To wonder what this world has come to?

[Fortheloveofthedog]

I went into my local Post Office today, to post an A4 size manual.
An A4 sized padded envelope was too snug for it, so I had to choose the next padded envelope size up and it was considerably bigger.
Not wanting the manual to bang about in the bigger envelope - before writing the address on it and paying for the envelope and postage etc - I folded down the loose edges and approached the counter to kindly ask for a piece of cellotape to stick them down with.
But despite there being a ginormous role of cellotape behind the counter, I was met with a really cold 'Yeah, there you go' and a downward glance to the roles of cellotape for sale on the shop floor.
Essentially, I had to buy a whole role of cellotape just to be able to post my parcel.

Aibu to think there is very little kindness left in this world?

FYI to try to shame my tiny local Post Office for their lack of kindness, when I had paid for everything, I pushed the cellotape through the lady's counter slot and told her to keep it specifically for some somebody else in my position, adding 'because kindness shouldn't be completely dead'.

It was a new stamp.
He was clearly accusing me in a loud voice of reusing a stamp that was his opening comment
Anyway it's his whole attitude. You would have had to been there.

Did you feel better after your shitty remark? I get it was annoying but to be do snippy was unnecessary.

He was clearly accusing me in a loud voice of reusing a stamp that was his opening comment
Was he @Thedogscollar ? It doesn't read like that (though I accept your point about his time/manner). It looks like he was pointing out it might look reused to someone further along the chain. You originally also said something about you not looking like someone who would try to reuse - that's irrelevant as the person making the decision won't know who you are. If it looked iffy, would you have preferred him to leave it and the recipient to have to pay?

I did tell the app to bold the quote there but it didn't.

Tbh I'm preferring sellotape V cellotape.

Where do you draw the line? Help yourself to a smidgeon of milk in Tesco because you need some in your takeaway coffee, and Tesco has loads, and you have some at home? Buy the Sellotape and stop being mean absurd.

They don't like you asking to borrow a pen either.
I used to work at the post office myself and made it my mission to let everyone use everything

It is slightly different to asking for food or drinks in a supermarket or corner shop, which would obviously be turned down ( although I'm sure people might have done this)
It was a reel of tape ready to go sat there and would have cost them 1p or less for a parcel they were sending with them as well! She was being petty.
I'm surprised some places don't charge for the toilets anymore as I've often nipped into a supermarket or fast food restaurant to use the facilities and haven't bought anything ( I know some charge at rail stations or you need a code or something to enter , but it's rare to have to pay )

But if everyone came in wanting to use free sellotape to do up their parcels, then the post office could end up going through a lot of sellotape!

I know from your point of view it was only a couple of small pieces, but the post office staff might have people asking them multiple times a day, every day.

RM collections for parcels now, they'll print the label out for you too. Sometimes they even collect it on the day they say they will.

Now where's my selloptape?

Right! Let's clear this up! For all of you saying this nonsense of "if everyone used it that would be a lot of sellotape" bollocks let be having you....

Average Sellotape/cellotape/sticky tape roll length: 66 metres

If every person who was so "rude enough" to use it used 6cm on average to make the maths easy

And an average of 3 people were "rude enough" to do this a day...

For a whole 365 days a year...

There would still be a bit left over in ONE ROLL!!!! For the whole year!!!

I mean even if you double or tripled any of those figures!! They'd use maybe 1-3 rolls a year!!! That's at worst...£5 a year!!

It ain't gonna bankrupt the post office at this rate!!

I've got no shame. I went into the PO the other day with a vinted parcel to post via an In Post locker.

Used their cellotape and then walked out 😬

God yeah, just imagine. Every single person who passes through the post office needing a tiny bit of sellotape, the post office would be bankrupt by the end of the day. What a stupid comment

Well by the time they pay compensation to the victims of the scandal (🤞🏻), they might well likely go bust.

The folk who serve in our PO are lovely. Once my parcel ripped a bit in the rain on the way there, so the lady fixed it for me. They’re always cheerful too!

Really? For the sake of one small (say 10cm) piece, some people would just buy their own roll off the shelf, rather than politely asking?

Now, now this is MN , don’t necessarily believe all that’s posted on here.

I don't think the server was chosing to be mean, they're just following procedures. The rules probably been put in place because people wanting 'just a little bit' of tape a day happens frequently every single day. It's not dissimilar to requesting extra butter in a cafe or allowing the public to freely use your toilet. I wouldn't have expected free tape or paper or pen or string. That's what they sell. They're a business

Last time I went to the post office the lady taped it down to a4 for me so it would fit through a letterbox and be cheaper. I didn't even ask. She was very sweet.

So did I 😂

It looks like he was pointing out it might look reused to someone further along the chain. You originally also said something about you not looking like someone who would try to reuse - that's irrelevant as the person making the decision won't know who you are. If it looked iffy, would you have preferred him to leave it and the recipient to have to pay?

That was exactly my point. I know the tone / attitude was an issue too, but the point he was raising with you was valid.