The overzealous post master...

I tried to mail a year book in a bubble mailer. It was a college year book and quite heavy. The post master would not have it that I was paying more without a flat rate envelope and grabbed one up after I refused three or four times. She appeared to be 60 to 70 years in age, super sweet... but was bound and determined. I declined, said it was not an issue, and she had already noticed my cash to pay the original total. The line had eight or ten folks behind me so I just let it happen after saying no nicely the third time. I started to sound rude and dumb for paying more. Ugh. May be a reshop. Dang it little penny pinching mawmaw. Haha. That's my war story for today.

MegglesKat

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OMG, I have had those really nice post office people who think I do not look like a terrorist and let my hazmat through. I try hard to get them to refuse me without actually saying what exactly is in my package but then that really nice guy or gal gets a no on the report.
Another place I shop I am required to order 2 small fries for 2 adults when their giant fries cost about $1 more then each small and is exactly twice as big. Every time they try to get me to save my money and get the giant size. The issue is I agree with them and appreciate the fact they are trying to steer me away from spending my hard earned money.

This lady wasn't taking no for an answer. The mailer was cheaper and padded and better in every way... and she had a point. She was already sticking my old envelop in and had it sealed up with a label as I was still telling her it was fine the way it was. I even said it was for work! Ugh. I guess I'll report and see what comes.

MegglesKat

Op
This is for what the unusal comments box on the shop report is for. Tell exactly what happened as you did here. I see no reason they should not pay you for the shop that you preformed correctly as best you could. Other than saying I am you mystery shopper damn it and I can't send it with the flat rate box or envelope there is nothing you could have done different. Please let us know how it goes. I have 5 regular box shops due by the 7th.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

Thanks Buffalo. I did explain fully in their comments. Perhaps I'll stick with boxes for my last few. Occasionally companies throw us curve balls and tell us to go reshop due to picky clients, but hopefully this goes well. If I were a regular customer, I certainly wouldn't say, "No thank you, ma'am. I would much rather pay you $3 more for no apparently reason other than the post office deserves my hard earned cash more than I." 0_o

MegglesKat

I've been in similar situations quite a few times, it's why I don't use poly mailers unless it's for items like bulky clothes that won't fit the flat rate boxes/mailers. The most effective end to the discussion was to say, "thank's but that is how my boss told me to ship it. I'm not sure why but I'd better follow her instructions."

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/2017 11:41PM by wwin.

I think the client would like to know that if the customer says, "No, I do not want that" then they should not be imposing on them - even if it saves them money.

BTW - anyone else notice a lack of USPS shops this month?

No Chix, I did 9 this week, regular box shops. I emailed my scheduler on the day they were released and requested the locations I wanted to do and explained that they were part of a route. I got everything I asked for.

Awes Jas! Hm. I wonder why I'm not seeing them anymore....

Maybe in different regions they are released at different times? I am in NE Ohio.

I've done 8 this week and have 11 for next week. I assume no one else in my area wanted them this month. A few went to other shoppers and there are 3 remaining that are still available.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/2017 11:10PM by grille.

I managed to get my usual 3 post offices, and even pick up a few extra that have been "hard fills". I made a route just to do these shops. Haha. But it's turned out pretty lucrative for me all things considered.

MegglesKat

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Maybe in different regions they are released at different times? I am in NE Ohio.

I have some family in St. Clairsville -- for now. I believe they're planning on moving soon to Clarksburg?

MegglesKat

I had a clerk that started opening my box of beans aka. "laptop batteries" to check if they were really lithium. I had to stop him before I was exposed as the mystery shopper. Coming from a postal family, and retiring postal...... I can assure you packages are NEVER to be opened by the postal employee. Needless to say it was a catastrophic failure.

This should not be an issue. I believe the reason we are not to use that packaging is because it is only allowed for priority mail customers. If the clerk is repackaging into a priority mailer, that means he/she has successfully upsold to priority. To me, this is akin to the clerk adding a priority sticker to my plain box after I accepted the priority class. OP should include a note explaining why they charged flat rate, though.

Shopping since 2009
MSPA Gold

As an update, I believe the shop was accepted and the only note I received was to try not to be too emphatic when declining so as to not give myself away.

MegglesKat

The boss already gave me the exact amount for the postage, and if I spend less he will not say thanks for saving him money, he will accuse me of stealing.

I have done a fair number of these shops and could not imagine selecting the 'catastrophic failure' option. I guess if I was doing a hazmat shop and my package was accepted for delivery that would qualify as a catastrophic failure?? Would you veteran postal shoppers select this option if a potential hazmat package was accepted for carriage?

"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl -- year after year..."

@msimon-2000 wrote:

Would you veteran postal shoppers select this option if a potential hazmat package was accepted for carriage?

No, hazmat packages get accepted sometimes it's not the end of the world. I save catastrophic failure for things like the postal worker getting into a screaming match with a customer escalating in threats of gun violence. Or the Postmaster yelling and calling a customer's children really derogatory names because she doesn't like them playing on the floor while the customer tries to discuss a problem with said postmaster. I have a few others, they don't happen often but when they do there is no mistaking them for anything but catastrophic failures.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2017 06:11AM by wwin.

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