So, I did some Halloween themed boxes to send to Stuart. I got way too much and ended up having to pack two boxes full, lol. He should have more than enough to share with some of the other guys.
I actually put them together last weekend but piddled around with them because I really hate going to the post office. And since they changed the customs forms... well, I hadn't quite figured them out yet.
Thursday rolls around and I figure that I better get them mailed out so they will, in fact, get there by Halloween so he can enjoy them on the holiday for which they were intended. I filled out the forms with a little help from Lindsay and me and my for once very well-behaved kids were off to mail them out.
I get there and immediately I can tell that this postal worker lady is not going to be nice. As with most boxes I mail out, I put that it contained reading material and snacks. Which wasn't a total lie because it did contain candy and one of the boxes had some audio books and a few magazines in it.
Apparently, that no longer flies with the post office. I needed to be specific. I asked if it would be okay if I wrote chips next to snacks and she replied "I would prefer it if you would specify what is in the box more clearly than that" with an obvious eye roll. After a few more minutes of berating and patronizing I was just ready to get out of there. But not before she lectured me on how she "would let it slide this one time but I better do it right the next time."
I also asked her about the new forms because I wasn't sure where I was supposed to put everything. She rolled her eyes again and said "they are exactly the same as the old ones... I don't understand why you people are having so many issues with these forms." So I said, well with the new blocks, I didn't know where to put the APO stuff. She then preceded to tell me that it wasn't her job to tell me where to put the address on the form and that hopefully it would get there. With another eye roll.
I was very disappointed with the service at the post office. Being on post, I would think that they would have this process down pat with mailing out boxes for military families. And she can roll her eyes all she wants at me, but I sure as hell won't be letting her wait on me again next time I need to mail something out.
So, am I just dumb about the customs forms?
2 comments from the peanut gallery:
I'm very sorry that you got a crabby apple clerk. When you wrote about new forms I freaked out. I went searching online and realized what you were talking about. Crap. I have a stack of the old forms now and I don't know how long my PO will take them. I see that USPS switched over a long time ago so maybe my PO is just slow in crossing over. I can see how it would be confusing to enter so much information into so few boxes. And to list each thing!!! I send out a package almost every week and I always just put "snacks and pics value $20". I can't imagine the nightmare this change will create for our little PO. Thankfully, my clerks have all been very nice. I am so pissed for you that you received such hatefullness from any PO let alone an on post one. And how can she think that helping you address a form correctly is NOT her job????
I wanted to share the links to the sites that helped me when I was researching this garbage in case any of your readers started flipping out too at the mention of new forms. I'm seeing now that your PO might just be one of the few that are ahead of the pack as not every PO is using the new system yet.
http://forum.anysoldier.com/forums/t/8745.aspx?PageIndex=1
http://www.skipcares.org/Tips/customsform.php#newCF
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