If you’re old enough and have a better memory than me, you might recall the first time you walked into a music store and realized they didn’t sell records anymore, only cassettes in tiny plastic cases—your first awareness as a young adult that something basic about the world had shifted and you hadn’t even noticed. You might remember how these changes have happened again from time to time in the intervening years—realized how now the pace at which they occur has seemingly accelerated.
These days (at least in my corner of the US) even butchers at the grocery don’t prepare individual cuts of meat upon request but limit their service to 3 hours in the late afternoon and early evening, when stores are busiest. Neither my partner Sara nor I can remember when there were last pump attendants at gas stations, let alone someone to check and change our oil or fix a flat.
In fact, this past week Sara told me her world had suddenly and fundamentally shifted again when she stepped into our downtown post office to find it empty. Desk closed. No postal personnel in sight, just an automated system called the “Self Service Ship and Mail Center.” Sara says it can efficiently weigh packages, dispense stamps, and track deliveries—no smile or the ability to greet grandma by name.
Facing possible bankruptcy, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is closing facilities or radically reducing hours and personnel all over the country. Our home state of Kentucky alone has nine USPS offices scheduled to shut even their automated doors. For those of us who correspond via email and pay bills online, the postal service, though not a daily necessity, remains a service we take for granted. But for those on the less fortunate side of the digital divide, a society without decent mail service is hard to imagine.
Post office closed–no cars, people, or personnel in sight. What if it were always this way?
With this reality in mind, the USPS Office of Inspector General recently offered an alternative to closing post offices, cutting window hours, and getting rid of career postal workers. A report suggests that local post offices be re-imagined as vital community hubs that offer services like internet access and copy-making capabilities, places with the potential for bringing in new sources of revenue and revitalizing dying brick and mortar facilities. (You can read the entire report called “21st Century Post Office: Non-Postal Products and Services” here.)
Some who love snail mail less than Sara (or me for that matter) argue in support of USPS cuts-backs or outright elimination, suggesting two big competitors are waiting in the wings, FedEx and UPS. It’s true, as Dave Jamison writes in the Huffington Post, that “those shipping giants have a combined U.S. workforce comparable to that of the USPS, but it’s also unlikely they would fill the void left by the agency, since neither UPS nor FedEx would probably be interested in delivering letters, postcards and bills. ” It’s not cost-effective. These companies, instead, have “networks designed for more specialized, high-dollar shipping,” says Jamison. Plus, private corporations—though they have proved themselves to be kind and caring, almost actual people, according to Mitt Romney— have no social obligations to the public good, the way the USPS does, and seemingly less ability to lovingly deliver your package in one piece.
If the USPS is lost as a public asset, we risk losing much more than a value the US constitution guarantees American citizens. We risk losing an institution that our grandmothers and their grandmothers before them could count on. It would mean the end of an era, one marked for literally centuries by service with a smile and the memory that you’re more than merely a package recipient; you’re neighbor, teacher, friend.
Surely you can do it all yourself! You’re a self-sufficient American, after all.
Who but your local mail carrier, his bag bulging with the expectation of Christmas, manages daily to greet grandma with a wave and a friendly face—grandma who has gray hair, a slight stoop, and no knowledge of online bill-paying?
It’s inevitable that time changes the world around us, but some institutions, like Santa, rock and roll, or the predictable rhythms of US mail, remain ingrained in the popular imagination.
It’s even possible your neighborhood USPS carrier will whistle “Please, Mr. Postman” as he greets you by name and delivers that Beatles CD you ordered off of eBay last Wednesday–not a Christmas gift, by any means, but a festive occasion, nonetheless.
How is mail delivery or any other cultural institution changing, for better or worse, in your corner of the planet? Would you be willing to lose your local postal carrier?
Note: This post was a collaborative effort with my partner Sara—who originally drafted parts of this and generously allowed me to edit and expand the piece to my own liking. You can see another version of this post on Sara’s blipFoto site, “Que Sera Sara.”
