US Post Office

The people are nice enough. That said, this location has sucked ALL of the convenience out of having a PO box.
I’ve used a PO box here for a few years. They used to keep the lobby open 24 hours, allowing me to check my mail at any time at my convenience. They also used to put large packages in one of the lockers, and leave the key in my PO box. I come in, check my box, take the key, and retrieve my package. I could be in and out in under 3 minutes.
They’ve since stopped leaving keys in my PO box, so that instead of being in and out in under 3 minutes, I now have to wait in line to get my packages. This really sucks because I have to pay for parking for an unpredictable amount of time — hello, parking tickets! — and have to spend 20 – 40 minutes in line. Sometimes they’ll let package pickups cut ahead in line, but mostly they don’t, probably because they’re relatively under-​staffed.
They’ve ALSO killed the 24-​hour open-​lobby policy, meaning that I have to go during business hours instead of later in the evening when a) I actually have time to go, and b) parking is free!

10+ people waiting in line during the holiday season with one worker and slow service.

Very poor service of USPS in general and this particular branch. I am waiting for important document I need to submit on Thu. My mother sent me paperwork from Tri Cities on Mon, where she was told it will arrive on Thu. When I called to the office, the representative told me that the package is in processing facility and could arrive on Mon. It is not only more expencive than regular shipping but much more longer. When I explained him that I need paperwork today and that I was told it will arrive tod, he sent me to hotline. HOTLINE DOES NOT HAVE CUSTOMER SERVICE OPTION! I am pretty sure the person that works at the office is aware of that. I am very fraustrated with this service, and will never use it again.

I have literally never seen a slower or more disorganized post office. They have elevated incompetence to an art.

I’ve only been coming here for about two weeks, but that’s been about every other day. While the line is almost long, or at least seems so, and the folks behind the counter are often unenthused, I question the other reviewers on how this is any different from any other post office. I’ve been to at least 20 post offices, and this one isn’t much different from the others.
I have a PO box here and get lots of packages. I have never seen anyone at the window that is supposed to have someone who will help with packages, so, thus far, I have had to wait in line with everyone else. I have begun to hold my yellow package slip in plain view, which typically results in the more aware staff members asking if they can get my package for me, rather than having me wait behind people with outgoing packages. Great, when people are observant. Today the person in the back (who wasn’t even in a uniform, so I assume they don’t typically work with customers) saw me and came to the front to help me out. That was great, and brings my review up from two to three stars.
I’m giving four stars because I called one morning with some questions an concerns regarding my box, package delivery, and UPS deliveries. Mike took my call and information and checked on my inquiries, calling me twice within the hour. I found his diligence to be something of merit, considering some of the experiences I have had in the past. Thanks again Mike!

It wasn’t as bad as what most people commented. The staff there was nice. They were not super enthusiastic but were helpful and patient with my questions.
The line wasn’t long at all when I went there. I went on a Tuesday afternoon around three. There were only two counters so I can imagine the line being long during busy hours.
They have all sorts of envelops and boxes available and several self service machine.
And finally, please have the option to speak with a customer service representative. It’s just wrong not to have that option.

Came here on Wednesday morning (⁸⁄₅) to mail out a package and received excellent customer service from Ramanda (I could be spelling the name wrong). She was extremely helpful & had a wonderful personality.

It’s like their goal is to give the slowest and the worst service ever. Someone is always roaming around in the back, completely disregarding the line of people. Everyone who works here, especially the old white lady with curly grey hair and glasses, is incompetent.

Morons and a$$hats staff this post office. I’m watching lazy government employees work as slow as the possibly can. The ESL students from the UW who don’t understand how the post office works and appear to be trying to mail a live camel to Kyzgyrgistan or somewhere else make the wait that much more painful.
I only set foot in this Post Office/​Hell-​Hole/​4^th Circle of Hell/​Government facility that makes the NSA look nice and the DMV look speedy. when I have some package that can’t be delivered. I have begged to have my stuff sent to Wedgwood where there’s parking and, you know, no homeless people trying to urinate on you from the sidewalk above, but to no avail. So, every six months or so, I come down to a location with no parking, miserable employees who appear to be simply awaiting death or retirement (whichever comes first and they don’t seem to care which it is), lovely neighborhood denizens and that odd smell of urine, vomit, cheap beer, sweat, unwashed bodies and sticky (how does something smell sticky? I don’t know, but it does).
The employees sigh loudly when they have to get up and do something. No one will make eye contact with you (because then they’d have to help you). Please, just close this miserable hole.

There’s always an employee in the back roaming around and avoiding customers in the perpetually accumulated lines (I see you). Go in the morning; it’s less busy. Homeless folks sometimes sleep in front and pee by the ramps so entrance stinks. Avoid stepping in any puddles.
EDIT: I love that the delivery person leaves me surprises but sometimes s/​he leaves my packages unattended. USPS protocols may differ from private companies so I don’t blame them but I’m ranting because I just lost $ 300-​worth of contacts. Seriously, who steals prescribed contacts?
EDIT 2: Someone actually called me back from USPS investigating my lost package. Sincere and cool, 1-​star bonus.
EDIT 3: Package and follow-​up of the possible investigation were never to be seen again.

