post office, how about an expose’ on how they allow mortgage spam to flood our mailboxes? If they put a stop to unsolicited creditors the postal service might go belly-up.
j
Mar 05, 2007
I use the automated postal center.
Michael Hampton
Mar 05, 2007
Why pick on the poor post office?
First, they aren’t paying all their own way. They have all the resources of the General Services Administration at their disposal, as any other government agency does.
Oh, and then there’s their monopoly on mail, enforced by law.
As for the morons who can’t figure out how to mail something, I’m not surprised. It’s not always simple. Have you ever seen a printed copy of the Domestic Mail Manual, USPS’s regulations on the what and how of mailing something? It’s HUGE. Not to mention, designed around the “shape of mailpiece.” Supposedly, this makes more sense than any possible alternative.
For a government agency that wants to pretend they’re a business, the USPS certainly continues to act like a government agency.
Robin
Mar 05, 2007
Three words: what the hell?? Why not try to streamline the process, or make it [even] simpler, instead of creating a false image of a federal bureaucracy that doesn’t take eternity to get through?
Larz
Mar 05, 2007
I love the automated postal center. There’s often a line at our nearest post office that has one. Since you can use the automated postal center 24×7 it frees you from the typical post office business hours.
What they should do is install a fleet of the automated postal centers in each post office and fire most of the office clerks. The machines are both faster and have better manners.
I know. I’ll take my business to the competing postal system that DOES provide fast, convenient service. oh wait…
George Lindemann
Mar 05, 2007
“You heard right. Instead of making their customer-facing operations more efficient, so you move through the line faster, they remove the clocks, hoping you won’t notice how long you’re having to wait. As if you didn’t have a watch.”
– Oh my goodness.
SuperBoar
Mar 05, 2007
Expanded hours??? Our local post office now closes an hour for lunch every day.
Kyle Korleski
Mar 06, 2007
Just one more reason why to love e-mail.
Phil
Mar 06, 2007
I am a postal employee and I would like to apologize to everyone on behalf of the USPS for this brilliant plan. One reason the lines are long is we now are required to ask a laundry list of questions to every customer. “Do you want this. . . Do you want that. . . Can I offer you some. . . Using a Credit Card. . . etc.
Another factor is that there are less postal employees. Over 22,000 postla jobs were eliminated last month. People retired, quit, were fired, transferred etc. . . and few if any are replaced. My office has not hired a new clerk in over 7 years. We used to have 3 clerks work the customer window. Now we are down to one.
I know this does not take away the publics displeasure with the wait. But please know we are doing the best we can (or are allowed to do)
Fred Young
Mar 07, 2007
A new experimental service has been initiated in Nevada post offices and if it proves to be successful it will be expanded nationwide. The premise is that if you put the best looking female clerks at the front window dressed in “Hooters” type outfits adorned with the USPS logo over the naughty bits then customers won’t miss the clocks and won’t mind the wait because they have something to look at. Grievances have been filed however in as much as this is sexist so the idea of male “Chippendale” dressed clerks is also being floated. The initial results have been promising with complaints mostly limited to the elderly who have not yet adapted to the new attire.
Michael Hampton
Mar 07, 2007
Now that’s a great idea. There’s a female clerk at my local post office that I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing, in a Hooters type outfit, or in absolutely nothing…
TOMIKA
Mar 07, 2007
THE BEST SOLUTION TO SOLVE THE EXTENDED WAITING PERIOD IS NOW CURRENTLY BEING DISCUSS IN HEADQUATERS IN WASHING D.C. THE PROPASAL THEY CAME UP WITH IS TO PUT MINI CLOCKS ON THE NEW HOOTER STYLE UNIFORMS,SO THE CUSTOMERS CAN HAVE EASY ACESS TO ADJUST THE TIME AT THEIR OWN CONVIENCE, SO THAT WAY THEY’LL NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT THE WAIT AGAIN….