Kathryn M. McCullough 
Great post. This is one of the things I like about living in South Africa. We still have butchers and bakeries and music stores that sell actual CDs. The post office is alive and well here too, albeit not always very efficient. I try to use it as little as possible because there are never any guarantees that mail will arrive at the correct destination.
One of my first-ever blog posts was about the U. S. Postal Service. It’s still one of my favorites. It doesn’t portray USPS in a very positive light but I think it will give you a chuckle!
http://2summers.net/2010/07/16/lost-and-found/
xo,
Heather
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Oh, Heather, that’s a GREAT post! Too, too funny. With my luck it would have been permanently lost, and I would have been stuck in the US forever–my dream just out of reach. So happy to hear the post office came through in the end. And DELIGHTED you liked my post, as well!
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Great post, Kathryn. I’m a big fan of the U.S. Postal Service. I penpal with several women from England, Wales, Indonesia, and a few right here in the U.S. and I’m always popping a letter or small package in the mail to them. And I’m a big fan of dropping a random card to a friend just to surprise them, and they always say that it’s so nice to receive something besides bills in their mailbox and it’s especially nice when there’s no occasion for it. I’m old-school, in that I don’t pay bills or shop online. It seems I may be forced to change that one way. I hope not. Thanks for a wonderful post. I checked out Sara’s blipfoto. Nice collaborative effort! Love to both of you! xoxo
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Oh, Julia, I happy you like my reworking of this post. I had SO much fun playing with this, I can’t even tell you. It’s always fun for me to collaborate with Sara. Love to you, as well, my friend.
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I’m a fan of personal service. I was so sad when the little family owned grocery closed. Then the butcher shop where they had everything except the sawdust on the floor. Now the post office. I’m grateful for my co-op because I can still get some help when I need it there, but it’s getting harder and harder to find that old fashioned connection.
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Yes, it is! Things are changing at such an accelerated pace that it nearly dizzies me. We have a coop here, as well–and a farmer’s market we can walk to. That helps. Thanks for reading!
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we have stopped receiving mail not even for bills we get bills for various services delivered or we go get them so what goes on with the postal service is not cared about much
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I think your experience is becoming more and more common. Do you mean there is no mail service where you live or that you have asked them to stop delivering to you? I’d love to know which and where you live in the world.
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i live in Nepal we have postal service but hardy we use it its unreliable i think
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Thanks for sharing that. We lived in Haiti for a year, where traditional mail service was seemingly non-existent and in Vietnam where is was unreliable. I think this conversation becomes more interesting when it moves to a global scale and we consider how people around the world receive mail.
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As a big fan of hand written notes and cards sent via snail mail, the continued deterioration of the post office bothers me very much. Since I was a little girl, I have loved opening the mail box and finding a random something personal addressed just to me. A postcard from a trip. A thank you note. A birthday card. Something tangible that the other person touched and held, that they took time to write out before shipping it off to me.
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I think you have touched (no pun intended) on an important issue–the fact that letters and cards that arrive by mail have been handled by the sender. The note or postcard becomes more than text or image. It becomes a tangible connection to that actual person.
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Call it the sad but inevitable march of progress. I wrote a blog post awhile back on the demise of video rental stores – kind of the same concept here. I do have to admit, there is only one item I mail every month, and that’s a check to my HOA only because they don’t have an online billing service, so if the post office does go belly up, it probably won’t affect me too greatly.
Then again, how will I get my Netflix movies?! I don’t stream. Yet, anyway…
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I don’t know that there’s much of anything we mail anymore. Though Sara has been inducted into something called the “Secret Postcard Society”–a UK group with global participants, whose goal it is to send postcards to one another–to keep that practice alive. She gets at least one postcard a day–some from as far away as Australia (I think).
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This is so true! There has been a lot of talk about post offices closing, possibly losing a delivery day (only delivering M-F). I am a huge fan of a lot of the new technology, but there is definitely something to be said about human interaction. The city that I work for seems to be enjoying it every time someone quits or retires – they kind of have that, “Good! Now I don’t have to pay for that position anymore!” kind of attitude. If they DO have to refill a position, they do so with someone barely qualified, and at half the pay of the previous person. Now, I’m not saying that we need to return to the days of the Pony Express, but if we lose the ability to communicate with our fellow human beings – what have we got left???
