To the Editor of the Mystic River Press,

Time Management at the Post Office?

Recently, my wife and I went lunchtime shopping in RI at a large “Trader Joe’s” market specializing in food products we can’t obtain locally. They had an “alert” bell by each cash register. When lines started building at open checkout counters, the bell was sounded, and the local TJ manager would yell out “all hands on deck.” Other store employees, busy re-stocking shelves, stopped and came to open up new register lines which kept customers moving without waiting.

We were impressed with this arrangement, similar to the operation of our smaller local Noank Community Market, where folks are also cross-trained. Our TJ checkout person told us that all TJ employees are cross-trained on most store operations and can shift to cover other job duties where needed. In a large market, this was impressive.

Days later, at lunchtime, I stopped for stamps at a local CT Post Office. One window was open, with four windows closed and five people waiting. The person in front asked lots of questions which seemed to confuse the post office attendant. I waited five more minutes.

Ten customers lined up behind me. Six post office employees moved around in back rooms, doing other duties, not looking at us. We waited five more minutes. Finally, the fellow next to me asked me how long I had been waiting. I pointed to my full-size beard, announcing loudly that I had “just started to grow this when I arrived” at which point some folks laughed.

This woke up the existing attendant, who called for “help out front.” No response. Three minutes later, a reluctant employee appeared and opened up one more window to serve 15 people in line. Three windows remained closed while the other employees still moved around performing other duties.

Then my attendant had trouble finding a roll of first class stamps and the 2nd ounce stamps for heavier letters. She apologized because “everybody is at lunch.” She then found one crumpled sheet of 9 stamps, which I hurriedly bought, amid cheers from the waiting crowd.

Granted that the Post Office is having a difficult time with Internet competition. But why foster conditions which alienate remaining customers who still prefer to utilize their services?

In fairness, I don’t always have this problem. But perhaps upper post office management should attend the next “Trader Joe’s” new employee training session. Special attention can be paid to the time management of “lunch hour” employee breaks…usually the neediest time for customers.

Ed Johnson, Noank