Not writing this specifically about THIS post office. Just want to write a short complaint about how terrible the 1−800-ask-usps automated service is if you actually need to talk with a human being and not a voice recording. It’s just plain bad. That is all. Please fix it Jesus. Thank you.

I started using this post office almost 6 years ago when I began my undergrad at UW. Since then I have moved to a different area with an atrocious post office. I still work in the U-​district and would rather bring all my packages to be mailed to THIS location. The service here is great. Yes, the workers may not be JOVIAL without being prompted but I always feel comfortable talking with them about how their day is going, making jokes, etc. Just today I had a great experience with the employee Mark. I said I wanted stamps and he brought the whole box over to me so I could pick the ones I liked.
I like this post office. I don’t really understand people giving bad reviews because the line was long… If you go to a post office at peak hours expect lines. Yes, they do not have a full staff available always because the USPS is broke and probably can’t employ that many people. Even when I have waited in a long line here the service is always thorough and nice.
Two thumbs up in my book.

This place is the worst. Literally the worst post office I have ever had the displeasure of using. I keep coming back because it’s only a block from where I have class, but I must be an idiot to keep returning to this hell hole. Avoid at all costs!

If I could give 0 stars I would. I’ve been here three times now just to pick up mail and have waited no less than 30 minutes each time. They have 2 staff working and one has been with the same customer for 15 minutes. I’m in post office hell.

A post office of campus horrors that, amazingly, is often crustier than the punks outside.
Typical long lines and measured temperment of shell shocked war vets doing customer service can be found inside.
This place very much gives the impression that the U District is USPS hazardpayworthy.
I generally to go the Wallingford USPS even though it’s a zipcode away.

I don’t even want to give 1 star. The need to learn to be RESPECTFUL to their customers.

I wish I could give 0 star. It’s true the wait is long and I don’t mind that, since this is a government agency, I had no expectations. I just can’t stand the fact that they don’t care. Don’t care about their jobs at all.
The middle aged woman aka clerk 10 (I forgot to look at her name tag) did everything possible to try to avoid helping all of her customers. I watched and listed to her trying to persuade people that their packages have not arrived yet just so she didn’t have to get up to check in the back. And when she finally did, lo and behold, the package was there.
If only she had put in a little bit of effort to do a better job in the first place, she could safe both herself and the customer a lot of pain.
I have to seek out the wonderful Wallingford location everyone’s talking about b/​c I really don’t want to go back to this location again.

This location has progressively gotten worse in last 6 months. First they stopped the 24 hour access to the po boxes which is why I signed up here in the first place. Now hours are 6am-​7pm but not really. For the third time now they have either not opened yet or closed early today 10÷13÷14 they closed at 6:51pm last week they weren’t open by 6:32 am. I’m screwed as my business uses the designated po box for everything so I can’t move but I can continue to complain.

A puzzlement.
I generally don’t pay attention to post-​offices in the city, as I rarely have any need to go to one now that I rarely mail letters (or packages).
But due to the fact that I needed to get a new passport and that the U.S. Dept. of State for some reason refuses to take anything in payment but checks, money orders, or cash, I had to run down to this seemingly perfectly fine post office at 2:00 pm. to purchase a money order.
It took me a little over one half hour to do it. A half an hour in line, two minutes at the counter.
During the first half hour, there was an average of about 12 people in line, while there was only one postal worker at the counter. Needless to say, it was very slow.
An Asian man and woman were at the other end of the counter talking to each other about something. The silver-​haired Asian man would abruptly interrupt the one staff person who had to wait on all the people in line, one at a time, and bark – I mean talk – very loudly in a dreadful accent. A supervisor?
(In any case, it does seem that some government workers take a perverse pleasure in speaking at very loudly in public as if to say, «The rules of civility don’t apply to me.»
Finally, at 2:30 pm a woman opened another window. When I asked her why I
l had been only one person the whole time I had been waiting in line, she told me that, «well, the other person has to have his day off.»
In any case, I would avoid this post-​office, as the supervisor does not seem to be doing a good job of allocating available staff and fitting a time schedule to meet the needs of the public.
I had never seen just one postal worker at the counter of a U.S. post office. Of course, there is the possibility of budgetary constraints.
In any case, I would advise anyone who needs to buy a money order or do anything that does not absolutely require going to this branch of the post office to do it elsewhere, at another branch, or at Safeway if it’s just to buy a money order.

Their staff is great which is why they get a 4 star review. I put a package down and automatically the teller says, «Okay let’s figure out the cheapest way tho ship this.» Perfect. I’m all about the cheap.
Their automated machine wasn’t working which sucked because that would have saved me another 10 minutes but considering it was a Saturday, I wasn’t at all disappointed. The lines are always long at USPS. If you want shorter lines go to a FedEx or UPS store. That’s why they’re there.