Why No Stamps At The Post Office?

Last week I went looking for some commemoratives. Post office #1 had only Liberty bell forever stamps. Post office #2 was a little better with some left over Christmas. Post office #3 had last years Hanukkah stamps and a single booklet of Scouts. #3 has the only friendly clerk for the day so I had to ask... why such a poor selection? She said they hadn't gotten around to ordering any stamps but had plenty of Liberty bells.

I drove home with a tear in my eye.

Is this a worldwide phenomenon?

Luckily it's not. Find yourself a really small post office...so small that they don't have a meter machine and it looks like a garden shed. They'll have stamps.

Will

That's the key! I have one about a ten minute ride from my house that's in the middle of nowhere...a small convenience store on one side; a post office on the other...not even a meter (I don't think so, anyway). Old as the hills look, combination post office boxes and an old time safe. When I come in and ask for stamps, they pull them out fresh, in unopened shrink wrap packages, as they have little request for the new issues for which they have a more than adequate supply.

On the other extreme, I went into a larger post office (also nearby) and the clerk gave me the story as to how they have to centrally place orders for their stock so far in advance that they intentionally don't keep much on hand in the way of new or current issues, as it's just too much of a chore for them.

I always frequent the smaller post office, as that's where you get customer service the "old fashioned" way. Hopefully, they won't be slated for closure.

Today's New York Times has a great editorial pertinent to this subject. I posted it on another thread, but in the event you haven't yet seen it, I'll put it here as well. It certainly brings back memories for me:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/m...-wwln-t.html

Every franchiase (in drug stores) Post Office I go to here in halifax (so far anyway) seems to have a good selection hanging on the walls, current issues, some first day covers, souvenir sheets, and of course coins from the Mint in that specila glass display corner on their counters.

They may not all know which issue is which but are happy to go looking for you if you take the time to explain it. Some with access to the safe hidden away somewhere in back, will go and look there if you are looking for full sheets or rolls of coils or bundles of booklets.

One I frequent has a Post Mistress whose dad collects stamps so she is more aware of the needs of the stamp collector and seems to try to order in (months in advance, yes) enough of an issue to cover demand.

She actually has a file (locked away) of folders of stamps and covers that she keeps for months at a time for stamp collectors (me included).

This one Post Mistress however, has salesmanship skills and friendliness skills and no doubt anger management skills that some people do not have as well developed.

It does make a difference if you yourself are polite and friendly and do not have tons of unrealistic expectations for a Post Office also. You can teach them but they also have to learn and not feel threatened by the teacher so they don't close up and go into defensive mode.

If you have a passion for stamp collecting then don't be afraid to show it. From what I am told I am one of their friendliest stamp collector customers, and that makes me wonder because I thought that I myself was asking too many questions and being too specific in my needs.

Even if, as skilo54 mentioned above, they only make a smaller percentage of profit on stamp sales, a leader/manager or a group of sales people who are aware of sales skills and really try to be friendly and help their customer and care about their customer (these are sales skills in case anyone was wondering) makes all the difference in the world.

I feel bad when I cannot go back there and visit and chat and buy more stamps and possibly look in the waste basket one more time. (Shh, don't tell anyone.)

I'll give the small post office a try. I'll have to do some exploring to find one.

Thanks everyone!

Small town PO's usually have a better selection and better disposition towards stamp collectors. Especially, if the PM has been there awhile and has existing stamp collector customers. Of course, they are asked by the PMG to limit excess stock and not to keep a large supply on hand.