You keep on sayng that you spend 1/2 an hour in a post office sending a package. Well here i walk into a half empty Post Office and send my package in 2 secs. Does your government spend all its money blowing up rogue nations rather than servicing its own people??????
Seb
BTW, if you don't want your children to be half mutated at school by some idiot with a gun, or have your office block blown into the sky, come and live in AUSTRALIA!!!!!
posted on September 1, 2000 08:15:19 AM new
The post office I mail from is brand new, with 6 clerk positions at the counter. Usually there's only one working though! The regular staff is very nice, which sometimes becomes a negative when they hand walk every customer through a transaction the customer is not prepared for (customs forms, etc.). In summary, very friendly staff, but not enough of 'em.
posted on September 1, 2000 08:25:16 AM new
Hmmm......Australia.....isn't that the country that just passed a law giving it's
military the right to shoot it's own citizens
during times of "domestic discord"?
Isn't that the same country that confiscated
all of its citizens guns, ala Hitler, with
the resulting increase in robberies and other
crimes?
Thanks, but no thanks, but I'll stay here in
the good 'ole U.S.A.
Here in Maine, we rarely have to wait on line in the post office.
Also, we have fewer gun laws than any state
in the U.S., the second highest per capita rate of gun ownership, and VERY LITTLE violent crime.
posted on September 1, 2000 08:27:56 AM new
I live in a metro area and beleive me it very crowded in a US Post Office. Sometimes taking 30-45 mins. to wade throught he lines. There's on an average 20 people in line ahead of you, NO JOKE! Having to go to the PO is the worse part of selling, having to do the mailing!
If you take in account that you're mailing 3 packages , pay someone 10.00 hr. thats 1.50 per package just in labor to mail, not counting the cost of materials and time to and from the PO. And you have people gripe over a 1.00 handling charge per package
posted on September 1, 2000 08:28:44 AM new
I love my P.O. Great facilities, quick and helpful service.
Don't ya think if we all moved to Australia we might bring a few of our nuts with us. Then Australia would have your nuts and ours - think we should each just keep our own.
I've never spent more than 15 minutes at my PO, even when shipping 10-15 packages. I stay away during the lunch rush, and the final 30 minutes before closing. Monday mornings are busy too.
Not sure why I answered such a tactless post though...Are all people from Australia so rude? Probably not, anymore than all schools are full of violence, or any more than all office buildings are blown up by idiots.
And the 2 second comment is just plain impossible. And who is the "YOU" you refer to?
posted on September 1, 2000 08:57:30 AM new
I agree with you, Meya....the originator of this post is somewhat rude.
Perhaps he doesn't realize that our post office is quasi-independent.....it doesn't receive money from the "general fund," so to speak. It's supposed to generate its own operating expenses.
As we all know, our post offices are not the
same in every community. eBay sellers who live in New York City, I would imagine, have to stand in long lines, especially at peak times. But some of us live in small towns,
with fewer people, and usually don't wait in line.
I tend to avoid the post office on Saturday.
Even in the small towns in my area, it gets rather crowded. I usually go on weekdays, in the afternoon. It some areas, 8 AM is a good time, shortly after the post office opens for the day.
posted on September 1, 2000 08:59:48 AM new
northwoodsguy
Just a point.
That army thing is something like if we have a circumstance of the US civil war, and with the gun laws, maybe we don't want people shooting each others brains out, like it seems so easy to do in the US. Maybe the next step in the US's stride is to cull a kindergarden, before your people can figure out some simple legislation.
posted on September 1, 2000 09:19:25 AM new
Nice parry, gboy! Touche! Those NYC bashers should be envious of your 24/7 postal service. I am. And I have a wonderful rural post office, here in Provincetown at the furthest end of Cape Cod! (Year round population 3,000; summer population TOO MANY!) My longest wait in 3 years of daily visits was 15 minutes while some clueless tourist argued over the rate for sending his postcard.
posted on September 1, 2000 09:55:44 AM new
It would be interesting to compare postal rates also. I keep hearing that US rates are low...one side effect of which is, perhaps, fewer clerks per customer (lower costs) and hence longer times than other countries.
Just like when I brave the local WalMart to shop...never enough open cashiers to get out quickly. But, for the savings, I'm willing to wait.
PS - ACC - kindly check the dictionary for "mutated" versus "mutilated". I know you folks speak an odd kind of English down there, but probably not that odd.
Not, by the way, that i'd be so tactless as to mention how the Australian Government handled such matters as Aboriginal rights, of course... he he. what's that saying..about people in glass houses and bricks...
posted on September 1, 2000 10:07:26 AM new
Hi, Accomputing!
Actually, we have 20,000 gun laws already on the books.
We have something called the 2nd Amendment over here.
The reason the founders of our country put it in place over 200 years ago was to give the citizens a way to fight back against government tyranny if it ever happened.
I don't really understand your Civil War analogy. The governments of the North and South manufactured a lot of weapons during that conflict; I don't believe that a lack of private ownership would have prevented that conflict.
Besides, something good resulted from our Civil War....slavery was abolished!
Anyway, this is supposed to be a post office / eBay thread. We all complain about
the U.S. Postal Service, but I wouldn't trade it for any other country's post office.
