Local USPS Branch Counter Clerk Refused To Hand Cancel PPC Today, Supervisor Upheld His Decision

My local USPS branch refused to hand cancel my picture post cards today: 4/14/2025.
I send my grandsons PPC'S of aircraft and trains on a fairly regular basis. I live in Louisville, they live in Phoenix. I most always get them hand cancelled unless the line is out the door.

Today I presented a # 10 letter size envelope addressed to Austin, TX containing IRS forms supplementing e-filing. The clerk squeezed the envelope vertically to insure it was not too stiff, then counted each stamp's value in the strip of 7 of the11c Stutz Bearcat transportation issue, Scott # 2131 and applied two circular four bar cancels. Seeing the postcards and checking the postage on both, which were franked each with a 25c Frederick Douglas's plate # single, Scott # 1290 and a 31c air mail, Scott # C90, he threw them on his pile of outgoing mail. I gave him an inquisitive look, and he said " I don't have to cancel the postcards ". I said " Why? ", and he said " We don't cancel post cards anymore ".

I asked to see the head clerk or supervisor, and the clerk next to him said " That's me, and we are not hand cancelling post cards ". I asked " Why not? " First he said " Too many tax envelopes", there were only two other patrons waiting, another quizzical look from me; then he said " We are not sure when they will go out ", and motioned me towards the door. I gave up, and will ask my son to check if they were spray cancelled and on what date.

Any one else have a similar experience?

USPS has made the news here for having mail backed up since before Christmastime, when they did not hire any temporary help or authorize much overtime, and after some significant weather events in January and February.

Our Congressman made some inquires and toured the Metro USPS headquarters. They said they were caught up in late March, but I got a periodical last week with a cover date of January 21, 2025; as well as a Corporation yearly report and proxy voting mailing for a meeting in early March. So they are still behind on periodical type mail.

WHATNOT apparently has almost all its sellers use USPS and they all seem to arrive timely, but they are all tracked. I guess the new priorities on mail handling DeJoy announced before retiring are in full force...

By the time the conversation was had they could've just cancelled them.

Officious bureaucratic nonsense......

Why do you not get a permit to cancel your own mail?


Peter

Two thoughts came to mind ....
If this is your "local USPS branch", then it would pay good dividends to develop a relationship with the clerks. Then when you have an unusual request, they are likely to accomodate you without any hassle. One of my local clerks is the president of one of the local postal employee unions and is very accomodating.
They are giving you BS about not cancelling postcards or when it will go out. Yes, you can do a formal complaint and go up the chain of command until you force a reply, but that won't help with my first observation. Regardless of getting a hand cancel, any mail piece has a very good chance of getting a later spray cancel.

As to the post card, there are internal directives to not cancel machinable mail at counters to save time. That is the default decision for window clerks are requested to follow..

As John Becker says, once you do get the hand cancellation there is a large chance it will be machine sprayed cancelled during its time in the mail stream. Now a read of the regulations indicates the clerks can hand cancel items of a philatelic nature but also have the right to refuse to do it on demand. They then need to set a time for you to return to get you requested hand cancellation. If after that, you don't want a machine cancel, you can pay the non-machinable fee, and mark the item as being non-machinable. You can also just mark the item as non-machinable with the addition fee paid and point that out to the clerk for the appropriate hand cancel.

Again, having a relationship with the clerks will help smooth issues over.

The tax, ballot return and certain other envelopes are hand cancelled upon request as such items are understood as being post marked based for certain qualification. Yet I have had occasion where large offices have refused to counter cancel even when requested.When I know I am dealing with such an office, I short pay the postage by one penny and have the clear affix a one cent meter strip. One clerk smiled at me, too my penny and quick as a flash place a one cent stamp on the item. Wait a dramatic pause with the smile then hand stamped the envelope with a round dater.

I just read this, and am amazed. I have never had a hand-cancel request denied. GRANTED, I don't exactly ask for one every single day, but still...

I hope I don't have to start dating the grocery store clerk to get her to actually place my wares in a bag and give me a receipt.

Is she cute? A picture would help decide the next move.

Befriend your local postal clerks but also let them know the applicable provisions of the DMM. When you know the DMM, you've upset their balance of power.

Admittedly, it's possible that my opinion is outdated. We now have to hit an emoji on the touchpad asking if we're happy, ambivalent or disappointed in our USPS experience.

I joke with my postmaster about what happens when I hit the sad face. He likes my old stamps, and is a noted sports card dealer, so he has the gene that understands us. I keep hitting the "happy" emoji.

ETA: For our international friends, "DMM" is the USPS manual with all of the "mail" rules.

What I find amusing is that in my post office I'm asked to hit the smile emoji before the transaction has actually concluded. I tremble to think what will happen to my letter if I accidentally hit the sad face. In all seriousness, the postal clerks and service have been uniformly great when I do my "posting" and we trade holiday cards with our postman because he is the friendliest and most efficient we've ever had.

Don't shop at Aldi, no bagging