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 ..

ShatnersWig's post about the bank reminded me of a similar incident about 2 years ag,when I was in the very same bank. I'd joined the end of the queue of about 12 people,they had 2 cashiers serving,and the 2 people being served seemed to be carrying out transactions for their entire extended family,judging by the amount of time they were taking. I have mobility problems,and find standing in a queue for more than about 10 minutes extremely painful,as my legs seize up. After 20 minutes of waiting,my patience snapped and I called over to the nearest cashier when she'd finished serving her customer 'Any chance of getting another cashier on? I've been stood here for 20 minutes and there's still 9 people in front of me!'. She looked flustered but she did call for another member of staff to come and serve. I noticed there were murmurs of agreement (I hope!) from the queue when I spoke up and I thought 'Why didn't one of you lot say something then? Why does it always seem to be left to muggins here?'.

Know what you mean winter. Being made to queue to the point where your legs start giving way never improves my temper

I was cross recently when I queued for ages at the bank - 1 till open, 2 tills with tellers visible behind but obviously doing other jobs.

I believe that when customers are waiting, they should be the first priority and the other jobs should wait. I complained politely and was told that they were getting ready to go home. Clearly the concept of staying a little later hasn't reached the bank.

YANBU. I had loads of retail jobs when I was younger and if we were stocking the shelves or tidying or whatever we were always told to keep an eye on the tills and jump on and serve if needed. Fannying about with balloons indeed

I complained to a high street shop recently about a sales assistant who kept me waiting while she was chatting to her friend (a customer not a colleague). I was very clearly visible to her. She apologised to her pal for having to break off their chat to answer my query and clearly couldn’t wait for me to leave so they could continue their chat about Sandra’s scan results and Gordon having to take the bus while his car was in the garage. I actually missed my train home because of her.

YANBU

Just remembered, was in a TK Maxx some years ago, just after opening, about 9.10. Picked up what I wanted, went to only till. Staff member on phone to her bank, arguing with them. I stood, I waited, she was getting crosser and crosser, after about 5 minutes, she rounded on me and snarled "This is a private conversation!" as I stood there grimly clutching my bargain candle

'Any chance of getting another cashier on? I've been stood here for 20 minutes and there's still 9 people in front of me!'.

Lol it's always 20 minutes! I've had numerous retail jobs (none of them in a bank) and whenever people have to wait for anything they've ALWAYS been waiting 20 minutes.

2 tills with tellers visible behind but obviously doing other jobs.
I believe that when customers are waiting, they should be the first priority and the other jobs should wait.

Just because an employee is visible doesn't mean they have to jump to serve you. The job they are doing can be just as important as dealing with a customer - the paperwork they are doing may be for the benefit of another customer, they aren't any less important just because they aren't physically standing there.

I complained politely and was told that they were getting ready to go home. Clearly the concept of staying a little later hasn't reached the bank.

Sorry but if my shift finishes at a set time then I am going home then. If I clock out more than 10 minutes late then I get pulled up on it. Also I have other commitments so I'm sorry that you have to wait in a queue but my DD is waiting to be picked up from school so no, I can't just stay an extra 15 minutes so that you don't have to wait in a queue.

It's one thing to leave a few minutes late but if they're doing essential closing tasks then by serving you then they're going to be even later. I work in retail customer services and before I go home I have to make sure all of my paperwork is done, till is cashed up, handover notes are left for the next shift, returns have been sorted and cleared as much as possible and everything secured for key handover. If someone comes to me and asks me to ring up their shopping I will direct them to one of the tills/self scan machines as I have other duties that I have to complete.

longwayoff you've just made me laugh out loud. I can just picture the scene.

Hate self service till in post office. It still costs the same

melj1213 I don't agree because I feel that customers physically standing waiting are more important than other paperwork that may or may not be for the benefit of other customers.

I appreciate what you say about needing to leave to pick up your child (although at that stage I had the kind of job where that simply wasn't always possible so had to make (expensive) childcare arrangements that could cover that) - I think that the bank should ensure that they have appropriate cover in place to enable you to leave within a reasonable finish time but with more than 1 till open.

It wouldn't have took me that long to say something. Can't be doing with people doing this sort of bollocks whilst they're supposed to be working.

Those bank tellers busy doing apparently nothing are actually doing things like preparing change orders for pubs and shops, counting night safe pay ins from business customers, counting ATM money and loading it up/unloading it, preparing bank drafts and CHAPS payments. There are many customers other than the few that step in the branch.

complained politely and was told that they were getting ready to go home. Clearly the concept of staying a little later hasn't reached the bank.
Why should they stay past their shift? So they serve that one customer, and the next and the next, where does it end?
What makes them more important than say, catching the last bus home or picking kids up from school or babysitters?
When their shift finishes that’s it. They don't get paid extra.

I think the post office worker was in the wrong, but complaining when there are only one or two tills open but staff walking around ( and saying they are not working is unreasonable).
These ‘non working’ stAff may have jobs, or may want to be on tills but management have decided that being on the shop floor is a better idea..

I refuse to use self service tills on principle. They are just replacing people.

