Hand calligraphy & post office don't mix?

[redrhodie]

well, I wish I could agree with the above, but I sure don't. I will spare you my laundry list of complaints but I have real, consistent problems with USPS.

Me too.

I can report that they have paid insurance claims on stolen packages, but it's not fun to deal with.

[Trek420]

I still think they do an amazing job for very little. Like the time I reused an envelope (tip, don't do that if it has one of those barcode things. Regardless of what you write it goes THERE. Duh Hey, I have an excuse; I was at the airport, had paid all my bills over the phone but needed to mail a check and had that one envelope).

They got it back to me with a lovely little personal note.

OTOH with all their losses to e-mail, autopayment, paying online, plus I think all of us are trying to reduce our carbon footprint, protect our privacy and get rid of junk mail ... so what does USPO do?

They try to compete with UPS, Fedex, DHL etc.

The one thing they have an exclusive on is letters. Nobody UPS's a holiday card that I know of.

Imagine if they got into the business of "bringing back the letter" with shops right inside the post offices with cards, lovely stationary and invites, local post cards, chisel tip pens and calligraphy books, real address books as opposed to ones built into your phone, those little lap top writing desks ....

when they make me Postmaster General that's what I'll do.

[Tuckervill]

Just like any business with a lot of branches, the service you get depends a lot on the quality of the management and personnel at the local level.

I had terrible service in Memphis, at my job. Rude employees, misdelivered mail, lost mail. Pretty good service at my home in the suburbs. In my current town of 20,000, our post office is most excellent. Friendly clerks and carriers, helpful when you need something, not so put out by the odd request. Your experience of it depends on how good the management is at the local PO.

My husband was involved in the installation of optical readers for the USPS in the 1990s. Yeah, they want and desire standardization of the typefaces used to address letters, but you would be really surprised at how good they are at deciphering handwriting. I don't see why something as uniform as calligraphy would be harder for the machines to read. They build that ability into the machines. I can imagine they're even more advanced now.

Karen

[deeaimond]

I'm so angry with USPS because they lost 2 packages I ordered, but the manager at the post office insisted that it was delivered. We were actually up when the mail was pushed through the door but no package, but the system shows they were delivered. Even the postman remembers that there was no package on one of the days.

I had some USPS packages delivered before the holiday season that were fine, and also packages last year ALL arrived promptly. they must have hired some extra shifty hands this year.

Unfortunately I had to return home and my BF is not in town to deal with it for now. I suspect someone in the back room scanned the packages as delivered, but kept it for himself or chucked it somewhere. Because of them I have some jerseys paid for but never received as well as shea butter. Total value, more than $100.

I know postal workers have a tough job, but there needs to be some accountability. I could not even call in to find out what had happened. they manager (first time i went in to the post office to check what happened) just shrugged and told me it was probably stolen off my front step. (never happened in the 24 yrs my bf lived at the same place. all the neighbours have packages out on the step all day. we've had all kinds of valuable stuff too.)

[shootingstar]

I still think they do an amazing job for very little. Like the time I reused an envelope (tip, don't do that if it has one of those barcode things. Regardless of what you write it goes THERE. Duh Hey, I have an excuse; I was at the airport, had paid all my bills over the phone but needed to mail a check and had that one envelope).

They got it back to me with a lovely little personal note.

OTOH with all their losses to e-mail, autopayment, paying online, plus I think all of us are trying to reduce our carbon footprint, protect our privacy and get rid of junk mail ... so what does USPO do?

They try to compete with UPS, Fedex, DHL etc.

The one thing they have an exclusive on is letters. Nobody UPS's a holiday card that I know of.

Imagine if they got into the business of "bringing back the letter" with shops right inside the post offices with cards, lovely stationary and invites, local post cards, chisel tip pens and calligraphy books, real address books as opposed to ones built into your phone, those little lap top writing desks ....

when they make me Postmaster General that's what I'll do.

After checking with a few folks, found out people are finally getting their cards.

By some miracle, my parents even got their card, after the postal code was corrected by post office. Postal code I had was from their previous address...um..8 years ago. Which I got from a database. Database therefore not cleansed.

Anyway. A happy ending. I wonder if the calligraphy lettering on front helped motivate them to look up postal code. You know, do a good deed when the address made effort to have card envelope look nice?

I like to fantasize.

Yes, Trek, l love handmade paper, my calligraphic chisel tip pens (my ink bottles are still around and the steel nibs), fine tissues, mulberry papers, etc. It must be the sensory experience of feeling and seeing textured fine papers.