….. sometimes I just want to run away to a country where things are simpler. Where people value each other rather than money and technology……
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I think you may have identified exactly what I’ve loved about living in the developing world–that life becomes so much more simple–reduced to the essentials but most meaningful. Thanks for reminding me of this, Holly. Don’t you think that might be why photography is so appealing to you–the ability to focus on the particular–the simple–that which is most basic to the tangible world? I don’t know–just wonder. Great to hear from you today!
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Kathryn, I loved this post (and was that REALLY a TV the FedEx guy so unceremoniously dumped over the fence?) Your mention of the report from the USPS Office of Inspector General, suggesting “that local post offices be re-imagined as vital community hubs that offer services like internet access and copy-making capabilities, places with the potential for bringing in new sources of revenue and revitalizing dying brick and mortar facilities.”
It took me very little time to locate an article I remembered from last September, which indicates some post offices have ALWAYS been “vital community hubs.” Possibly a very strong argument for everything old being “new” again? http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20110929/PC1602/309299874
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What an interesting article! Thanks so much for sharing the link. I suppose you’re EXACTLY right–and maybe that’s what we’re losing and attempting redefine and reenvision–trying to recreate those those vital community hubs. It’s sad to see the photo of that tiny, old post office at risk for elimination.
It’s great to hear from you today. Thanks for your comment–for joining the conversation. You’ve added such an important piece. Hope to see you around again soon!
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I would be very sad without a mail carrier! My kids love ours…Martha has been around since before I had them and has watched them grow up. She brings them candy canes at Christmas and is the nicest lady.
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Yes, she sounds like a lovely lady–an almost literal Santa in your children’s eyes. I would hate the thought of losing these kinds of connections. Hooray for Martha!
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now the people IN the post office, I could do without their “pleasantries”!
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That might make something you could add to your series of things you hate/irritate you. I have to agree, however.
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As a woman ahead of my time in reverse (i.e. way too young to be disturbed by the lack of butcher services but disturbed anyway), I loved this post. I get to listen to the Beatles while lamenting the introduction of the video tape and reminiscing about my trip to the states last year. The small coastal towns of central and northern California had the coolest Post Offices. They were in small wooden outpost buildings that seemed like they’d been there since…well, forever. And the staff were so friendly I didn’t even mind that I bought the wrong stamps. Best wishes for the USPS!
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How wonderful to hear from you today, Rose! In fact, the coming and going of the video tape mark the boundaries of a hugely important era in my life. Those buildings in California sound sweet. I imagine a fun photography project could involve capturing images of old post offices. Take care, my friend!
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Kathryn, I ran across your post in the forums and am glad I did. What’s happening to the USPS is a shame. In an increasingly digital world, they offer a link to reality. Unfortunately, it seems fewer and fewer folk are sending letters to anyone. I can count the number of peers I know who have written and mailed a letter on one hand. It’s not a newsflash that people are becoming socially distant, but this is an example of how that affects others. Those of us who do appreciate the postal service sadly wait the day when it falls or becomes privatized. I’m afraid to be a cynic, but I find myself thinking it’s all downhill from here.
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I’m happy you found my blog, as well. Your statement about being able to count on one hand the number of friends who had hand written a letter amazes me. I suppose there may be more folks than I realize for whom that would be true. It’s just so strange to think how the world is changing in this regard, I guess. Hope you’ll stop back by again soon. Thanks for your comment!
