Post Off at the Post Office

The other day I had 10 letters to mail, all of identical content. Without a postal scale, I wasn't sure whether a regular stamp or higher priced variety would avoid a postage due notice, so I went to the post office to find the answer and buy the correct denomination stamps. When I got there at the Martin City branch at 1:45 PM, there were two clerks manning two of four counter stations. One clerk was methodically processing a large mailing of certified letter(100 to 150) for a young attorney who apparently didn't mind waiting, because he commented that his time was "billable". The other clerk was assisting a customer who wanted to send an express letter to some place in China, which the clerk could not locate in the computer data base in order to track it form point of origin to destination. Finally, after no success and no workable advice from the certified mail processor, assistance came from another clerk who emerged from the back of the building, the letter was dispatched. While the first clerk I mentioned was still methodically processing the certified mail, the three customers ahead of me were then served in relatively short order and I was finally able to get my business taken care of and leave the post office at 2:30 PM. What I thought would be a short stop during a time of usually light traffic turned into a long stay. The building manager was aware of the extraordinarily long wait patrons were enduring for service, but he made no effort to increase the number of clerks and thus relieve the lobby which had become overloaded with customers. Surely there were more than two employees in the building who were capable of waiting on customers. Evidently, customer service is not a priority for the United States Postal Service. It is no wonder that postage rates keep rising. Eventually, it will result in the privatization of postal services. This would be a welcome development. Since the post office became an independent government corporation, it's service has gone downhill.