Carelessness will cost you at the post office
It's 2019, Bezosization automation is affecting several industries and businesses. The post office is no exception.
In recent times you may have seen these automatic kiosks around your local post offices. In the NYC-based post offices I frequent, they're a staple. As long as you're not technologically-illiterate, these can be quick, fast and easy to operate for all of your shipping needs.
I usually just use these to buy stamps for TTM purposes. In the process I've run into situations where people are really careless.
Namely that they forget to end their transaction. When you operate these things, you have to keep in mind that there are TWO screens asking you if you want to do anything else beyond what you just did. The first screen is seen above and the second screen is seen below.
ALWAYS remember to press "No" both times to finish the transaction.
If you don't then what happens is that you're considered to still be undergoing another transaction, and because these kiosks allow transactions (plural) up to $50 total, nothing is going to stop whoever uses the machine after you to buy shit on your card.
NOTE, when I went back to the post office to use these machines again this time I only needed to press no once. So either USPS updated everything so you only have to press no once, or they vary by machines.
NOTE, when I went back to the post office to use these machines again this time I only needed to press no once. So either USPS updated everything so you only have to press no once, or they vary by machines.
I'm not entirely sure if the machine asks you for your PIN number again if you used a debit card, but what I do know is that if you paid with a credit card then you don't even need to put in a zip-code or whatever to make another transaction. How do I know this? Because I've seen people print stamps on the previous person's card without any inputs.
So please remember to press "No" twice when you're done with whatever you did at the Kiosks. Stay at the machine until you see the screen go back to the general welcome-screen. Even if there's a line behind you and people are angrily glaring at you for not getting out of the way. It's never bad to be thorough. Because at the end of the day, even if you can dispute a charge to your credit card company or whatever, it's a total pain to get those kinds of things sorted out.
2). This cool display
The other day I stopped by a post office and there they had this neat Motown themed display. Obviously it's an ad for stamps commemorating Marvin Gaye and various other music legends, but it's still cool to see.
So there were some loose thoughts on shipping.
As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).
I use the Kiosks on a pretty regular basis during the summer because the lines there are so much shorter than waiting for a real-life person behind the desk. I'm not sure why folks in P-town aren't more willing to try the kiosk.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know the screens you speak of and it bothers me that I have to tell the silly machine twice that I'm done making purchases. Ugh.
As far as I can tell, most of the people who avoid the kiosk are either old or have really big packages they want to be precise about.
DeleteI like the kiosks, but I've run into a few instances where it wouldn't weigh my package, or it couldn't find an address I knew was right. Still, they usually are a good route to go if working properly.
ReplyDeleteWith USPS' ever-fluctating rates/classifications, I just go to Kiosks for stamps. Then I go to a local post office (that doesn't have a Kiosk) for everything else.
DeleteI haven't used the kiosks. I've seen one at my local post office, but I have avoided using one because I'm not comfortable using my credit card for shipping things out. I occasionally will use a credit card for online purchases but I limit how often I do that. I don't have debit cards so I can't use one of those for these things. The only times I really feel I should have attempted to use a kiosk is during the Winter Holiday Season when the in-person lines are long.
ReplyDeleteGotta build up that credit score if you want a house.
DeleteI'm not completely technologically-illiterate... but I'm old school. Outside of ATM's, Target, and grocery store self-checkouts... I usually prefer dealing with a person instead of a machine.
ReplyDeleteI accept that it's only a matter of time when I'll have to suck it up and deal with these kiosks though.
I'll be making a trip to the post office in the upcoming month and look forward to seeing what stamps they have available.
I can see why people don't like self-checkouts. As a former cashier, all I can say is that I'm one of the few who're lucky enough to have been trained to deal with machines.
DeleteGood looking out, Zippy. I pretty much always print out my postage at home (or work) now since it's usually cheaper (plug for my Shipping Tips post), but I used to use the kiosks a lot (and still occasionally do for Forever stamps). Once in a while the person before me would forget to close out, but the saint that I am would answer "No" for them. A couple times I found abandoned postage still sitting out, and since no one was around, I took it and put it to good use. That's no crime, is it? It's not like there's a Lost & Found for stamps.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you didn't go out of your way to print more stamps on someone's card, I think you're fine. If they were already printed and some moron just left them behind, finder's keepers.
DeleteI always used to use the kiosks, but they changed they changed them recently (or at least my PO did) and added a lot more steps/measurements. Not necessarily complicated, but seems to take almost twice as long as it did before. If there's only a small line (rare, but possible) I usually just go up to the desk now -- it's quicker than the new kiosks.
ReplyDeleteThe people might quicker, but are the lines quicker is the question...
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