The hustle and bustle at this time of year is infamous. I, like every other person in modern-day America, promise that I am going to shop online, am going to get my errands and mailing done early, and am going to sit back and relax throughout the season approaching Christmas. Of course I never do, and today was no different.
I headed to the Post Office with arms overloaded at 8am this morning, praising myself for beating the mad Monday rush (the 18th of course will be heralded as the busiest mailing day of the year). I had a dilemma about how to get my too-many packages into the building and up to the counter. Should I even attempt to carry them all at once? (even half the load was near impossible). Should I take in half, and speak to the nice counter woman explaining that I have another load and could I please deposit half the load in a safe spot while I run to the van for the second armload? Should I carry half inside, deposit it in line to hold my place and then dash back out to get the other half and meet my 'party' of packages where I left them? Would people think I expected them to guard my stuff? Would somebody assume that I was trying to budge the line when I returned with my second load? Would somebody take one of my packages??!
My decision was complicated by the fact that when I entered the building, absolutely no one would make eye contact (neither the customers nor the postal worker) so I couldn't nicely ask any favors. I decided all this thinking was using entirely too much energy, so I brought in half my load, stood in line for 20 minutes, made my way to the counter, paid my $34 in shipping and returned to my van for the second load and got back in line for another 20 minutes and paid a second bill of $28 and went on my way.
The whole time I was in line, I assessed whether I had made the right choice. I'm pretty sure I did considering that there were 3 counter people at the the Post Office, one helping customers and the other two intently watching her. Of course, once I was at the counter for the second time, the charm turned on and previously oblivious counter woman acted shocked that I was in line a second time, but she didn't suggest how I could have done it differently. Go figure!
I headed to the Post Office with arms overloaded at 8am this morning, praising myself for beating the mad Monday rush (the 18th of course will be heralded as the busiest mailing day of the year). I had a dilemma about how to get my too-many packages into the building and up to the counter. Should I even attempt to carry them all at once? (even half the load was near impossible). Should I take in half, and speak to the nice counter woman explaining that I have another load and could I please deposit half the load in a safe spot while I run to the van for the second armload? Should I carry half inside, deposit it in line to hold my place and then dash back out to get the other half and meet my 'party' of packages where I left them? Would people think I expected them to guard my stuff? Would somebody assume that I was trying to budge the line when I returned with my second load? Would somebody take one of my packages??!
My decision was complicated by the fact that when I entered the building, absolutely no one would make eye contact (neither the customers nor the postal worker) so I couldn't nicely ask any favors. I decided all this thinking was using entirely too much energy, so I brought in half my load, stood in line for 20 minutes, made my way to the counter, paid my $34 in shipping and returned to my van for the second load and got back in line for another 20 minutes and paid a second bill of $28 and went on my way.
The whole time I was in line, I assessed whether I had made the right choice. I'm pretty sure I did considering that there were 3 counter people at the the Post Office, one helping customers and the other two intently watching her. Of course, once I was at the counter for the second time, the charm turned on and previously oblivious counter woman acted shocked that I was in line a second time, but she didn't suggest how I could have done it differently. Go figure!
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