Fred Young
Mar 07, 2007
Has anyone heard about a rumor that customers will not be allowed into the lobbies wearing wrist watches? I have seen new metal detectors but am not sure if that is a part of their purpose. Responses appreciated.
sandra tsaras
Mar 09, 2007
the postal reformation plan just reeks of politics at its worst with big mailers reeping all the benefits of lower rates on the backs of the average customer who continues to pay higher rates to subsidize the mailers somebody somewhere is getting kickbacks from all of this in attempt to privatize the postal service wake up america fight back
nick
Mar 20, 2007
what frustrates me, as a user of the automated postal system, po boxes, online postage, and such is when somebody sends me a package to the po box. naturally, i have to go see a clerk to get my package, since most packages don’t fit into a po box. in front of me is a line of people, about long enough to go from chicago to alaska and back, wrapping around the north pole; a line full of incompetent people trying to mail stuff with the clerk; they could have done it at the automated postal system that nobody is currently using, but no! they could have done it cheaper and faster with the ups or fedex, but no! they could have done it from the comfort of their own home and just about any computer with a printer, but no! instead, they merrily waste my time.
Mar 23, 2007
10,000 comments - Homeland Stupidity
Larry
Mar 23, 2007
Well, I generally hate the USPO, they have the worst “attitude” in the world. Ever hear of the saying, “don’t @#%@&*@ with the Post Office?” I have personal experience with having complained to them, my mail was “lost” every month for over two years while the Postal Inspector figured out who was doing it, my mail was deposited in the USPO Blue Boxes, not in my mail box!
I have used the automated center, great idea, but you cannnot mail “media mail for example” not can you have “choices” so you can choose the least expensive way to mail a package, some improvement here will really help the automated center.
Removing the clocks is really evidence of the “governmnet” attitude remaining in the “privatized USPO”, they know they can do anything they want to! They certainly do not answer to the public!
Yeah, lets cut down on the junk mail. I always stop at my trash can on the way back to the house after picking up my mail. Wish I could find the link or phone number to call to cut this crap down. Has any individual ever been able to send pre sorted first class? or obtain any savings on postage as the “big” mailers flooding the postal system do?
May 11, 2007
Bureaucrat Appreciation Week - Homeland Stupidity
Dr Bill
Jan 08, 2008
Anyone familiar with the postal service soon realizes it is an organization which obviously considers INCOMPETENCE a virtue. I have several examples which prove the point.
1) Several years ago there were postage stamps issued for various public good causes, such as the breast cancer stamp. They sold for 45 cents each although postage was 37 at the time. The difference in the cost of the stamp and postage value was presumable allocated to the cause. I had a VETERAN clerk, on the verge of retirement, assign a postage value of 45 cents for these stamps on a package I was shipping. This moron did not realize although the cost of the stamp was 45 cents it retained 37 cent postage value. Duhhhhhh.
2) USPS is obligated to refund money for any delivery service which they fail to complete. However, when I proved they failed to do a delivery confirmation tag scan when the package was delivered none of the clerks had a clue about the process to issue me a refund, despite the fact the form for this purpose is on the www. One of stooges took my name and phone number and promised to have someone call me. Guess what……that call never came.
3) Most recently I have noticed the Automated Aggravation Postage Center at one of the local branches is out of service over 50 percent of the time. Upon contact one of the stooges I was told, “we have to fix the machine 4 or 5 times per day”. Huhh? I don’t give a krap about THEIR problems, and expect THEM to resolve the problem rather than attempt to elicit my sympathy. Upon speaking with a supervisor and asking for district office number, I was told “it would be great if you could get us a new machine”. Huhhh? Was he suggesting i should take a sledgehammer to that piece of garbage in their lobby?
4) During the Xmas season rush the brainless PostMaster was in the lobby making nice. I asked him WHY the lobby was not open 24 hrs. He stated it was a security issue since the post office was not in a central location. He implied there were precautions they could take, by installing security cameras, and indicated that could happen. A few months later I noticed this location was now open 24/7 but there was NO additional security. This is yet another example of how the USPS is a clueless, inefficient gang of clowns who for the most part exhibit are the least competent of any agency.
KT
Mar 05, 2008
“I hear they want to raise the price of stamps again, too. Just where is all that money going?”
For every $0.01 increase in gas, it costs the USPS 1.3M per day. Everything goes up, costs rise in every business. The USPS does not charge a fuel surcharge like UPS or FedEx (who both partner with the USPS in transportation).
Get over it. Find joy.