Post Office Stops Sending Packages at an Inconvenient Time
Posted on December 4, 2018 at 3:32 pm by West Sider
The Park West Post Office at 700 Columbus Avenue near 95th Street has some unfortunate news for people planning to send packages this holiday season: They can’t.
That’s what the postal officer told Tsadik Kaplan when he went in on Friday.
“I went to the post office at 700 Columbus avenue this morning with some packages to mail. This normally busy post office had one customer on line. When I went on the line I was greeted with “HEY! We don’t mail packages!”. I thought she was joking, and I smiled. She said “HEY!!! I said we don’t mail packages!”. I said “wha?”. “LOOK AT THE SIGNS!” I asked when they will mail packages again and she replied with a big smile “AFTER THE NEW YEAR!”
Great mis-spelling by post office! It should be “accepted,” not “excepted.”
Actually based on the horrid service at the Post Office on 104th, “excepted” is probably more appropriate.
Check out the Yelp reviews for that location. It’s got to be one of the worst Post Offices in NYC.
I try to avoid the 83rd street Post Office and use the 68th Street whenever possible. I think the environment of the 83rd street PO causes the employees to be aloof and disagreeable – The blast proof barrier between the postal worker and the customer does not help.
The 68th street post office on the other hand is considerably cleaner, the postal workers are polite, friendly and even smile.
I had the meanest clerk at 83rd St. a few weeks ago. The meanest clerk who proceeded to hand me a receipt which had a the bottom a website where I could take survey about my experience.
I don’t find 68 street much better
It’s a dump, filthy and absolutely depressing at 68th St. They should turn it into a Starbucks.
Looks to me like a silent protest of Amazon. I know many postal employees are not happy being Amazon’s delivery service, especially during the holidays.
better unhappy than unemployed
Are these the two choices available to our working community?
oh,oh
That doesn’t make sense – they exist to deliver packages and amazon is an enormous customer. Why would they object to their biggest customer?
I believe it is because Amazon has reduced rates, so the added workload is not paid for.
Why do they object to delivering packages for a paying customer? Isn’t that what the Post Office does?
Sorry for the repeated comment – when the first time I tried to comment didn’t show up, I thought I hadn’t hit “post”.
But if amazon gets reduced rates in a basis no different than anyone else’s, it’s hard to blame them. If they have some special deal, that is different. (Mind you, I don’t use amazon at all, so that’s easy for me to say.)
I want to know why the post office makes it so cheap for people to send mass mailings to every single address, even to people who have tried hard not to get them. They have to be priced too cheaply, if it is economically rational to send mail to thousands of people who don’t want it. I’d love to see those prices raised to the point that mass mailers would find it economically rational to accept and honor opt-out notices.
And no one in the world can fix an elevator mechanism, right…
I saw this on Saturday– luckily was able to drop it off without waiting on line at 83rd street.
No line at the 83rd St. post office? Consider yourself blessed. That is the worst post office in NY. The employees there are consistently slow, lazy, and rude. They have no motivation to work hard. Which is odd because my postal delivery people who come from that branch have always been pleasant and professional.
I always joke that the 83rd St. Planetarium Station routes all mail via Pluto. I’ve mailed things from that post office that never got to their intended recipient or came back to me for no reason. Inept and rude staff.
I did….generally not one of the City’s finest…(although my real hate is for the branch on 6th and 9th/10th st in the village).
I was in there yesterday. A woman at the front is telling people in a very sharp tone ‘read the sign, no packages!’
I had a very, very small padded envelope that they refused to take…’that’s a package.’
They are a cross between really aggressively rude and gloating about it all.
I love the post office and getting mail and worry about the future of the institution.
But I really would like for them to at least try and provide a useful service …I walked out not caring if they all lost their jobs and pensions.
Who goes to the Post Office anymore with a package?
Many of us continue to support public services that provide for the common good. In the case of Post Offices, they are found in rural areas and provide both a service and public meeting area.
I attempted to make this point about Public Libraries in a recent WSR post, but that was dead-ended by deflecting replies. We’ll see if a discussion of public places and the common good can be had now.
“but that was dead-ended by deflecting replies.”
