Wednesday, December 21, 2005

The Post Office and Other Things...

Happens Every Time...
Well, today I have a rant that I must purge from my system! This involves my local post office. You know, it could be ANY time of the day and without fail, there's always a line at the post office! Now, I know that is to be expected during the holiday season, but this happens all year-round. People are jamming up the street just so they can shove a letter or card down the unscrupulous throat of those wonderful US Mail boxes. Not only that, the parking lot is FULL! Admittedly, this does start a little spark of frustration within me.

Going In...
I know what to expect going in - a line of no less than 3 to 5 people. There's always one moron who is trying to send packages to the whole freakin' world! Today it was a lady with what appeared to be no less than one-hundred fifty Christmas cards! I couldn't hold back and I mumbled, "gee lady, what are you doing, sending Christmas cards to everyone on the planet?" She didn't respond, and no one else did either - not even a glare. I usually get a nod of agreement, or a stare of disapproval from the other customers. Anyway, the line went faster than I expected, and I was glad to be out of there. To avoid further frustration, I made sure to purchase a book of stamps so that I don't have to go there for a while. I also wouldn't want to short the post office of that precious 2 cent increase in January. Never enough...

Improvements...
For starters, they could actually use all 3 windows so that they could take care of customers faster. My only guess is that they are understaffed and are only able to attend to 2 windows at one time. This in and of itself would alleviate alot of the frustration involved.

For Faster Service...
This idea is borrowed from grocery stores and license bureaus - how about an Express Lane - for those, like me, that only have one or two items to send. All others should stay in the regular line. Honestly, if you're going to ship something big, do yourself (and anyone else) a favor and use UPS, FedEx, or DHL. They are more experienced in the matter of larger items. However, even the "big guys" have their occasional snafu.

Trials and Tribulations with DHL...
I am currently dealing with DHL right now - they were supposed to deliver a package to me on the 19th, but it hasn't shown up yet. The sad thing is, it's not even a big and bulky package - it's just a wristwatch! I called customer service and they said that they would call me back within the hour to let me know the status of my package. The nearest DHL facility is only about 30 miles away! I mean, how long does it take to get around to where I live? They have how many vans and trucks? I don't know about you, but I see them all over the place! Naturally, I've been tracking my package since the day of its shipment, and for the past two days I've been informed that it is basically "en route." It supposedly left the facility at 6:34 AM today. The time is now 4:19 PM, and still nothing! So much for prompt service, eh? Maybe I should discount the fact that it is indeed Christmas time and there are lots of packages (mostly fruitcakes, cheese and wine baskets) that are being shipped. Gee, I hope that everyone elses' stuff gets to them on time - I don't wish this on anyone!

A Lesson Learned...
I can tell you this - I'll never - repeat, NEVER use DHL for anything ever again. Unfortunately, I had no choice in the matter, as that was all the merchant offered. As a result of this inconvenience, I have postponed several activities and put off several things that needed to be done, just so that I can accept my package! I mean, I have a week-and-a-half's worth of laundry that needs to be done. This involves driving to my sister's house and spending a good portion of the day there. Sometimes I just spend the night and sleep on the couch. Knowing my luck, I'd be gone, and sure enough, that damn delivery van would pull up, and I'd get that dreaded "We missed you," notice on my back door. I'd have to wait until the next day to get the package. At least they offer you the option that you don't need a signature to get it.

Precious Time...
I'd sure hate for them to leave my precious watch outside in the cold all day though. It's a rather expensive one, and I'm sure it's rather sensitive to freezing temperatures. If it was broken, it wouldn't be cheap to fix it, as I don't wear those cheesy digital pieces of crap. Call me old fashioned, but I do prefer the more traditional style ones, especially with windup or automatic movements. As I said before, I'm a watch geek, and I collect lots of them. I'm the sort of guy who prefers Roman numerals over Arabic, or hour markers instead of numbers. I consider myself a person who has the taste of Cartier, Rolex, and the like - however I'm on more of a Seiko or Timex budget. I'm a black tie guy trapped in a poor man's body! I could go on and on about this, but it would take alot of time. Anyway, enough about that...


Newsflash!
I just received the call from DHL that it will arrive at my doorstep tonight. I was very pleased to hear this, and I eagerly await its arrival! Now, I can get on with my life, catch up with my laundry, and run the errands that I need to run. Ironically, one involves getting a watch serviced. For now I'll just sit here and listen to my neighbor across the hall wail away on his guitar, blasting Ozzy Ozbourne. The kid's got potential to be the next Zakk Wylde - now if only I could convince him that he should join a band (and that there is other stuff to play and listen to!)

We Now Resume Normal Programming...
It's night time! Time to plug in the Christmas tree, light a few candles, and make something delicious for dinner. Dare I make my first attempt at spaghetti with garlic bread? My heartburn says otherwise... Oh well, I'll probably just throw a pizza in the oven, and be done with it. Wait - doesn't pizza give you hearburn too? :)

Happy Holidays!

3 comments:

elvira black said...

Don't get me started, ok?

I won't even go into the other ineptitudes of certain government and public employees and the way they can uproot your entire life. I'll just give one post office related example.

BG gets a bunch of meds via the VA. For some reason, they love to send these all in separate packages, so every other day he gets another delivery. Usually the mailwoman brings 'em up and gets a signature--if BG's not home, he gets a slip in the mailbox to pick them up at the post office.

The other day, his mailwoman was in the lobby, saw BG heading out, and said, "Oh, you don't know me unless I'm bringing you a package, huh?" He hadn't seen her there, but he came back with a clever retort: "Or when you're delivering a check."

So he decided this might be a hint that she wanted a tip, although I've never heard of tipping a postal employee. So he slips her a ten the other day.

Yesterday he goes down to the mailbox and sees a slip there, saying he wasn't home, which means he has to shlep to the post office--not an uncommon occurrence. Thing is, he was home every second of the day.

Yeah, our tax dollars at work...or not so much.

Danny said...

No kidding! I am sorry to hear that he has to go through that shit too, Elvira! I've never heard of tipping postal employees either.

I mean, WTF - they get paid good money to do what they do (or at least used to) and I cant' believe the call that she was implying that she wanted a tip. Sounds like that b*tch needs to be relieved from her duty. I totally sympathize with your plight. Bet that he never leaves a tip again...

Danny said...

Oh, and another thing - this so-called two-cent increase better show some improvement in the system, ya know? If they can't get it together, where the hell do they get off giving themselves raises? I think that WE should be the ones who decide if that happens or not.

To me, if most issues were addressed in a referendum, I think this country would be at least a little better. Maybe I'm too much of an idealist, perhaps, but in principle it is a good idea. The only trick is how do we get the apathetic ones who just don't care? Just my two cents...

Anyone else want to shoot it down, go for it - I'm all ears. :)