To loose my temper in post office?

[irritablesally]

So yesterday I get to my local post office.
It's a busy city centre branch.
They have 5 on the counters and 4 "self serve machines"
I go through and do my parcel but at the end it comes up with "please wait for host" who basically confirms you've done it correctly.
All 4 machines were stuck on "please wait for host"and lots of people waiting behind.
The lady who was working (or supposed to be working ) on self serve was going around attaching 50th birthday balloons to everyone's desk and the post office.
I stood for 6 minutes (along with the other 3) waiting for her ..she looked over and continued fannying on with balloons.
I lost my temper and said "instead of messing about with that can you actually help us"
Then she came over ..
Was aibu to say this?
I felt guilty after ..

no you were not wrong, how very annoying.

No, I would have been livid too.

I get that people want to have a good time at work and celebrate with colleagues, but that needs to be done around the job, not instead of.

I completely agree with you. They’ve also done away with 4 normal service desks and installed 5 self serve tills in my local city centre one and they’re awful. Just horrific.
I can’t understand why anyone would want them or think it’s a good idea.

You weren’t wrong to say something, maybe could have been politer but I don’t blame you for losing your temper! It’s so easy in customer service when you have a lot of things which need doing to get caught up on “just need to finish this one task, it’ll only take a second” and not be aware that for the people waiting it’s already been far too long. It’s not right, but I’ve been there. Bit of angry customer to snap you out of it is needed sometimes, to re focus your attentions.

Actually, she could have been making a point. If you replace paid staff with service terminals then service users will eventually suffer. Complain to the post office, but not about her. Complain about the machines.

Libraries need librarians, shops need actual staff, post offices need humans to deal with non-standard request.

Don't complain about the few staff that remain, complain about automation.

Reminds me of a time in Lloyds Bank. Queue of 15 people only two desks open but three "floor walkers" assailing people. Foolishly they started doing the "what are you looking to do today?" with the queue and when they go to me they asked "Can I help you?" and I said "Yes, you can get behind the counter and open up. Look at this queue when there are all those shut desks and three of you out here hanging around like shop ornaments. I don't call that customer service".

To her credit, she went and grabbed a colleague and did open two more counters. I have no problem with these automated machines, but they are limited in what they can do and banks and post offices have used them as a way to reduce staff - but the queues are unquestionably longer now in our bank then before.

Forgot to add...

I get irrationally annoyed when I'm in a shop and queue is really long and there are lots of staff on the shop floor, but they don't seem to want to jump on the tills until they are made to. Despite seeing long queues in front of them.

surely if you are assisting on the self service machines, you're meant to be assisting! not decorating a desk - she should not have needed a nudge, so i think YWNBA at all

I wouldn't have waited that long. Our bank Nationwide have closed our smaller branch and made the city centre one bigger. They now have 3 counters and people hanging around with ipads. I complain every time. There are always queues a mile long. What happened to Customer service?

Complain to the post office, but not about her.

Rubbish. She wasn't doing HER job which was supervising the self service machines. She was faffing around. The OP was right.

In my big tourist market town every bank is now closed. Someone complains but no one listens. You have to go to the big town if you want to bank. Dont get me one postoffice here as the queues are awful. We talking a tourist town with about 20-30 shops over five streets!

They are employed specifically in that role so it's not as if their jobs have been replaced by machines. So YANBU OP

I think most post office staff seems to live in a bygone era and are under the impression that serving customers is an optional extra to their preference for sorting out paperclips. There's never any rush about them
I was told when I opted to for a counter over the machine that I should have chosen the machine for my letters, don't think there's any money in selling stamps anymore. They're more interested in selling you financial products.

6 whole minutes?

You are not being unreasonable at all. I had to wait in the petrol station recently while the cashier sorted out the display of polos, making sure they were all symmetrical on the stand!

You were in the right. The needs of customers should come first - you are their 'bread and butter' as it were - pratting about with balloons is something that should only be done when all the customers have been attended to. It's a question of priorities.

I refuse to use self service tills on principle. They are just replacing people. Where ever possible I stand in a normal queue.

There are some people who can't use self service tills. My mum doesn't have a debit card so really struggles. My DH is dyslexic and struggles.

If everyone stopped using them eventually the big companies would get the message.

YWNBU. Couldn't she have done that while they were opening up. the fact that she looked over saw you all waiting and carried on fannying around is what would have seriously got my goat.
What did she think you were there for a day out.

You've not been on MN long then OP?

Rookie error in that title

I refuse to use self service tills on principle. They are just replacing people. Where ever possible I stand in a normal queue.

So you're inconveniencing and delaying other customers who are unable to use the self service tills. That's nice of you!

Why lose your temper? Wouldn't you have achieved the same thing by just asking politely?

Don't complain about the few staff that remain, complain about automation.

If the staff are shit, they should be complained about.

Post Offices are the WORST. my local one is the most inefficient going. Dreadful place.

The post office is rage-inducing, so YANBU. At ours, when you use the self-service machine to send a package you have to wait afterwards until a staff member comes out from the behind the glass at renadom intervals to shout for any packages, in order to take them away. Why is there no package drop box or something?? What is the point of self service if you have to wait for someone to come and help you anyway?? Good god my blood pressure goes through the roof whenever I'm in there!

I agree with poster above. I get you were irritated. I would have been too. But there was no need to be rude to her.