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Great FedEx video! Eight years ago I ordered a printer online that FedEx misdelivered to a building across the street from where I reside, a school. Even though it was addressed to me at my address, some lump of life at this school signed for it — with their name — and then kept it! I had to go through holy hell to get it back. I have a like/hate relationship with the US Postal Service for I find many of the personnel here in NYC incompetent. It appears that my letter carrier may have once again stuffed my Time Out New York magazine in another tenant’s mailbox, so it’s quite possible I won’t see my magazine this week. She also did the same thing with my anniversary issue of The New Yorker. SNAFU’s like this make me wish I could afford an iPad — and that would be less revenue for the US Postal Service. Our generation has a more sentimental view of the Postal Service than younger generations simply because you cannot miss what you never knew. I cannot predict the future of the US Postal Service, but I don’t think it is going to go completely away, although the version that existed in our youth is for the most part, already long gone. If they’re going to survive that have to make themselves relevant to the times. Screwing up delivering my magazine four or five times a year makes me wish I could cut them out of my life even more. I much prefer paying my bills online than having to rely on them. I also prefer email to snail mail since email allows me to attach photos, embed links and be far more interactive. I quit hand writing letters almost 30 years ago and typed them instead so email has been the eighth wonder of my world.
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Gosh, I had forgotten about the hell you’ve been through with those New Yokers. That has been unexcusably bad. I have to admit that I, too, have had my not-so-pleasant encounters with the USPS. It’s certainly not all smiles and roses. Important reminder!
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I would LOVE to see the post office re created why the HELL did it take so long to figure out that this was a viable solution? Internet cafe in a small town? Go to the post office. Our home station in Lexington was off of Henry Clay? Duke? Something like that? It was teenyweenysmall, and this one clerk was a lunatic asshole (but we LOVED to hear what he was ranting about at any given time), and I would hate to see that go away.
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Oh, yes, I know the Duke Rd. post office. I used to live in Chevey Chase, and, in fact, Sara’s nephew lives nearly accross the street from that branch. The little Kroger next door is the kind of grocery store that hardly ever exists any more even in a town like Lexington, which, as you know, is not huge. Love it that you used to live here!
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Seems like the folks in Washington have no concept of the words “Postal Service”…it’s a “SERVICE” not a corporate operation….okay I’ll stop ranting.
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You’re right, Charlie. You should write a poem to offer the other side of this story, which is also legitimate. Talk back to me in a poem, my friend!
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Kathy – This is a GREAT post on a number of levels…
1. It points to a significant problem — current event — that effects ALL of us. Not just that post offices are closing. By WHY they’re closing. The USPS, a government agency, is facing bankruptcy. (which in and of itself opens a whole different discussion)…
2. It’s nostalgic — the Beatles clip instantly transported me back in time to our garage band.
3. And the clip of FedEx deliver. OMG! Karmically speaking, I sure wouldn’t want to be any of the packages that that guy orders for home delivery 🙂
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So happy to hear you appreciate this post, Laurie. Isn’t that FedEx video great? I had seen it on CNN and suspected it would be available on Youtube, and, of course, it was. I suppose most everything is these days. And, yes, I thought the nostalgia factor was pretty high on this one. Great to hear from you today, my friend!
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I have had my own issues with the post office with mail people more intent on teaching me a lesson than doing their jobs (i.e. refusal to deliver my mail because a car was supposedly too close to my mailbox–I went so far as to send photos to the post office with exact measurements assuring them that she could have delivered the mail if she knew how to drive the damn truck, but, alas, I had the whole bees and honey quandry). While I agree, I love receiving mail of a personal nature (because, hey, it makes for good scrapbook material in addition to feeling like Christmas) I can see the need to recreate the postal service. I recently ordered two things from Amazon. They both shipped separately and one was ordered three days prior to the other. I received them both on the same day. The later item came from Las Vegas directly to my doorstep. The earlier item went from a post office in Toledo, Ohio (west of where I live), to a post office in Pennsylvania (east of where I live), to my doorstep. Obviously, that makes no sense and with gas prices the way they are today, it couldn’t possibly have been more cost effective. All that said, like you, I want a post office. I want to mail physical letters. When Jim was in the Navy I mailed him a letter every single day without fail. Four years worth of mail crammed into a duffel bag. Letters my children will now have as mementos when Mom and Dad are dust. There’s no replacing that.
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Oh, I LOVE it that you took measurements and everything to send to the post office. What a great story!
How great that you have all of those letters kept for your kids! That is the coolest thing of heard in a while. Imagine how well that must chronicle that era in your lives.
