Post Office says they no longer scan prepaid packages at the counter or give a receipt

[readabouthorses]

Yesterday I mailed a Priority Flat Rate envelope with prepaid label at my local PO. I handed the envelope over the counter, the girl immediately handed it back across the counter to a strange man on my side of the counter who wanders around in the lobby and counter area. I asked about a receipt and she told me they don't do that anymore ... they do not scan these packages or give out receipts. I did ask her "so I just need to trust you?" LOL

When I got back home after a couple of hours I did check the tracking number through the Orders page in eBay and it was showing no movement .. not even showing it had been accepted. So I copied the tracking number and checked at USPS. It showed it was scanned at the local PO and was on its way to the next stop.

So I gotta ask ... who are these people working in the PO who are not behind the counter? I've never seen this guy ever behind the counter and he never says anything to anyone. Sometimes he just stands silent next to the rack of shipping supplies. I thought he might be someone from USPS monitoring our Post Office.  He reminds me of the hall monitor we had in high school many many years ago who just lurked.

[soh.maryl]

Seems to me like you might start with asking this question of your local Postmaster, since you evidently did not ask that clerk why he was handing over your property to someone you did not recognize as a USPS employee.  

[bill11223]

I can't tell you who that mystery man was but can confirm my PO does not scan prepaid mail on receipt. 

[readabouthorses]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Seems to me like you might start with asking this question of your local Postmaster, since you evidently did not ask that clerk why he was handing over your property to someone you did not recognize as a USPS employee.  

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I would have asked more questions if there had not been a huge line of people waiting.

I'm going to try to sneak a better look at this guy the next time I see him in there because he has some sort of vest on that might identify him as a USPS employee.  When I first saw him a few months ago I wondered if he was either an observer for USPS or perhaps someone in training to ultimately work behind the counter but he's still doing the same thing (lurking) LOL.

If he had been behind the counter and she handed it to him it wouldn't have seemed so strange. Made me wonder: next time I go in with a package am I just supposed to hand it to him? The clerk seemed a bit miffed that I even handed it to her in the first place.

If we are supposed to hand our preprinted stuff to this guy then he should not be lurking .. he should have a little desk with a sign to identify  his purpose, or be behind the counter but not waiting on general public. But then he would not be available to open doors for people with armfuls of packages coming in or wandering around out in the part where the PO Boxes are doing who knows what.

[readabouthorses]

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@bill11223 wrote:

I can't tell you who that mystery man was but can confirm my PO does not scan prepaid mail on receipt. 

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It did get scanned and from the time showing it was scanned minutes after I left the PO.

It just seemed such a 360 from the package I took in about a month ago. The clerk scanned it, gave me a receipt and we also chatted a bit about the Priority A and B boxes. Then yesterday it was like "don't bother me with your package".

[soh.maryl]

Again, given the level of your concern here, why do you not want to contact the Postmaster and ask? 

[vanman1029]

I live in a small rural town with a small post office. The clerk always scans my packages and hands me a printed receipt. Starting last Monday (9/9) the clerk told me the customer now has 3 choices (via the small screen sitting on the counter) to choose between (1) a printed receipt, (2) a printed receipt AND an emailed receipt (3) or just an emailed receipt for all packages dropped off. The clerk told me this is now the new mandatory post office procedure nationwide. 

[no_zero369]

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@readabouthorses wrote:

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Seems to me like you might start with asking this question of your local Postmaster, since you evidently did not ask that clerk why he was handing over your property to someone you did not recognize as a USPS employee.  

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I would have asked more questions if there had not been a huge line of people waiting.

I'm going to try to sneak a better look at this guy the next time I see him in there because he has some sort of vest on that might identify him as a USPS employee.  When I first saw him a few months ago I wondered if he was either an observer for USPS or perhaps someone in training to ultimately work behind the counter but he's still doing the same thing (lurking) LOL.

If he had been behind the counter and she handed it to him it wouldn't have seemed so strange. Made me wonder: next time I go in with a package am I just supposed to hand it to him? The clerk seemed a bit miffed that I even handed it to her in the first place.

If we are supposed to hand our preprinted stuff to this guy then he should not be lurking .. he should have a little desk with a sign to identify  his purpose, or be behind the counter but not waiting on general public. But then he would not be available to open doors for people with armfuls of packages coming in or wandering around out in the part where the PO Boxes are doing who knows what.

