What's all this about 7-11 stores in Canada. We have them but I do know of any Post Offices being located in them, around here at least.
The Post Offices I know about here in Halifax / Dartmouth twin cities are two corporate Post Offices in each city across the harbour from each other (total population about 300,000 approximately) and a bunch of smaller associate Post Offices located in nice drug stores (pharmacies / chemists).
These associate postal stores are in a corner of the main drug store and do a better job of selling every stamp going as they are there to profit from selling, not just have a good paying job and pass the buck on to some specially trained person in a specialized Post Office called a Philatelic Centre or some such.
Some of the employees are better trained, to my thinking, than some of the ones in the corporate offices. More friendly, more customer oriented, good at handling all aspects of sales and money and stamps available, ornery customers, nice customers (me
), and sorting and forwarding on all mails.
Some of the part-time help are not so well trained but most, if approached in a friendly manner, do try very hard to be good philatelic salespeople. There seems to be a really good, knowledgeable person as the Post Master or Mistress and then rotating younger people to cover busy periods. Only the main people are allowed into the safe.
They are all paid by the drug store, are not employees of
Canada Post, but do wear
Canada Post uniforms and presumably have adequate training in order to follow the laws of Canada regarding all such matters that they deal in. (You fool around with the mail here and it's a federal crime) Mail is picked up and delivered by
Canada Post trucks and employees.
They are open all hours, or at least the hours that the drug stores are open and
Canada Post not on strike, etc. That would be 9:00 AM til 9:00 PM around here and then on Saturdays and Sundays for a more limited time. The corporate offices / stores do not have such available hours when open.
But just because these offices are open does not mean that the mails move on the weekends or holidays. They have to wait for the official
Canada Post employees to get going on Monday to Friday business days.
The employees at the corporate stores / offices do a better job I think because they are not paid so high a wage and do not have guaranteed positions and thus cannot really afford to be nasty to customers. It pays them to be friendlier and more market oriented.
I am not sure if bonuses or anything are available to anyone.
The Post Mistresses (I haven't seen many men in these positions here, hmmm) all seem to be very serious and conscientious at their jobs. When I was more of a regular shipper I had problems a few times but I had more problems with the corporate offices and finally decided to keep using the associate stores.
It usually comes down to you knowing what is supposed to happen and knowing your options before you get there and just being friendly and understanding as not everyone everywhere at all times knows what they are doing and that includes me.
Posted 07/26/2011 10:00 am