Sara had told me you had noticed the version on her blip post sounded like me. We both got a chuckle out of that. Great to hear from you, Sista!
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I did notice! How well developed your voice must be that I caught that, huh? There are writers all over that are envious of you, I’m sure.
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I doubt that they’re envious. We got a kick out of the fact that you knew my writing well enough to recognize it, not that it was recognizable. It was your ear–not my voice, my friend!
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We’ll have to agree to disagree, Sista! lol Perhaps we know each other too well even if we’ve only known each other a short time. That or else my nerd is showing! Oh, my!
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Too funny! I think your nerd is showing, and nerd is something to be proud of, my friend. Your nerd rocks! Your nerd knowledge made it into the Christian Science Monitor!
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Talk about a haven of nerds! lol The CSM got where it is today because of nerdiness! 🙂
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Long live the NERD! 🙂
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Oh my…I don’t want to lose this service. I love snail mail. Not because of the bills it brings, but for many reasons. One, it’s start. It’s been with us for a very long time. I still remember one of the post men from my childhood, “George”. What a classy guy. So dignified, always properly uniformed and pleasant as could be. I love that I can write a letter, post it, and it can travel across town or across the world…from hand to hand to hand.
Problem is, I don’t do that much any more. All the more woeful. I treasure the handwritten letters of my grandparents and my father. To hold in my hand something they wrote, and sent to one another, that changed from hand to hand and was wrapped in a ribbon and kept as sacred. We can’t do that with email. Not in any way, like we do handwritten and mailed letters.
Why do we have to lose this? Close the post office on Saturdays. Monday through Friday is fine. Why, as a culture, do we treasure what we perceive as “good” technology over person to person service?
I want the world to keep the George’s, keep the ribbon wrapped letters, and keep talking face to face.
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These are all perfect reasons to keep the postal system we have. I agree that it would be okay to lose Saturday delivery, but not the system. There really is something magical about having something someone love has handled. Love that tangible connection. And how sweet that you remember the name of the mail carrier from when you were a kid. That’s cool! Thanks for the comment, my friend. Happy Thursday to you. LOVED your Penn State post!
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Thanks again KMcC! I do appreciate the postal service. Maybe if we all committed to mailing one letter or card a week, things would pick up. Increase the need by millions of pieces being mailed a week. You should start a movement. You and Sara. Encourage the world to mail one letter or card a week to someone special. Lets do it!!!!!!! And thanks for the nice words about the blog. It means a lot to me.
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Love that idea! I don’t know if you saw in the comments that I mentioned Sara being part of a group that is trying to keep the practice of sending postcards alive. But, yes, let’s start a group. I’m all for it!
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I’m in!!!! Okay, but who’s going to do all of the work to start the group???? I VOTE FOR SARA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
🙂
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Hmmmmmmm——I’ll see what I can do to force some cooperation! LOL
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Just tell her she could start a movement that will save thousands of jobs, save a valued and historic part of our nation, and impress me. 🙂 That should be reason enough!!!!!
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Hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I would hate to see postal service go down the tubes. For one thing, as you’ve mentioned, there are still too many people who rely on the mail. My own parents are fairly comfortable with a computer, but I know they’d have a hard time trying to deal with everything in an electronic format. And what about that feeling you get when you sift through the bills and junk mail and find a handwritten card has been delivered? That’s a great feeling! Email just can’t do that for you!
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I love what you say about finding the card in the mix of bills and junk mail. That juxtaposition of gem to junk is huge and makes that card all the more precious. My mom, I think, would struggle trying to pay bill online, even though she can use the computer for other tasks. Thanks for your comment, Terri!
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I still count on the postal service to send cards—-I think that there is something about getting something personal like that (and usually homemade) that can really make someone’s day. I will never forget one time when our oldest son was going through some “stuff”–I sent him a card and the day he got it he tweeted something to the effect that getting a homemade card telling him that he was loved made a huge difference in that day. I still think that there is a place for the post office–maybe reduced hours are inevitable but it still serves a purpose for those who rely on the mail. Great post and have to pop over to check out Sara’s stuff!