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Right there in red is why the clerk pulled that on you.  I have found that if one is willing to 'just go away' as to avoid embarrassment, then they will pull that on me.  Make a scene, politely, and show you are serious and then they will do their job.  When it is clear to a clerk that it is easier to just do their job than argue with you, they do their job.

Second, my local PO pulled that stuff several months ago.  There were signs up in the lobby you could see while standing in line.  I just ignored them and kept my place in line.  Most of the time the clerk scanned the package.  One time grumbling about it the clerk pointed to the sign, but scanned it anyway.  It was less than a month before that 'policy' crashed and burned and the signs were taken down.  It is some genius' idea to reduce lines and thus perhaps show better customer satisfaction.

But if what happened to you, had happened to me, I would be back over at the PO asking for the Post Master and giving him an earful!  Your "policy" avoids scans on receipt, but the scan never happened!  I sell on eBay and my "grade" is how fast I ship something.  The "proof" eBay uses is that acceptance scan and when I hand deliver a package and you fail to scan it like happened in this case (handing over printout) then I get a ding from eBay!  So can you help me out and please scan my package after I have stood in your long line?

IF that gets no results then there is a Member of Congress that serves your area, regardless of your voting record or lack thereof.  Contact the Congressperson's office and they will contact the PO.  Government entities will move mountains when Congress comes sniffing around!

So I have found that if I just "take it" when these changes happen, nothing changes.  But complaining in a polite and respectful way often helps.  If enough people raise a stink over this new "policy" it will evaporate like it did at my local PO.

Hope something in here you can use to get this silly policy changed!  Good luck!

[njsrr]

My local post office ALWAYS scans my parcels, and give me a receipt.  A new clerk will give me the option of just handing them in w/o a scan, but I always ask for them to be scanned and they always do. 

And NOW they have a new feature where they can send the scan results to your email.  I tried it the other day and it worked.  I think you have to enter in your email address every time however if you want this feature.

[readabouthorses]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Again, given the level of your concern here, why do you not want to contact the Postmaster and ask? 

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I'll have to go back in there to ask the Postmaster as they never seem to answer their phone when you call.  I liked my last PO better ... the Postmaster was also the clerk. LOL

[a_c_green]

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@vanman1029 wrote:

 The clerk told me this is now the new mandatory post office procedure nationwide. 

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Which of course it isn't, as the rest of us who are out here doing our daily shipments as usual can testify.

The description does suggest that there's new equipment on the way, and the current hardware I've seen in our local post offices in the Chicago area has not changed yet, so when new terminals arrive (or there's some significant upgrade to the software on the current ones), then we will probably see those new receipt options appearing on the customer's terminal, but that has nothing to do with the Pre-paid Mailpiece Acceptance process itself.

As for the lobby lurker, that is a standard practice that POs will use during busy periods. Some employee, usually with a hand scanner and sometimes a wireless receipt printer will work the line of waiting customers to deal with those having simple transactions to make. He can do Package Acceptance and even print a receipt (if so equipped). It's possible that the clerk that the OP encountered handed it off to the lobby guy for that reason, but certainly someone present should have explained that.

What they really need the lobby guy to do is help with the clueless wonders who bring in unwrapped items, stare in bafflement at the Flat Rate Priority Mail boxes and the ReadyPost packaging, then grab some packaging materials at random and carry the whole pile up to the counter clerk, as if the Postal Fairy™ is going to wave her magic wand and pack up the item for them. If the USPS really wants to speed up the lines in their POs, that would be the place to start.

[myangelandmyprincess]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@vanman1029 wrote:

 The clerk told me this is now the new mandatory post office procedure nationwide. 

---

Which of course it isn't, as the rest of us who are out here doing our daily shipments as usual can testify.

The description does suggest that there's new equipment on the way, and the current hardware I've seen in our local post offices in the Chicago area has not changed yet, so when new terminals arrive (or there's some significant upgrade to the software on the current ones), then we will probably see those new receipt options appearing on the customer's terminal, but that has nothing to do with the Pre-paid Mailpiece Acceptance process itself.

As for the lobby lurker, that is a standard practice that POs will use during busy periods. Some employee, usually with a hand scanner and sometimes a wireless receipt printer will work the line of waiting customers to deal with those having simple transactions to make. He can do Package Acceptance and even print a receipt (if so equipped). It's possible that the clerk that the OP encountered handed it off to the lobby guy for that reason, but certainly someone present should have explained that.

