Is this a universal experience?

As for the customs forms, if its over a certain weight, then you have to fill out the big one, but if its under so much (I can't remember the weight), then its the green one. It does get confusing and its frustrating. I see those forms all the time at work and I love reading them.

As for rudeness - we have the same problem here, as well as the not many staff working issue. I don't know why.

I dont go into the post office often as i just check my mail outside. Im annoyed at people taking money out at the atms. I was waiting behind this woman and she was there for a good 5-10 mins, she kept putting in her pin number and spitting out receipts. She did that 4 times!!!! I was ready to grab her by the hair and smack her. She didn't even turn around and wonder if there was a line or apologise (there was another person behind me waiting as well). i take like a minute do to my stuff or not even that!!!!

I had to mail an envelope for my husband to a client of his. It was stamped "media mail" and after waiting in line for 30 minutes (with three workers helping, but one was helping a couple get a passport application filled out--apparantly that takes a long while). Anyway, i finally got up to mail the darned thing and the worker actually asked me what was in the envelope! I just told him I thought it was magazines, thinking it was glossy paper and the guy just went off on a tangent about how you can't mail magazines with media mail. Aparantly you are only allowed to send "media" in a media mail envelope and not just any paper or glossies. Whatever! Geez, sorry! Next time, I'll make my husband mail his own stuff on his lunch break. I hate going to the post office. Those people must be overworked and hate their jobs. No personable social skills at all. Not like the post office at my college: that place could have a line stretching out the door and it was still only a 10-15 min wait because the worker there was a real pro. I miss that post office

That all sounds pretty normal, but the workers here are pretty much friendly minus a few. What I hate is when people come in, don't even have their package put together and do it all at the last minute! That drives me nuts, especially when it hasn't even been taped up yet!

I haven't had an issue, yet. However, the last time (and first time) I ever mailed a package, there was a gentleman there that was REALLY helpful.

Silly me, I thought you actually had to pay for the priority mail boxes.

But all in all, he was really friendly, helpful, and patient!

I'm sorry your experiences have been awful.

OH! And when we went in to get stamps for our wedding invitations, we took an invitation in to be weighed. The guy there was SOOOO happy that we did that. He said, "You'll never believe how many mothers and daughters we get in here, crying because all of the invitations were sent back because there wasn't enough postage."

I had a similar situation before Christmas, with a long line and only two very surly workers behind the desk. The man in front of me got fed up and asked why they didn't have more workers up front, considering it was the holiday season. The worker told him that the post office makes more money off the work they do in the back, so that's where they put the most people. The man replied "Well, if you're not making money off of me, I guess all my mail is free to send, right?" The worker did not know what to say, and the guy got applause from the rest of us in line.

Yep, sure looks like an international experience. Our local PO is a real pain, the queue is always really long and full of grumpy people though the people behind the desk seem friendlier than the people mentioned here

Well when I fist came to Spain and my Spanish was non-existant - but I always tried and took my dictionary in with me - they were terrible - I put it down the the language barrier.
They are better now, but they are still so slow, they even go out for coffee breaks when the queue is hanging out of the doors, mind you that is common practise, bank staff even do that here !
Maybe theres something in envelopes that affects peoples speed

The workers at the post office in my little hometown are all very nice, polite and helpful. Even at Christmas time, when it's an absolute zoo! I've never been treated like they were rushed, or tired or angry...and for the most part, the customers have always behaved nicely too. The Secretary of State's office, however, is another story. They are the rudest, nastiest, worst people in the world to deal with. Thank God I can renew my driver's license by mail usually. I HATE going there with a passion!!! And everyone I know here in town feels the same exact way.

Ah yes, the local post office where I live. Never a long line, because hardly anybody lives around here.

Only one postal employee and I could be the only one in line and it'll still take him 15 minutes to get a package mailed off, because I have to tell him how to do everything!

One time I had to send something to Japan. That got him so confused he had to call another post office to get help.

He's a nice guy, but c'mon, he really shouldn't be doing this job.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

The post offices in the city are like that but the ones in the country are a bit more friendly and less crowded.

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The closest post office is like that. I prefer mailing packages from there, but last Christmas the one in the big city was convenient and I needed to get the package out that day.

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

Having lived in both the U.S. and Canada, definitely Canadian postal workers are more laid-back and relaxed. They also don't deliver mail on Saturdays and won't pick up your stamped letter from your mailbox.

I don't know if it's just Victoria or our street, but our postal carriers only come around three times a week or so. And if there's a Monday or Friday holiday, or inclement weather, don't look for them at all that week. I lived here for over two years before I saw mail delivered on a Friday. I honestly thought it wasn't delivered on Fridays.

They are friendlier at the Canada Postal Outlets, but seems to me there's a trade-off.

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That is laid back. We get ours 6 days a week (except for holidays) even in some nasty weather. I think the last time we didn't get delivery was because there was too much snow on the ground. In fact, most of the drivers have 4wheel drive vehicles.

Originally Posted by Duchess15

That all sounds pretty normal, but the workers here are pretty much friendly minus a few. What I hate is when people come in, don't even have their package put together and do it all at the last minute! That drives me nuts, especially when it hasn't even been taped up yet!

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Or not taped up properly!