You people in New York City and other urban areas who have 24 hour a day service.....I ENVY you guys! I wish my local post office was open 24 / 7 !
posted on September 1, 2000 10:17:59 AM new
Well.... there is one undeniable benefit of having all those guns around - people tend to be more polite.
By the way, we don't just blow up rogue nations, sometimes we swat them just because they annoy us. And since we have a very nice Navy, we can even swat them when they are on islands on the wrong side of the world.
posted on September 1, 2000 10:22:41 AM new
Sometimes the post office I go to is busy. It's worth it. The people that work there are friendly. We actually exchange conversation and laugh. They save boxes and bubble wrap for me, and put up with my almost daily treks with too many boxes that clogs up their usually short lines. :0 I can always ask them questions about rules and regulations and they don't complain about how bad my cookies may be. They're great!
posted on September 1, 2000 11:36:20 AM new
Just wanted to say I love Provincetown...I spent a summer in Brewster, as a kid, and it was a storybook experience.
posted on September 1, 2000 12:08:01 PM new
ACComputing - First I'd like to tell you stop watching American News on Australian TV it will totally confuse you as to what living here is really like.
Next people standing in longlines at the post office here in many cases actually have the option of going to another post office that might be less crowded. I have never waited more than 5 minutes at a post office in America. Why because I live in Chicago, I have over 50 postoffices and mailing stations to choose from. If the one in 60649 is crowded, I go to the 60649 sub- station. I can do everything there except cash a postal money order over $75.00 before 10:00 am, and apply for a US Passport. If they are both crowded the 60653 Post Office is a 5 minute drive, or 20 minute with the wait bus ride.
Don't let the random post of waiting 20 minutes at a post office confuse you about America. That person picked lunch time to go or worse picked a smaller station with the person infront of them mailing twenty ebay packages with none of the forms filled out. That can be a major pain in the butt.
After reading the threads on where these handling fees come from. I am throughly convinced they purposely don't fill out the forms in advance so they can justify the 20 minutes at the post office when they pad the shipping. So grab yourself a flight and comeon over and see for yourself.
posted on September 1, 2000 01:35:52 PM new
I dunno if the reason for the disparity between US postal prices and international mailing prices is because of the staffing. I do know that if want a letter to get from my Point A to Point B within the country in a day, I use the local national post as opposed to mailing it through our USPS. Costs the same but the delivery time by the LN PO is WAY faster.
Incidentally, the last time I mailed a standard-sized business letter through the LN post, it cost $0.55. A manila envelope filled with a half dozen quilt blocks cost over $2. Nope, I don't have a problem with the USPS rates.
posted on September 1, 2000 02:22:13 PM new
Nothing better than the Kingsville, Maryland post office! I have absolutely no patience for lines. I once spent two hours Chistmas shopping in a Department Store and left without buying a thing when I saw I would apprantly have to wait in line for about 15-20 minutes.
My PO and the people who work there are great... and when I'm on the road and use other PO's near by, I quickly am reminded of how lucky I am to have them. I went to another PO not long ago and reached for three (just THREE!) priority envelopes to take home with me. The guy looked at me and said, (with his hand on the other end of the envelopes) "You may only take one. If you need more than that, you can order them by calling the 800 #" HUH?!?!
posted on September 1, 2000 02:59:12 PM new
I live outside of a small town ( 3,000 residents). I never wait in line, but it takes me 20 minutes to get there.
At least they don't ask EVERY time (anymore) "Is it just books, no personal correspondence?"
But my rural delivery person shows up after the PO closes on Sat, and lately delivers my mail after 2:00, which doesn't leave me much time for same day shipping.
I'd love to visit Australia, but I like living here.
[ edited by victoria on Sep 1, 2000 03:03 PM ]
posted on September 1, 2000 04:45:43 PM new
Huh? Is this an anti-US post or anti-US postal service post?
My post office is a rural one and is great for service. They have two clerks on during peak hours. I've recently started going to a bigger one in the next county because it stays open later. They have one clerk, an automated system and longer than life lines. I'm back to my old, weigh em, stamp em, get out post office.
posted on September 1, 2000 08:26:02 PM new
I use two different Post Office,both in small towns,they have great employees,great service,I hardly ever have to wait in line.I love living in Kentucky the heck with anywhere else.
posted on September 1, 2000 08:41:08 PM new
Here in our small town of 3500 in Western VA, there is seldom a wait for service. It is mostly staffed by older employees who seem to be overwhelmed by the internet age. Heck, a while back, our local postal clerk inquired as to where I was getting my variety of priority mail boxes;they were having difficulty getting them, so I went home and ordered an assortment off the USPS site and when they came in, I left them at the post office for their use. It has also been a hoot trying to send international parcels, once I had to go hame and get a printout off the website showing how much the shipping would be. Overall, though, I couldn't ask for a better group of individuals to deal with! USA!!! Sweep the Gold in Sydney!!!
posted on September 2, 2000 07:30:02 AM new
Ooooh gee! I REALLY want to buy computers from the Down Under Penal Colony NOW -- right?! I LOVE these pleasant threads!