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LOVE the story about your son tweeting about a handmade card. That’s the perfect marriage of old and new, if I’ve ever heard it. As you know, I love to make cards, as well. Great to hear from you today, Beth Ann! And happy cardmaking!
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Thanks, Kathy! I have the itch to do some and my plans have changed for next week and I am going to be home instead of traveling so I think there might be some in my future next week.
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Good for you, Beth Ann. Have a great weekend.
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You, too!!! Get those stairs done!! 🙂
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🙂
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USPS has been losing money for years, so I guess a big retool was inevitable. I just can’t imagine losing daily mail delivery.
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I think a retool would be amazing. I, like you, just can’t imagine it being gone. Thanks so much for reading, my friend. Great to hear from you!
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My neighborhood post office was on the chopping block but somehow it was saved. It’s important for the post office to stay relevant and move with the times so I’m all for them offering new and varied services. Can you imagine USPS inside Starbucks everywhere? Ha!
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Hey, great idea! Post office inside a Starbucks–I LOVE it! That’s one way to sell some stamps. Have a great weekend, Jackie! Thanks for reading.
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Sad news for all the postal workers who have lost their jobs. We still have our little post office with friendly faces behind the counter. They usually greet customers by name. It’s nice to have the acknowledgement. The world is definitely changing though.
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Good to know your local post office has not been lost. You’re right–it’s the pace of change that is most disconcerting. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, Marianne. Great to hear from you today!
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Good post and point, Kathy. I read this a while back on my iPhone and apparently never commented. (I’m cleaning out my inbox today.) It’s a pain to comment using my phone.
I must have been in seclusion having babies when they took all the vinyls out of the stores, or else I was broke and in college. We still have a few of those dinosaurs in our basement. I keep thinking about buying a record player again.
I hope the post office doesn’t go away, even though it annoys me nearly every time I’m in there. There’s always a line with only one or maybe two people working the counters who often act like it’s a burden to be there. No cheery post masters in most of the offices I’ve been in. But the USPS was significantly cheaper to send a book overseas with than FedEx. I can tell you that.
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I know the pain of trying to comment using a phone–hardly worth the effort. Last October I went to Pennsylvania, where I spent several days with no internet access, except for what I could get on my phone. It was a challenge to comment on blogs meaningfully.
Also, good to know that USPS is cheaper for sending books overseas. I hope someday I have cause to mail my own memoir!
Have a great weekend, Christine!
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Great post. My younger brother has worked for the USPS for over 12 years now. Thankfully, he still has a job and it’s one he takes great pride in. He’s loved the post office since he was a little boy and used to collect post cards and stamps. He insists the USPS will never go away and I hope he’s right.
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How cool that your brother works for the post office.. I hope he’s right that the USPS isn’t going anywhere. Happy also to hear you enjoyed the post! Have a great week!
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Fab post, Kathy (to go with your Fab Four). I love snail mail, and still write letters, send postcards, etc. They are talking about closing post offices here in Ohio, too, as well as mail centers (which will eliminate a lot of jobs in Cleveland). I love the idea of rethinking the local post office, making it something more than just a post office. I’d hate to see the USPS go the way of the dinosaur. I happen to like my mail carrier. She’s very friendly, and would never throw a package over the fence like that FedEx guy. In fact, she makes sure the prints (photos) I order are never left out in the rain (MPIX, where I order them, wraps them in so much plastic that they probably wouldn’t get wet, but I do appreciate her effort).
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Yes, that’s exactly the kind of service we would lose without the USPS. The fact that mail carriers deliver regularly to the same locations allows them to build relationships to the people, and thus, the packages they deliver. But isn’t that FedEx video just awful? Talk about BAD publicity.
Hope you folks in Cleveland don’t lose your postoffices! And I’m DELIGHTED you enjoyed my post, dear Robin! Thanks for reading.
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We are in the process of losing our regional postal center, but have (so far) kept our small post office. It is in a trailer, and was due to get the axe, but somehow survived the latest rounds of cuts. We like our mail carrier so much, but he’s already someone who has been contracted by the postal service. We have so many small post offices with many miles in between. It feels like something needs to be done with the feds are losing so much money, but don’t know what the answer might be. This is a very thought-provoking post.