How ironic…
It might be ironic if it weren’t so tragic. It is astonishing how much effort people can muster to avoid answering one simple question, in this case: “Is this private library being developed as Public Libraries funding is starved?”
Here’s a sampling of deflecting replies intended to dead-end the discussion:
“In the world of dannyboy and some of his buddies, you are considered a right wing Republican.
It is these extreme views by people like him and some of our other neighbors that has helped increase the polarization in this country.” Wow, that one knocked it out of the park – me and my neighborhood buds have polarized the country!
“Dannyboy, when you open your doors for the general public to come sit in your living room and read your books, then you might be able to make a point. Until then, give your hypocrisy a rest already.” Clearly, another major contributor to the discussion of libraries.
And several personal insults, provided to avoid the discussion altogether:
“Rock on. I have no tolerance for condescending people who imbue all their comments with arrogance and jealousy. No one is fooled by feigned concern for the less fortunate when their real gripe is that they haven’t achieved the financial success they were hoping for.” (This one didn’t care what the topic was that was being discussed.)
It doesn’t pay to work too hard to find class conflict.” and “mansplaining is not helpful to the conversation”. (a fine deflection from the topic at hand, but does repeat current sound bites).
“But one doesn’t have to be too verbose to describe what’s behind your comments, although the word “jealousy” comes to mind as well.” Boy that’s a comment with lots to say about libraries!
But, eternally optimistic, I expect that the discussion of the Common Good provided by the post office may be more fruitful (But this first reply: “I don’t live in Tennessee.” isn’t hopeful.
That is because private libraries have nothing to do with public libraries. You were creating drama for no good reason. Everything is a conspiracy theory. I can give you a number of reasons why public libraries are struggling but private libraries is very low on the list.
And it seems like you get paid by the post. Please stop dominating every conversation on here. This is not your personal message board. I wish the management would limit your posts – it would make it a much happier place. I think most people (except your alter ego Bruce Bernstein) agree with me.
Juan,
Wow, this is the first time that you have offered a hint of discussion of the topic (“That is because private libraries have nothing to do with public libraries.”), but, of course you keep your discussion a mystery, preferring, once again, personal attacks to the topic.
I will, however, attempt to move the discussion forward. Start with the whole concept of The Public; including the Public Good, and Public Spaces.
When viewed from that perspective, the creation of Private Parks and Private Libraries oppose those same public parks and public libraries.
Your thoughts?
I don’t live in Tennessee.
So Sean, are you saying that you consider the Common Good to be only what benefits Sean?
Interesting.
You assume too much.
That’s fair. I asked because I can’t get the meaning of your terse reply.
I send packages through the USPS and rarely set foot in there. They have a website. Many ways to participate for the common good.
They weren’t deflecting replies; they were pointing out that your objection was not related to the matter at hand.
I definitely support public libraries. I don’t think having reading rooms in private buildings undermines them.
The Postal Worker sounded happy about that news.
You can make a complaint directly to the USPS.gov site. They are a government owned operation (for now) and they are required to serve us. Here is the link:
https://emailus.usps.com/emailUs/iq/usps/request.do?forward=emailUs
Ahh, Government run operations. So wonderful. Keep voting for more of this including for your healthcare. But, it’s “free”, right? The joy.
No, the US Postal Service ISN’T free. We pay for it. The price of stamps has increased many times in the past 2 to 3 years. They’ve become competitive with other post and ship services with overnight mail, 2nd day delivery, 3rd day and ground as well as parcel post.
But what we pay for we expect to receive both in terms of the packages & mail and in service we’ve paid for. If their job is to take and ship packages, then that’s what they should do. I can’t tell my landlord that he’s not getting his rent because the elevator is broken.
Shipping packages is what they do. It’s part of the gig.
(a) The USPS is primarily funded by postage.
(b) Who is innocent enough to think the private shipping companies provide great service? Anyone who’s been outside their apartment since 1971?
Here is and idea take them out the front door there are only 3 steps there. And if its against their “work rules” to carry them in small batch’s up 3 steps here are 2 different work arounds.
