Letter: USPS isn’t transparent with patrons/customers

Published 10:02 am Monday, June 3, 2024

The U.S. Postal Service is not being transparent with patrons/customers

This is not the fault of our local Ocean Park, Washington Post Office staff as they have always been very friendly, helpful and efficient. I also have sensed that they are probably over worked by the volume of mail they handle and the number of customers they service on a daily basis.

I know that most of you are aware of the slow down in mail delivery times. But have you noticed lately that the deadline of “4:30 PM” signage (at the outgoing drop boxes inside the Ocean Park Post Office lobby) is no longer there? This is because there is no longer same-day pickup of our outgoing mail.

You may be aware that all mail that is put into any of the three destinations (Ocean Park, South Bend, or Out of Town) drop boxes is now all sent to Portland, Oregon for processing. What you may not be aware of is that there is a 24-hour lapse in that mail being picked up and sent to Portland.

So if you deposit your mail during Monday through Friday business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) it does not even leave the Ocean Park Post Office for Portland until the next morning at approximately 9 a.m. And if you deposit any mail during lobby hours on a Saturday, it does get picked up from the Ocean Park Post Office until Monday morning or (Tuesday morning on holiday weekends).

So if you want all of your Certified Mail, letters, cards or payments to your creditors to reach their destinations on time, you must be sure to allow for this 24-hour lapse in your mail being picked up and sent to Portland for processing.

I inquired as to why new signage has not been posted to inform the Ocean Park patrons/customers of this change. I was informed by two different staff members that they are “following strict instructions” that are coming from the “National Level” to keep this quiet by not posting new signage.

Since the USPS is not being honest and upfront (transparent) with their patrons/customers, I stated to both staff members that: “This reflects poorly on the United States Postal Service!”

Do most of you readers not agree with me regarding this signage matter? If so, let your voices be heard. Thanks for listening!

ROSE EHRET

Ocean Park