From Gapers Block and Lindsay Muscato:"On Yelp, reviews of the Broadway and Lawrence branch of the USPS are, uh, mixed: "Just writing about this place forces me to relive all my nightmarish experiences there. I need to drink some herbal tea just to calm down." And: "I wonder what they do with all my mail they don't deliver? Do they just throw it out?" There's much, much more."
i've never had a problem there. it's nothing better or worse than the dmv, ss office, or any other post office. it's not a high society restaurant where you're treated like royalty.
ReplyDeleteI havent had too many problems here that I havent experienced at other places, but then again, I dont mail a lot of packages out. My biggest complaints would be the Lyndon LaRouche activist who hangs out there tryin to convince everyone that Obama is a Nazi or the bum that opens the door for everyone and then expects a tip.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I have little respect for postal employees...typically, they seem to be middle-aged black women with long fingernails and a surly disposition, who take their sweet time processing customers, trash talk with their co-workers, and take breaks even when there is no one else up front and a long line.
Also, and this goes for every post office I go to, they never have enough people working. They will have six windows and maybe two people working.
I used this post office and I would never return. Long lines and rude workers are in your face everytime you come. Most others I have visited are the same and worse. I take my business to UPS. Fast and friendly workers. A little bit more in cost but well worth it.......
ReplyDeleteOur post office is no worse than any other...
ReplyDeleteLet's not complain too loudly on this one and just deal with it or the powers that be will shut it down and develop more low income housing in one of the only vibrant portions of otherwise destitude Broadway.
My favorite Uptown post office story is when my neighbor went in to pick up a package sent to her 3-year-old son. She showed her ID to prove it was her last name (not a common one) and address. She had her son with her.
ReplyDeleteThe postal employee refused to hand over the package to her because it was addressed to the three-year-old and he didn't have a government-issued photo ID.
That's why, just yesterday, I drove to the Post Office on Southport and Irving to mail a package. In and out in two minutes; polite and efficient service; and no homeless guy asked me for a tip just so I could get in the building.
The one on Southport is worth the trip. The staff is more polite and you're in and out much quicker.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I guess we are lucky to still have a post office close by - even though its a miserable experience being there.
At least there's a really cool mural in there to look at while you wait.
Our post office definitely isn't the best, but on the list of problems facing Uptown, this one ranks pretty low. I've had worse experiences in post offices outside of Uptown, and the building it's in is beautiful both inside and out. Love the mural artwork in the lobby.
ReplyDelete"Our post office is no worse than any other..."
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely not true.
There are MANY better-managed POs in the city. The Ashland location near Roscoe and the Sears/Willis Tower locations, to name two.
Though I think the Irving/Southport office is just about as bad.
You seem to forget that these locations made national news back in the early 90's because carriers were throwing away or burning mail rather than delivering it. They were judged to be LITERALLY the worst POs in the nation. They really haven't advanced far.
I have had, at least 3 times, had packages that, according to USPS tracking, stalled out at the Iriving Park branch for 4-7 days before they were delivered to our house. When they finally arrived, they had obviously been opened. Nothing ever came of the complaints, of course.
"it's not a high society restaurant where you're treated like royalty."
Calling people out as classist for expecting basic, decent service from a government office? Nice.
I like the storefront service center near Rep. Harris' office on Montrose, just west of Damen. They are nice and it's a breeze to get in and get out.
ReplyDeleteI finally gave up on the Uptown station when my last two mailings completely disappeared. Hrumpf!
I lived in Wrigleyville during the infamous "Postman Hides the Mail Under His Porch and Drinks 40s" period, so I've experienced some woeful postal service. However the most humorous instance involved mail order Grateful Dead tickets that never arrived. When I called out to San Rafael to inquire about my ticket order I was told that the package was returned as "No Such Street". I lived on Waveland Ave. across the street from Wrigley Field's Left Field Bleachers so during the call I asked if the guy was watching the Cubs/Giants game that was being played across the street. He was watching the game so I asked if he had seen Matt Williams' home run, he had, so asked if he noticed that the ball landed on Waveland Ave.? That's when the laughing started.
ReplyDeleteThe post office that serves Wrigleyville is at Southport and Irving Park, three whole blocks north of nationally famous Waveland Ave. Of course at the time that post office had issues with carriers who disposed of mail with Channel 5 even showing carriers drinking 40 ouncers during break in the rear parking lot.
My go-to post office is the little place at Montrose & Damen, where the personnel are friendly and there's rarely a line except during the holiday season.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it's not a "real" PO so when I have to pick up a package I have to go to B/L. In general the service has been no better/worse than any other "real" PO (I've had much worse service at Southport, where there ALWAYS seems to be a line!).
My biggest complaint (and this applies to many PO's) is that when all you need to do is pick up a package, and it's early in the morning and you have to get to work, the "packages only" window is only open for a very brief period of time.
BTW my late brother worked at a suburban post office most of his life. There were ups and downs with the job, of course, but one of the best benefits was the (SURPRISE!) health insurance, which paid most of his bills during the final two years of his life.
Never really had any problems with this post office. My carrier, in Edgewater, is also based out of this office and she is super nice and efficient.
ReplyDeleteThis is seriously the world's most inefficient post office. In the past, I've received more than one notice at my door to pick up a package. Only to go to the post office and for them to have completely LOST the package! Unbelievable. Customer service there is appalling. I never have packages delivered to home anymore - only to my work address.
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that I went there last week and the website stated that the place opened at "8:30am", but a paper sign on the door read open at "9am"
ReplyDeleteChange the Web site man! It takes two minutes and you save a few trees from all that paper signage!
It made me think fondly that in a not so distant future when I will be dealing with the same thing at my Government Controlled Doctors office. I hope they hire the same people to run it!
The Postal Service need to be completely privatized.
ReplyDeleteThis is kind of a simplistic post it is more complicated but....
ReplyDeleteYou can't privatize the post office. They are required by law to serve certain areas. So people who can't afford UPS/DHL or live in underserved areas can send and receive stuff.
Kind of like the public option in health care would be.
No way is this the worst Post Office. Try the one on Lawrence and Western... check out the reviews. Some of them are so funny you'll spit your drink out.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.yelp.com/biz/united-states-post-office--ravenswood-chicago
I actually think things have improved here.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not mistaken, wasn't the 60640 zip labeled one of the worst in the country awhile back for service?
I could be wrong.
The best thing about this branch is the gorgeous architecture and interior.
This post prompted me to re-read a New Yorker article from Oct, 1994 about our very own Uptown 60640 PO., by Jonathan Franzen (The Corrections). Believe it or not, it used to be much, much worse, and the bad conditions led to a City Council finance commitee hearing at the Broadway Armory on the economic impact to the city of poor postal service. It was a factor in some major companies' decisions over relocating to the suburbs. If you have the New Yorker Archive - the article is worth a read.
ReplyDeleteLawrence and Western - absolutely the worst in the mid-north side! They did an extensive renovation of the facility a few years ago, and those of us who lived and/or worked in that area were hoping that it would mean better service, etc. If anything it's worse now. I feel bad for people who "have" to go there to pick up packages, etc. Needless to say, the lines at the holiday season are a mess, and there's rarely more than one window open even in rush hour.
ReplyDeleteCount your blessings, Uptowners! At least you have some pretty pictures to look at while standing in line.