One, have a postal employee at the top and bottom of the 3 steps. The one at the top of the 3 steps would have an empty roll away bin, the one at the bottom of the 3 steps would have the full bin. They would then hand the packages over the 3 steps, roughly 18 inches and then roll the cart out to the truck.
Two, use the wheel chair lift right next to the 3 steps to move the packages.
They usually bring the bins of mail and packages out through a south facing door near the entrance to the building and then roll them over to the waiting trucks on Columbus Avenue. Both of my suggestions are through the front door onto Columbus Avenue
It’s too bad about the poor staff attitudes at 83d Street. The staff at 68th Street are consistently helpful, kind and thoughtful. I go there all the time because I live on 70th St. This is a well managed location. When it gets busy, there is someone who comes to the customers lined up and they try to answer questions in advance.
Love that packages are being “excepted” at other post offices
The staff at the Park West Station on Columbus is extraordinarily rude most of the time. If anyone in private industry treated customers/clientele that way, he/she would be out of a job. I work near Grand Central Terminal so, despite it being a bit inconvenient with larger items, I tend to take my packages to the Grand Central postal station. Although busy, it is often well staffed and staff rudeness kept to a minimum.
The misspelling on the sign above doesn’t surprise me, given the caliber of the employees I’ve encountered there. What a dismal statement, though, about our U.S. Postal Service – or, in this case, disservice. Whoever heard of a US Postal office refusing to accept and mail packages during the holidays?
Thank you to the person who posted the link through which to submit a complaint via USPS.com.
I couldn’t agree more about how unpleasant it is to do business at the 83rd Street post office; literally I have stood in line for an hour to mail a package and been infuriated by the lack of concern for customer service. My favorite is when they have a “floater” on the floor advising people instead of having him/her work a window. Mail service to our building in the neighborhood is also appalling–some days it doesn’t come at all! postal worker once refused to come down the stairs at our service entrance with packages. Complaints to our congresspeople are in order!
And they don’t know the difference between “accept” and “except” so what do you expect? (She says, expectorating . . . )
Why is it taking so long to solve the problem? I heard there was a broken elevator. It doesn’t make any sense! Fortunately, I was on my way to 83rd St.& B’way anyway and the line on 83rd St. wasn’t too long.
Packages being excepted? Maybe fix the elevator and give USPS employees spelling lessons
I had the same experience more than a week ago. Then I went to the 104th Street p.o. and none of their 3 self-service kiosks were working! There wasn’t even a sign letting people know, who kept trying to use the touch screens. Yesterday I went with more packages only to discover that they weren’t doing any business because of the Bush funeral. Jeez!!
Amazing. Amusing. But saddening. What? No holiday packages for the wee ones from the U.W.S.? . . . The U.S. Postal Dis-service is working hard (especially in three major cities: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles) to put itself out of business. The Postmistress General Meagan Brennan in Washington, D.C., is an example of the Peter Principal (q.v.): she’s risen to the level of her incompetence. A career employee, she does nothing but approve others’ work–no initiative on her own part. What would you expect flows down from the top, then? . . . True, the electronic spectrum (esp. E-mail) and private delivery companies have severely impacted the U.S. mail, but the little guys–their core customers–are being hurt, and we number in the millions. . . Call your Congress Members’ offices (Nadler: 212-367-7350 / Espaillat: 212-663-3900). Call the newly-appointed Marcellina DelPizzo, acting Manhattan Postmistress’s office (212-330-3615), call the area’s “uber” Postmistress Lorraine Castellano (212-330-3600). Complain, complain, complain–but will it do us any good? . . .The elevator at Park-West Finance Station? Call Ms Vera, manager of Cathedral Station (212-662-0355)–it’s her sub-station and remit. . . BTW, once when the elevator was out for an inordinate time at the two-story Ansonia Station (10023) and complaints fell on deaf ears, I made a Freedom of Information Act request for the contract between the U.S.P.S and the elevator company. The elevator was fixed in less than a week (rather than give me a copy of the contract?). . . Isn’t it sad that it has come to “everyone” saying that his/her local branch post office is “the worst.” . . As for the misspelling, let’s give the Post Office a pass. Please note that the West Side Rag mis-spells “inconvenient” in its U.R.L.! Thank you. E.& o.e.