My little office has loads of mail. We utilize the USPS heavily….. We have as much outgoing mail as we do incoming. More than a mailbox can handle so our mail carrier has always stepped in for a free bottle of water and to exchange mail….. Three weeks ago, he retired…… Now we have a new young female carrier with an extremely dour attitude. We are lectured daily about the four extra steps she takes to come in the office to trade mail. She frequently misplaces our mail with our neighbors….. Then on Monday our little office pup barked at her…. She shrieks “OH SH*T” so loudly that I sprinted to the front offices to see what tragedy had taken place. Our office pup is anything but intimidating. It was rather funny actually…. The woman has taken off work to get over the traumatic affair and we have had a replacement carrier since Monday who apologizes each time she comes in for her coworkers behavior. Mind you, we never said a word. The replacement has also commented that this week she has received numerous complaints from others on the route. We didn’t ask or discuss any of this. It has been volunteered by her coworker. I get it. Not everyone is cut out to deal with the public. But where on earth has simple, common courteous behavior gone? If this were my employee, I would let them go. But I happen to know that there are so many safety nets in place that it would take an act of Congress to get rid of a federal employee so I will be stuck with this carrier and be forced to visit my neighbors each afternoon to trade mail. I’m sorry for the rant. I’m just befuddled by this whole entitlement thing which is obviously where this carrier’s attitude is born of. These poor young folks have been so crippled by this mess.
I think you should try to kill her wicked disposition with kindness, MD. Read the name off her badge, and use it every time she stops by . . . friendlylike. Offer her a cookie off the platter that just happens to be sitting in your reception area. If the other neighbors don’t do the same, you just might become the favorite on her route. Not sure what you can do about her fear of the pooch (whether genuine or feigned), other than maybe reintroduce them slowly with an offer to let them get to know each other at the end of one of her delivery days . . . Maybe she can walk him on the leash for a bit. Who knows . . . Maybe they’ll become buds!
I believe your approach has much merit and I will implement exactly that. I suppose rude behavior has been around as long as there have been humans. I just seem very sensitive to it these days.
This will have to wait until Thanksgiving but give her $20 in a signed card by a few folks she sees each day with some crap about how she has helped your business so much.
