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Sept. 29, 2006

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Going Postal

An all-call e-mail went out from the Coates Center staff this month asking for colleagues to help out as available at the Mail Center; the overwhelmed staff there needed help catching up. It has been a record year for packages. Thinking “How hard can this be?” I headed over for a quick easy shift away from my daily stress pitching mail. Okay, partly I was hoping to see who receives inappropriate magazines (and to see what the students get too).

My mentor/supervisor/sponsor was long-time Mail Center employee Mary Butler. My first request to Mary was to just give me something simple – nothing technical. So Mary assigned me to package sorting. I know students really want their packages, so I thought, “Perfect!” Seems we have different ideas of “simple.”

First, packages have to be “red-marked,” which to me sounds ominous but is the act of writing the person’s name and the date on the package with a red marker. This makes it easier to find the packages. Then you shoot the package with a bar code gun, enter the name on the computer, shoot the package again, print a label, and write an A, D, or EX on another label to be put in the box: The A is for Administrator, the EX is for Express, and the D is either for StuDent or “Da package is on the shelves to the left.”

Mary and I only had one tense moment in which our exchange went something like this.

Mary: Did you receive the package?

Me: Well, yes Mary, you did just hand it to me a moment ago.

Mary: I know, but did you RECEIVE it?

Me: Uh, er, um YES MARY YOU GAVE IT TO ME!

Well, in Mail Center lingo that means shoot the bar code with the laser gun. Who knew?

Me: Oh, yes, Mary I RECEIVED it?

Next, you put the box or package on a shelf either labeled alphabetically or by box number depending on the size of the package. Huh? Unless you go to a different rack for departments, in which case you do the same unless the boxes don’t fit. Unless you go to a different rack for important people whose mail is delivered. That doesn’t happen to me.

All this takes place while people in different uniforms and with strong leg muscles keep bringing in more packages, which is unsettling because the packages I was working on were from the previous day. I think about five people came in during my very short shift. I hate those people.

Packages without bar codes are of lower status than packages with bar codes, even though they are much easier to process. Apparently once the courier delivers the packages, another bar code GPS signal-thing sends an e-mail notifying moms that their packages are at TU. There is more urgency to get the package slips into boxes because the estimated time from the delivery to Trinity to the cell phone call from moms to students is about 2.4 seconds. The Mail Center staff has learned well.

Here were my strategies: Process student packages first; faculty and staff can wait. Process clothes and CDs for students before books. Process packages for my noon-ball friends before regular professors (consider them assists). Process light before heavy.

Despite my slow speed, Mary tried to get me to stay. I swear she batted her eye-lashes and said “The students need their packages…” How could I refuse?

The Mail Center staff works really hard. There are these people called “customers” who actually come to the window to buy stamps and expect to pick-up their packages. How inconsiderate! Can’t they see we have work to do back there?

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