How some Postal Workers really feel about your mystery shops...

Something I ran across:

"Nothing reduces the morale of an efficient post office more than a Mystery Shopper coming in with a pre-determined intention to fail another post office just so that they can justify their own phony-baloney job. I don't think it matters how well we do at the front counter. The Mystery Shopper is going to either pass us or fail us as they have intermittently scheduled for themselves to do because this is how they manage and maintain their quotas against us as they try to prove to all our superiors that they may actually serve a needed purpose. This helps keep them from having a real job like the rest of us."

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They lost me at "efficient post office." I don't read fantasy literature.

I send things for EBay often. It is truly a tale of 2 post offices. The big post office staff is rude, unfriendly, and you have to drag information out of them. The information may or may not be correct. The buyer has paid for tracking and at this post office they will NOT scan the eBay generated label. I asked the worker to and he said they don't have the time to do it. The little one couldn't be more helpful. Friendly, will offer information on how to send something cheaper, scan the packages. I now make my auctions end on Sunday so I can ship from the smaller post office. They need mystery shoppers. They also have a survey on the receipts, so my small one always gets rave reviews. It is a battle to even get a receipt at the big one.

There's some pretty interesting comments through that thread.

I live in a mid-sized town and am fortunate to have a great post office. Our clerks are friendly and efficient. If not doing shops, I tend to ship from home using the online tools, though.

Here's another thread on that same forum. I've browsed it before looking for mention of mystery shoppers. It's always interesting to read observations from the other side.

[forum.federalsoup.com]

We have quotas? Who knew?

The bulk of Shoppers are fair, sure a few might have issues with power but the majority of the professionals here are on your side. You are barking up the wrong tree, spray some of that pepper spray on your belt at the true culprits, your fellow employees that do not follow any of the instructions and allow smaller town post offices to look nasty.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2016 10:09PM by GrosMichel.

Efficient post office? Huh?

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton

@chigirl777 wrote:

They lost me at "efficient post office." I don't read fantasy literature.

Very nice, chigirl777!

I did a UPS store that has a agreement with the USPS and all the employee did was bash the Post Office's service and competence. With partners like that, who need's competition because the owner of these three UPS Stores is killing their agreement. I documented everything because our mutual client the Post Office deserved to be treated better. Are you working for the Post Office or did you get my Shop word for word explaining how UPS was bad for Post Office business?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2016 11:50PM by GrosMichel.

@GrosMichel wrote:

@chigirl777 wrote:

They lost me at "efficient post office." I don't read fantasy literature.

Very nice, chigirl777!

I did a UPS store that has a agreement with the USPS and all the employee did was bash the Post Office's service and competence. With partners like that, who need's competition because the owner of these three UPS Stores is killing their agreement. I documented everything because our mutual client the Post Office deserved to be treated better. Are you working for the Post Office or UPS Package Store and are you angry because I documented every word the employees at each location spoke about the Post Office?

Has anyone out there seen USPO shops offered lately? I am registered with the right "new" company. Signed, Night Owl at 4:24 pm

While I did not venture past the one page that came up after being "clicked" on, I did not see any complaints, that did not take place in March of 2009 and February of 2010. That being said, do you think the Post Office Agents mind has changed in the past 6 years?

Does the PO workers realized that MShopers are hired by their "BOSS"? If they were performing the job as "ordered", we would not be needed. Those "effiecent posts" sounded more like we don't have anything better to do then run a mystery sham/scam on the Post Office.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2016 09:39PM by sojo917.

There are still a few available in my area. They seem to be leftovers. Supposedly, a lot of shops will appear once the new quarter begins.

@annelehman wrote:

Has anyone out there seen USPO shops offered lately? I am registered with the right "new" company. Signed, Night Owl at 4:24 pm

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

That sounds like sour grapes. I believe that the majority of the shoppers (myself included), would prefer to write a glowing report. When I complete a shop, and all of the points have been met, I am secretly throwing up a high five in my head, and doing a silent celebratory dance.

Every mystery shop I do, I am rooting for the employee/store to do well. I get paid the same to write a good report or a bad one, but the good one is much easier to do. Plus, it feels much more rewarding to provide positive feedback.

I just did a shop last week. Sometimes I wonder if they know I'm the shopper. But, they play their roles if they do and I play mine. Fortunately, I have a great post office and they almost always hit every mark.

There are about 10 post offices within a 20 mile radius of my house. I too love it when they do well, as with all of my other shops.

I seriously do feel happy when they do a great job.

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

Something I ran across:

"Nothing reduces the morale of an efficient post office more than a Mystery Shopper coming in with a pre-determined intention to fail another post office just so that they can justify their own phony-baloney job. I don't think it matters how well we do at the front counter. The Mystery Shopper is going to either pass us or fail us as they have intermittently scheduled for themselves to do because this is how they manage and maintain their quotas against us as they try to prove to all our superiors that they may actually serve a needed purpose. This helps keep them from having a real job like the rest of us."

[forum.federalsoup.com]

That poor USPS person. They might run back as fast as they can if they were out here in the wild without their pay and benefits package, in some of those "real jobs" like the rest of US have, in at-will employment realms.

Or maybe they would feel more comfortable flying on the same plane as some of those hazmat packages that should have been declined.

That said, I also would rather find a post office that is hitting all the marks. Those standards don't seem to be too much to ask, compared to some of the customer service "items" seen out here in Retail Land.

I would relish the opportunity to video shop this employee.

I've never done USPS jobs but if they're anything like every single other MS, negative reports are a MUCH bigger pain in the ass than positive one. Stop sucking at your job to make my job easier, please!

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Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

Yup Hoju. It used to be harder with the old MSC for negative reports but not quite as bad for the current MSC. But giving a good report feels good, too.

My letter carriers over the years have been great as are my postal window clerks, BUT....the tone of this message is clearly from an embittered person whom I seriously doubt has ever worked anywhere, anytime outside of the in bred civil service culture.

My good friend just completed the USPS training for all employees. Coming from the real world, she was absolutely stunned by the amount of waste and beaurocracy. They live an incredibly sheltered life there.

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Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.

I can say this about my local post office: They sure don't move too fast, like they have all the time in the world........but they are friendly when you get to their window.

At the post office in my zipcode, it is hit and miss, but mostly a hit. The clerks there are jovial and friendly. They don't know me per se, but I usually get treated with such amicable and personable service that even if I have to wait a bit longer it'sstill just so fine with me. A great attitude goes a long way. It's when I go to a post office and have to wait for an extended period of time and get the blase, non-smiling and bland, "Who's next" verbiage that makes me feel like I am being processed like cattle, that's when I object. And that's happened at post offices where I am not completing a shop as much as ones where I am actually performing a shop. And how about when you offer a smile and a pleasant attitude to a postal clerk and still get treated as if you are a nothing, non-important annoyance?

I don't know why you would make this generalization comment. I am an honest mystery shopper that it doesn't matter whether they do a good or bad job I answer the questions honestly. I just did one yesterday and they did everything perfectly. I've other ones where it wasn't perfect and other times it was at the same Post Office.

@klstern wrote:

I don't know why you would make this generalization comment. I am an honest mystery shopper that it doesn't matter whether they do a good or bad job I answer the questions honestly. I just did one yesterday and they did everything perfectly. I've other ones where it wasn't perfect and other times it was at the same Post Office.

Who are you addressing here? I don't understand since you haven't posted in this thread up until now.

Every industry in the world has at least one "Newman"

Are jobs are similar we bothwalk a lot and complain about people jobs

Plenty of them.

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