United States Post Office - Planetarium Station

I was there just before noon and there was hardly any line at all. The staff was very courteous. Its like anything else, you approach people with a smile and they will smile back.

Not sure who's the manager there but all these African American Staff are rude. I hate going in there but its closer to my job so I have no choice but to go there. If you don't like your job you not force to be there!!! Keep that attitude outside before coming to work. This is your job to take care clients not to give us attitude. There's this one person that I spoke with over the phone and she was very nice. I don't remember her name.

Everything was going just fine for my quick purchase of $4.26 worth of stamps, until ...
I swiped my VISA card. Hitler, let’s call her, shrieked, “Give me your card!” Then, “Aha! You haven’t signed it! You must pay in cash!” I explained that I didn’t have cash with me. She commanded, “Give my an ID with your signature on it.” I explained that I was just coming to the post office with 2 credit cards in my pocket to mail a few hand written greeting cards, as I always do, and that both my credit cards have always been accepted without any problem. “But you haven’t signed this card!” she shrieked. “Well then, I have another one which is signed. Let’s use that,” I replied. She refused my signed American Express card, which I have also used many times there with no problem, and with scoffing silence threw it back at me, holding on tightly to my poor, humiliated, unsigned VISA card. She again commanded me to go home and come back with an ID with a signature on it in order to be given my credit card back. I suggested that she just give me my letters and credit card back, cancel the transaction, and I would leave. “No, no,” shouted the furious, wild woman. “I’m calling .... a Supervisor!!” There! That should fix my wagon! Finally a supervisor arrived and Hitler changed her whole story. “She refused to sign her credit card,” she lied, and “ I didn’t want all this ‘back and forth’ with her,” so I called you, said Hitler, self-righteously but meekly.” Quite puzzled, the supervisor looked at us with barely a word. “Just give me my card and I’ll sign it then,” I said. With no choice, the defeated commander handed me my card and a pen that didn’t work. I managed to make a mark on the back of the card that in no way resembled my signature, which was all over the envelopes I was mailing. In hostile silence, Hitler completed my $4.26 purchase and pushed a receipt my way. “By the way, I notice that the price of a stamp to Europe must now be $1.20 instead of $1.15, is that right?” I asked? “No, it’s still $1.15.” “Then why am I being charged $1.20? I asked. “With the stamps I added to your cards, it comes to $1.20”, muttered Hitler. “Is there no such thing as a $1.15 stamp?” I asked. “Yes, there is a $1.15 stamp,” replied Hitler. “Are you just out of $1.15 stamps today, then?” I asked. “Yes, I’m out of them,” she confessed, humiliated that I had pulled that information out of her. I left the post office, victorious. After more than 15 minutes of waiting in line with only 2 people ahead of me, plus the 15 minute stamp purchase battle, not to mention the overcharge, I had succeeded in mailing 7 greeting cards!!

Just called them because part of a medical device likely fell on the floor in a specific part of the lobby at this post office when I was taping up a package. I was too far away to go back when I realized this and it is an expensive part that would be damaged if stepped on. They refused to help me. It is a bright color that would be easy to spot but I could not even get a description out. Quote: "We not going to go look for that!" in an almost angry tone. I sure wouldn't want them to have to take a few extra steps to help someone out. Thanks USPO at W 83rd St.

The person who helped me was extremely kind. He asked how I was doing, offered advice, helped me mail the package and showed me where the passport applications were.

Giving a Post Office a one star review for "long lines," is like giving McDonalds' a one-star review for providing "no Wagyu beef options." If there were short lines at the post office it would mean they had more employees, which would mean every service they provide would be more expensive.

My guess is that it simply bothers these upper west siders because they feel they pay for the privilege of having everyone treating them like their doorman, and find themselves flummoxed when there exists someone refusing to offer the same amount of deference and slavish zeal. They muse, "This zip code was supposed to come with everything--a complete upgrade--including a better post office than everyone else gets."