What they really need the lobby guy to do is help with the clueless wonders who bring in unwrapped items, stare in bafflement at the Flat Rate Priority Mail boxes and the ReadyPost packaging, then grab some packaging materials at random and carry the whole pile up to the counter clerk, as if the Postal Fairy™ is going to wave her magic wand and pack up the item for them. If the USPS really wants to speed up the lines in their POs, that would be the place to start.

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Amen to that these clerks that act all annoyed at their time being taken up by a 30 seconds scan and receipt print literally don't make sense to me   So what they want you to walk in there with it undone where at best they weigh it and you know the service you want to use say it and pay, average don't know the service have to hear you rattle off the choices with prices so they can choose what they want then pay, and the worst buy a box a box and package it up right here in line complaining about the cost.  I don't work there but I know as a person standing in line I appreciate those who can hand it over get it scanned and go 

[a_c_green]

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@myangelandmyprincess wrote:
I don't work there but I know as a person standing in line I appreciate those who can hand it over get it scanned and go 

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I remember a day at the little downtown Chicago PO in the basement of Willis (formerly Sears) Tower when I was stuck behind some woman in line with a large shopping bag filled with packages, and of course only one clerk working the counter.

She approached the counter and unloaded the first of what would be a large number of packages to deal with... and it was prepaid!  All it needed was an Acceptance scan. *click* *beep*... Next package... *click* *beep*... and so on. Badda-bing, Badda-boom. I started mentally timing how long each one took, and it was maybe seven seconds. The whole bag was unloaded and done in just a couple of minutes, tops. I turned my attention to the next guy ahead of me in line, who was holding what looked like a unpacked coffeemaker, a Flat Rate PM box and some bubblewrap that he'd grabbed off the rack. Sigh...

[readabouthorses]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@vanman1029 wrote:

 The clerk told me this is now the new mandatory post office procedure nationwide. 

---

Which of course it isn't, as the rest of us who are out here doing our daily shipments as usual can testify.

The description does suggest that there's new equipment on the way, and the current hardware I've seen in our local post offices in the Chicago area has not changed yet, so when new terminals arrive (or there's some significant upgrade to the software on the current ones), then we will probably see those new receipt options appearing on the customer's terminal, but that has nothing to do with the Pre-paid Mailpiece Acceptance process itself.

As for the lobby lurker, that is a standard practice that POs will use during busy periods. Some employee, usually with a hand scanner and sometimes a wireless receipt printer will work the line of waiting customers to deal with those having simple transactions to make. He can do Package Acceptance and even print a receipt (if so equipped). It's possible that the clerk that the OP encountered handed it off to the lobby guy for that reason, but certainly someone present should have explained that.

What they really need the lobby guy to do is help with the clueless wonders who bring in unwrapped items, stare in bafflement at the Flat Rate Priority Mail boxes and the ReadyPost packaging, then grab some packaging materials at random and carry the whole pile up to the counter clerk, as if the Postal Fairy™ is going to wave her magic wand and pack up the item for them. If the USPS really wants to speed up the lines in their POs, that would be the place to start.

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The lobby lurker is always there. Once I was the only customer in the whole building and there he was, standing by the rack of Priority mail supplies, with his hands folded in front of him, lurking and observing. He doesn't say hello, he doesn't ask if he can help you, he just lurks, silent and staring.  And it is always the same person and I've never seen him behind the counter.

My PO does have a sign posted on the double doors where you go from the lobby where the PO Boxes are into the area with counters and clerks that states something to the effect that packages must be ready to mail so no more holding up the line while they finish the job at the counter because they didn't have any tape at home (yes, I've seen that one).

I wasn't as concerned about not getting a receipt as I was about not seeing it get scanned. It the clerk had just said, as she handed it back over the counter, "here, blah blah can scan that for you since it already has a preprinted postage label".  She was young and I don't recall seeing her in there before so maybe she is a new hire and still learning her job.

Next time I go to pick up my mail from my PO Box I'll try to talk with the Postmaster ... heck who knows, maybe I'll try to strike up a conversation with lurking man and find out just what his job entails.

[parkersparrow]

Seems strange, my post office scans & gives me a receipt for my packages. They do prefer I use the scan form when I have a lot of packages but they have never refused to scan them. Maybe your post office is a really busy one an whoever is in charge of that location instructed the clerks not to do it anymore. I agree with asking the postmaster about the policy.