So this is the situation with the post office....

[cboy4]

I went to the post office yesterday to mail two bills.

I needed to buy one 41 cent stamp and one 2 cent stamp to make up the difference for a 39 cent stamp I had. (But I was more than happy to just buy two 41 cent stamps to get it over with).

So I walked over to the vending machine...

There must have been 12 selections, but of course, no option to purchase a single .41 or .2

Yet there were some 58 cent stamps for my needs! :eyes:

As for the .41's, the machine was only allowing me to buy a whole fricken COIL for $41.00

Oh hell no.

Naturally, there was something like 15 people in line with two windows open. And it was one of those lines with people you just knew were going to take forever. Some were holding multiple packages. Ughhh!!

So I had to wait in line for 20 minutes to mail two envelopes.

When I asked the worker at the window about the situation, he told me that they get a lot of complaints from people about not being able to buy single stamps in the machine. Duh.

Even though I was irritated when I heard that, I played it cool because (A) it's not his fault and (B) he is after all -- cough, cough -- a postal worker...

But I'm telling you....yet another thing the government can't do right.

I could buy a bunch of air mail stamps in the f'ing machine (like we all mail so many things abroad :eyes:), but a .41 cent stamp? Hell no, get in line.

Are there any DU Postal workers who can explain this policy or is it just my post office?

I could see it as a money-making scheme so the consumer has to buy more stamps than they need.

Dang, it's almost as bad as going to the DMV.

[CorpGovActivist]

1. Self-serve kiosk at our post office...

... I kid you not. And most are too afraid to use it. Never, ever, ever a line.

- Dave

[harmonicon]

3. I use those all the time

BUT I think they have a minimum amount you can put on a credit card - I know that's been a problem for me in the past. Even if I was going to mail several things that would add up to the minimum, it would cause problems, because once I weighed the first thing, it would tell me that it wasn't enough to use the machine..... ugh

Still, those things are great. What I like most about them is that they're usually in a lobby that's open 24 hours, so I can take care of sending letters and packages out in the evening, or, being an insomniac, in the middle of the night.

and I send things internationally all the time!

[fizzgig]

2. i noticed that last time i went to the post office

like you, all i wanted was two damn stamps. but no. couldn't do it. our post office used to have a vending machine that sold single stamps but i don't know what the hell happened to it x(

i wound up going to the grocery store

[Connonym]

4. as a former postal worker I thank you for not taking it out on the window clerk

I wasn't a window clerk myself but I know many people who are and the amount of abuse they put up with from customers is unbelievable. These are people I KNOW for a fact are extremely polite and helpful to customers but they still get a lot of grief. The worst part of it all is that the management structure at the post office is even more abusive than dealing with the customers. The only qualification to become management is the desire to become management. Usually this means that the ones who go into management are the ones who don't much care for actually working. I understand your frustration and I agree that a lot of stuff at the post office is ass backwards but the vast majority of postal workers are good people working hard to do a job that gets them no appreciation from customers or management (matter of fact, if your window clerk is too polite and chatty they'll get written up for that). So my point...um... hate on the service but please be kind to the regular working stiffs. The life you save may be your own (I kid, I kid!)

[cboy4]

6. Haha. "The life you save may be your own" could be

a snazzy marketing slogan for the USPS! ;)

Yea, I completely understand the employees don't institute the "ass backwards" policy.

[tjwmason]

5. Good to see that it's not just we Brits who suffer with the Post Office

But I'd never dream of buying stamps from there - when I need them, I pick them up from the newsagent along with the newspaper in the morning.

It seems that the management aren't that bothered by the endemic problems, they're just concerned with closing down country post offices and selling insurance and other financial products. :eyes:

[cboy4]

7. I have a friend in Canada who complains as well, so it

sounds like it's a world-wide headache.

I normally don't buy stamps at the post office, but I couldn't find the ones I had at home, so I was screwed. x(

[Midlodemocrat]

8. I usually buy my stamps at the grocery store, so I have no idea.

:hi:

[LostinVA]

9. Exactly -- who buys stamps at the Post Office?

I get them from the ATM at my bank.

[cboy4]

16. I needed to have at least one thing postmarked by

yesterday's date, and I could have sworn I'd purchased single vending machine stamps in the past.

Who knows...I rarely mail anything.....it's either automatic withdrawal or phone payment using my ATM/VISA CARD 3728 2876 2983 xxxx Exp 09/xx

[LostinVA]

19. Sweet! I'm buying a ton of stuff now

[cboy4]

22. I'm gunna get a call from a bank...."It's come to our

attention you posted the credit card number of our client..." :eyes:

Ughhh

I better delete some numbers :(

[Rabrrrrrr]

21. Yeah - the post office is for getting passports and money orders.

Grocery stores are for stamps and banking and movie tickets.

Drugstores are for paying utility bills and property taxes.

[cboy4]

15. Yup, I usually do buy them there, but I couldn't find my

stash.

And the rest is history.

But now I know.

[QMPMom]

10. I haven't been to a "real" post office

since we moved to the city in 1993. There are "postal outlets" in Canada at convenience stores and that is where I go. It's usually pretty fast there (unless it's Christmas season) and if the outlet isn't open you can buy stamps from the cashier at the store check-out.

[madinmaryland]

11. I buy single stamps at the Post Office's machine all the time.

:wtf:

It even allows you to insert pennies!

[cboy4]

17. Well it sounds like you live somewhere where the

main bank also serves as a dry cleaners-KFC drive-thru

[IndianaJones]

12. print postage at home dude.

anyone writing checks at the post office?

[cboy4]

14. Alerting. nt.

[IndianaJones]

23. at least we can do that electronically. nt.

[cboy4]

26. lol nt

[DS1]

13. I only mail one thing a month

and this time around bought those 'forever' stamps. But I do remember the incredible headache it was to give their extra one or two cents. That got me started resenting the mail service.

[cboy4]

18. "That got me started resenting the mail service"

:spray:

[Rabrrrrrr]

20. I've seen quite a few single-stamp machines at post offices.

Not for 2 centers, but for the 41ers.

They probably just assume that anyone who needs one stamp might as well buy a book, since - come on - we all mail letters.

[cboy4]

25. lol

Well maybe I should email a complaint about the vending machine situation at my post office.

I'm certain I'd get a quick response. :sarcasm:

[Greyskye]

24. Our (fe)mail carrier rocks!

My wife had to send out some mail the other day, and only had 39 cent stamps, so she double stamped them with the 41's. Our mail carrier came to the door, and gave my wife a bunch of 2 cent stamps for free.

BTW - the new '1st class forever' stamps are great - we never use up a whole roll before the rates increase!

[cboy4]

27. Well if your wife had 41's, why didn't she single stamp

them with 41's? lol

[Greyskye]

28. Erps. Typo.

:blush: