I actually had to drive two towns away yesterday to pick up a package for Steve. Luckily it was sent with a tracking number, so we knew exactly where it was when it was supposed to have been delivered.
He had ordered a bunch of bag clips, the kind that hold a food bag closed after you open it and remove a small portion to eat. It happens mostly in frozen foods for some reason. The tops never tear or cut straight, or the little divot on the side doesn't tear off cleanly, or the plastic bulge-and-groove don't fit together like those name brand storage bags do. You know, the ones which have the ZIPper that LOCks?
We had a single bag clip in the house, and since I was currently going through small frozen fish fillets three-at-a-time, nuke and add lemon pepper, it was going to be in use for a while. It was doing a good job, so we decided we needed more. A twistie just won't work on one of those opened bags.
The first issue was making sure the place we ordered from actually had some domestically and didn't need to import any. I still have a clock 4 months overdue, and some bathroom rugs 1 month overdue. (OK, I confess: slow learning curve!) The store still says two days from order to delivery in their online ordering system. It actually used to be true. Now it only works when the desired item is actually in the store, so it says it can be picked up with the grocery order or delivered today. (For an extra price on the latter.) We've been arguing with the store on the clock and they refuse any responsibility, no refund or store credit will be given. They also haven't changed how they list items so you can tell you'll have to wait indefinitely for nothing, you're SOL Baby!
These weren't postal problems, however, just filling in how complicated it's been getting to order things. Because of those issues, Steve went over to eBay to place his order. Due to the strong feedback factor there, the vendors usually work extra hard to be sure everything is done as promised. His clips were promptly mailed out and had a postal tracking number he could follow. They were to arrive yesterday, and as he started to check their progress he'd reminded me of his need for me to go retrieve them once delivered. He really was in a hurry!
But wait! The tracking number said they had been rejected by the local post office... two towns over!
Say what! Why there? I looked up their local phone number, not the 800 one, and he gave them a call. Was our package really on their premises? He gave the tracking number, and she both looked online and physically located the package. Yes it was, along with two postal bins of other misdirected mail that would be put back in the system tomorrow. In other words, a couple more days till actually delivery.
Hey, could I drive over and pick it up from them?
Now this is where you gotta love small towns for helpfulness. She said yes, and over I went to get it. We chatted briefly, and I mentioned we'd been having a number of problems getting our mail in this other town. She told me not to blame our little local post office. Apparently this happens regularly, that in the big sorting facility in St. Paul they often put the wrong tubs of packages into the truck which drops things in this location instead. Yes, most of it is actually theirs, but just today there wasn't one wrong tub but two wrong tubs of mail that had to be rejected... after the truck drove away and they went through their own sorting of packages.
Hey, St. Paul regional sorting facility, anybody there reading this?
On my way out I thanked her, both for her help and the information. Steve has his bag clips, and is happy with how tightly they can pinch his fingers. (Presumably the bags as well.) Good feedback was given to the seller, so all should be happy. I think next time I'm in our own post office I'll have a chat and see if they are aware of what's happening.
Oh, and I would have been happy to pick up both tubs of our local mail and bring them to the our post office. I know I'm not authorized, of course, even though I would have taken the task more seriously than the folks who were authorized to get it on the right truck were. So I didn't even offer. Sorry, all the rest of my neighbors who are still waiting for their packages. I know how that feels.
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