So did self serve petrol stations but good luck finding one that serves you now Hopefully you don't use vending machines or an oyster card either

Sundays are the very worst.
Customers coming in at 15:55 and expecting the exact same service they’d get the following morning!
We don’t get paid after 16:00 / so it’s really stupid to do your weeks shop at 15:45, and then expecting me ( customer services) to fix your double scan after l’ve shut the desk!
I’ve been called all shades of shit for explaining a customer will need to come back another time.
These are regulars - that continually think their time is more precious than the staff that need to leave.

that bugs me about barclays inparticular

they got rid of all counters bar one so you can do it yourself apprently but people stil wandering reound asking if u need help-why not just put them back on the counters?

I don't agree because I feel that customers physically standing waiting are more important than other paperwork that may or may not be for the benefit of other customers.

I disagree. Just because someone is visible doesn't mean they have to serve you

Just because a customer is not physically standing in front of me doesn't make their issue any less important than yours.

In fact if I am having to do follow up work after they have left then their issue is actually more likely to be more important than your issue.

If I can get a customer issue dealt with while they're there then I will, but if it is a bigger issue that is either going to need my undivided focus (aka cant be done in the odd snatches of downtime between serving customers) or requires a lot of form filling/use of the computer but doesn't necessarily require the customer to be physically present I will get their contact details and contact them when it has been dealt with. I then factor that work into my closing/handover and so whilst I am busy dealing with that I am not doing nothing, I am serving my existing customer who was "in line" long before you were.

I think that the bank should ensure that they have appropriate cover in place to enable you to leave within a reasonable finish time but with more than 1 till open.

This is a valid point but something that is out of staff's control. If they have to leave at a set time they have to ensure all of their tasks are done by that time. Sometimes that will involve tasks that are not "serving customers" and they have no choice in the matter. If their shift finishes in 20 minutes and they know that they have 15 mins of admin tasks to complete then of course they are going to prioritise that over customers waiting in line as they can't guarantee that the last customer won't need 30 minutes of help.

It is down to managers to manage their staff and rotas to make sure that they have adequate staffing levels for the situation but they are human and sometimes they get it wrong, or they get a sick call or someone is delayed etc and it throws the plan off.

Maybe on a Tuesday afternoon it's usually quiet so they have minimal staffing after 2pm but that particular Tuesday they have a rush at 1.30pm ... that can't be accounted for and the staff leaving at 2pm can't be forced to stay late.

Or maybe there would normally be 4 cashiers, two leaving early and two staying late ... but on that particular day Sandra phones in sick so when Phil and Linda leave, poor Margaret is left to deal with the crowds alone.

The OP should not feel guilty, unless it is guilt about not asking earlier.

The person with whom you should lose your temper about over the Post Office is Peter Mandelson, the minister who appointed the chairman and chief executive who wrecked the Post Office/Royal Mail, from which is has yet to fully recover.

Staff manning banks of self service machines are always useless, it's the same at the supermarket. They don't pay attention, just stood daydreaming most of the time

I'm disappointed so many of you dislike the post office service you receive.
I have worked in a small post office and gift shop for nearly 4 years and we are often told how friendly and helpful we are.
We do sometimes have queues but unless we have another task that has to be done right then we will always serve to get through it as quickly as possible.
We care about our regulars and after I was unfortunately subjected to an armed robbery recently they have shown us great concern and care. Our post office is important to the community even though there is another one in town.

Two real true stories to shine a ray of hope into the world (kidding) (but true stories)

Floor-hovering queue-bothering employee in bank says "did you know you can do that at the self-serve" and I actually did not know that you could, so that was nice!

Floor-hovering queue-botherer, doing "can I help you" on a particularly long queue, says "They can't do that at this desk, you have to go over there for that one," thus saving me a long wait. And also the other desk had a much shorter wait time.

So it does work sometime.

hunkers down and awaits flames from vipers

no thats fine aidel but wouldnt it better just to have an extra counter open rather than people andering rund saying u can do that on a machine

Gabs It's more cost and time effective to try and deal with as many customers as possible which means that often, if done properly, having 2 counters open and one floor walker is actually more efficient than having 3 counters open.

With 3 counters open you can only deal with a maximum of 3 people at a time and whilst the queue will move slightly quicker, some people - like aidel in one of her examples - are actually going to wait longer as they are in the wrong place. If you have 2 counters open and one person walking the line and seeing if anyone can be served quicker/more appropriately elsewhere (whether thats at a coin sorting machine, atm, other desk, specific financial service etc) then that floor walker might be able to pull 2/3 people from that queue in the time a counter person had managed one transaction.

In my bank they regularly have 2 counter staff working and a 3rd walking the queue and helping people access alternate services, if they get to the end of the queue and it is still fairly long, they will then jump behind the counter and serve.customers until the queue reduces again at which point they return to their main role of walking the floor.

Staff that work for the Post Office are treated like shit by management.

The fact though that some of you have time not only to wait at the post office but also to come on here and moan about it tells me that you need to get a job or get a proper one. You will be “those parents” at school too.

And you can protest as much as you like but that’s because you know it’s true.