The Post Office
One of my goals for the summer was to sell a bunch of books on eBay. Today I packaged up the last of them, including a very large shipment (in a very large box), and headed off to the Post Office. The pattern has been that every other time I do this, I encounter difficulty and, as this was an odd-numbered trip, I was prepared for the worst.The conversation went thusly:
Completely Unhelpful Postal Person: You can't use that box.
Me: Which box?
CUPP (pointing, of course, to the large one): That box.
Me: Why not?
CUPP: It was previously used to ship something *mumble mumble mumble mumble* perfume.
Me: How can you tell?
CUPP: Because of that marking.
Me (having had some experience with finding the exact question to ask): What if I covered up that marking?
CUPP: That would be ok.
Me: Do you have a sharpie?
CUPP: I have a red one.
Me: Would that work?
CUPP: No.
Me: Would a black one be ok?
CUPP: Yes.
Me: Do you have one?
CUPP: No.
Me (to Previously Completely Unhelpful Postal Person at the next station): Excuse me. Do you have a black sharpie?
PCUPP: Yup.
Me: Can she borrow it?
PCUPP (handing it over): Sure.
Me (to Original Completely Unhelpful Postal Person): Could I borrow your black sharpie?
CUPP: Ok.
At which point I blacked out the offending marks, gave back the sharpie, and paid up.
But I can't help but wonder, if I hadn't asked exactly the right questions in exactly the right order, if things would have worked out so well.
posted by Thurman8er @ 3:37 PM
12 Comments:
Ooh they've come a long way. It used to be that you couldn't even mark through those markings - you had to get butcher paper and complete re-wrap the box. Good thinking on borrowing the other person's black sharpie. LOL
Just about then I probably would have asked, "If you don't help me, how am I ever going to get this Anthrax mailed out?"
Math Bro - its 2:35a.m. and I'm LOL! Your conversation and "right questions" reminds me of a bbq place in southern Georgia. We had gone there on a trip when 2 guys came in off the interstate. One of them asked the old lady behind the counter if they sold Pepsi products. It went something like this:
guy: Do you have Pepsi?
O.L.: Coke.
Guy: No Ma'm, do you have Pepsi?
O.L.: Coke.
Guy: I don't want a coke. Do you have Pepsi?
O.L.: Coke
What he failed to understand or as you said, ask, was that this Old Lady was saying in Southern Georgian, "No stupid, we don't carry Pepsi. We do have plenty of Coke products if you're interested."
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Bro: You experience is similar to any given encounter with any given California DMV. This is but one of many reasons why we should be able to legally "go postal" and shoot one of them once in a while! There should be a viable defense argument that goes like this: "Judge, he/she needed killin'!"
That was good for a laugh ... and another argument in favor of "us" going postal against "them" as well as an argument in favor of the legal defense, "He/She just needed killin' your honor." :)
That's pretty funny!! Glad it turned out so well........
:)
When all else fails just threaten to go POSTAL ... that helps occasionally!
Threatening to go POSTAL seems to help on occasions.
Threatening to go POSTAL seems to help when all else fails!
I've had too many of the same conversations that defied all logic, most recently, one with a phone bank rep from my cable co.:
Me: In Feb., I had the hockey package added to my cable service. I need to know how many more months I will be charged for this package.
Cable Guy: Do you want to put it on your bill?
Me: No, I'm already being charged monthly for this package. I want to know how much longer I will be charged for it/
Cable Guy: I can delete this sports package.
Me: No, no...you don't have to do that - hockey season is OVER! There are no more games. I just need to know how much longer I will be charged for the hockey package, since the total cost of it was to be divided up into x-amount of months. How much longer?
By the way where is my call being made?
CG: India. Do you want me to add the hockey package???? (This was in June)
(Etc...etc...) It took 3 calls and two e-mails to get my answer. One of the calls went to Mexico.
I met that same person the other day at the American Airline's desk.
Frightening.
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