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So happy to hear this post got you thinking. Have to admit, it was Sara’s idea. She comes up with good ones, don’t she?
At any rate, I hope you don’t lose your local, trailer post office. I agree that changes need to be made, but, like you, I have NO idea what. I wonder if the issue impacts rural areas like you live in even more that urban ones. I don’t know. Do you?
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I have no idea, Kathy. This afternoon I feel like I know NOTHING at all!
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Gosh, I know the feeling! Maybe a nap is in order. Nursing is hard work, my friend!
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It’s just one of those hard days, Kathy. Thanks for understanding. And I am so tired of writing 200 word blog posts!!! Glad this challenge is over.
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Like I said over at your place. It’s not easy to be concise. Hang in there!
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Still traveling, Kathy, but had to weigh in. Well said and thoroughly researched. I love this post and agree 100 percent.
Without post office, we wouldn’t have such gems of films like “Miracle on 34th Street” (think the big finale on how Santa’s existence is proven, and think about future generations who won’t understand the film because they never experienced the post office), and such mysteries as “The Postman Always Rings Twice.” He won’t even ring once! Kudos to you and Sarah for your collaboration here.
Miss you!
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Wow–thanks so much for pulling in the film angle here. Excellent addition to the discussion. Wish I had thought of that. Love it, MOnica!
Great to hear from you today, especially if you are still traveling. Hope your break is doing you well. Miss you, as well! So happy you enjoyed this post. Hugs to you————
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Hi Kathryn, once upon a time in Aus we had milk bars. They were the only ones allowed to sell milk. Until the supermarkets arrived. Supermarkets proved to be the death of the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker. Some small businesses are still clinging on and I make sure I spread the love and the money. As for our local post offices, they have mutated into something else altogether. And the GPO in the city, well, I just don’t want to talk about that. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s progress and I had better get with the program to paraphrase whoever said it first.
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It’s strange how time changes things. I have never even heard of milk bars. I remember, however, that when I was very young, the milk was delivered in the mornings by a milk man.
Thanks so much for stopping by and reading. It was great to hear from you. Hope to see you again soon!
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Good grief! This can’t be a good thing. The postal service is quite good in Australia,even if we do have to wait a while to be served. As Mary said, our post offices sell all sorts of unrelated things, but if this helps to keep them open that is a good. I don’t recall milk bars, except the ones that sold milkshakes and ice cream sundaes. Italian post offices are generally dreadful and I have to grit my teeth and brace myself for an argument and an hour wait to perform the most basic task.
Surely having mail delivered is something that should happen reasonably efficiently. I think an automated service is something that many people would have difficulty with.
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How great to hear you have good post there in Australia. However, I’m surprised they’re so dissappointing in Italy. Somehow, I wouldn’t have guess that. Who knew?
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Our postal workers went on strike for a month and a bit last year, and I was distraught! (Not that I ever get mail or even send a lot of mail, but the thought of losing such a cultural institution had me beside myself.) Our system isn’t as bad (financially) as the USPS… yet, but I hope I never have to be a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to the post office. 😦
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Yes, they perform a service I certainly couldn’t provide for myself, either. That must have been strange to have no mail for a month. It would have unsettled me, as well. Great to hear from you, Dana!
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A very interesting post! I agree with what Heather says about the situation here in South Africa. A fully self-service post office just wouldn’t work in South Africa. Also because there are millions of people with no access to the Internet, people do still write snailmail letters.
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Ah, hadn’t thought about snail mail being more important in certain parts of the world, where internet access is less common. Great point!! Glad you enjoyed this post, Lisa! Thanks so much, my friend!
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Now Fed Ex will refine GPS so well, they will parachute your packages from the air to your rural home if you have the right satellite antenna.
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OMG, I hadn’t thought of that! How funny. I suppose I’m doomed now. Darn you for pointing that out! Or maybe I should thank you, as now I can take down the video. You don’t suppose it’s too late, do you?
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