Today Priority Post was an oxymoron!
/… I arrived at the suburban hole-in-the-wall post office not far from our house fully intending to send via Priority Post,
two important envelopes that had been gathering lint while the posties and their union battled it out with
Canada Post–a name suggesting solidity but in reality another Canadian under-achiever.
The very pleasant woman behind the counter was not sure if the backlog had been cleared but was nevertheless ready to take
some big coin for a Priority Post stamp!
Me: “Are you sure these letters will get there tomorrow?”
Lady behind the counter: “well, we haven’t had a real update about the status of the backlog today.”
Me: “..so what does that mean?”
Lady behind the counter: “..it probably isn’t a good idea to go Priority because I don’t think they’re picking up today and we have nothing
today on the backlog. But let me call someone. Thirty second call to some other person in another hole-in-the-wall post office:…no
she hasn’t heard anything definitive about the backlog anything either. (This must be one of those Canadian things–no matter who you call, they won’t know!!!)
Me: “..do I have any options?” LBTC: “..well you could just mail it. It would get there in a couple of days, probably just as quick as Priority Post.,”
Me: “..considering there is no Priority Post you’re probably right. How about registered would that be quicker?”
LBTC:..”not really, registered isn’t fast, it’s only for signatures and tracking. But we could send it registered and that way you can track it.”
Thank you very much ! !! I don’t know why I didn’t blow a gasket at this point . Probably because I was heading for Staples home of the
Purolater pickup! Stamped before five, delivered the next day-private enterprise moving the mail etc.,etc.,
Lady Behind the Counter at Staples:…”I’m sorry sir, but Purolater doesn’t deliver to mail boxes!! ” What? What!
So Sandy and Missy there is no Priority Post today and the two important letters stranded by a strike, a backlog and the inability to deliver to post office box numbers
means they are back home immobilized by that oxymoron Priority Post!!!>>!!!
/…the moronic part of today’s frustration, of course lies with the failure of the managers(that may be an oxymoron too)at Canada Post to recognize the huge potential
of getting Priority Post up and running the minute the strike was over. As they cleared away the millions of pieces of mail, Priority Post would be setting the
return to business pace, delivering urgent letters and parcels by the next day and racking up big dollars at the same time.
Instead they idled their best weapon and instead concentrated on “clearing the backlog.” Brilliant.
Lord, I hope the people running Canada Post are never asked to lead us through a major challenge!
/…Shopping for groceries is another exercise in frustration. Product distribution and availability forces many shoppers into
multiple grocery stores. For instance you can be sure that quite often Loblaws won’t have it. The other day, a day made for barbecuing
the nearby Loblaws store had no briquettes. Are you serious? Absolutely! Loblaws bakery isn’t as good as Metro’s but the prices at Metro
are stratospheric. And over at Highland farms the produce is fresh and the choices are double those at Metro but the staff doesn’t look very happy.
I often wondered whether this was a requirement of working there-not smiling. The other day I was at Loblaws to buy buttermilk. “won ‘t have any
until tomorrow.” Right. No so long ago a Metro didn’t have clove of garlic in the entire store. I kid you not!! When I shop for groceries
I plan to visit at least two to four different stores.
/…is there anyone in the vast reaches of the web who has noticed all the gasoline prices at all the different gas stations move up and down
in unison? Anyone notice that everyday, the price at the pumps is the same at Shell, as it is at Esso, as it is at Petrocan, as it is at Husky, as it is at Sunoco?
What would we call this in a country driven by private enterprise and the spirit of competition? Would we call it freedom from having to choose?
Would we call it coincidence? Would we call it a force for good riddance to competition in the gasoline business? Would we call on the
Competition Bureau to investigate? Of course not!!
What have you done to magnify this blatant disregard of competitive pricing? Have you called on the people who represent you politically
to do something ABOUT FIXED GASOLINE PRICES????
Not yet? Let’s get ‘arountoit.’
holidayatlarge 
It’s not in the mail!
2011/07/05 1 Comment
Today Priority Post was an oxymoron!
/… I arrived at the suburban hole-in-the-wall post office not far from our house fully intending to send via Priority Post,
two important envelopes that had been gathering lint while the posties and their union battled it out with
Canada Post–a name suggesting solidity but in reality another Canadian under-achiever.
The very pleasant woman behind the counter was not sure if the backlog had been cleared but was nevertheless ready to take
some big coin for a Priority Post stamp!
Me: “Are you sure these letters will get there tomorrow?”
Lady behind the counter: “well, we haven’t had a real update about the status of the backlog today.”
Me: “..so what does that mean?”
Lady behind the counter: “..it probably isn’t a good idea to go Priority because I don’t think they’re picking up today and we have nothing
today on the backlog. But let me call someone. Thirty second call to some other person in another hole-in-the-wall post office:…no
she hasn’t heard anything definitive about the backlog anything either. (This must be one of those Canadian things–no matter who you call, they won’t know!!!)
Me: “..do I have any options?” LBTC: “..well you could just mail it. It would get there in a couple of days, probably just as quick as Priority Post.,”
Me: “..considering there is no Priority Post you’re probably right. How about registered would that be quicker?”
LBTC:..”not really, registered isn’t fast, it’s only for signatures and tracking. But we could send it registered and that way you can track it.”
Thank you very much ! !! I don’t know why I didn’t blow a gasket at this point . Probably because I was heading for Staples home of the
Purolater pickup! Stamped before five, delivered the next day-private enterprise moving the mail etc.,etc.,
Lady Behind the Counter at Staples:…”I’m sorry sir, but Purolater doesn’t deliver to mail boxes!! ” What? What!
So Sandy and Missy there is no Priority Post today and the two important letters stranded by a strike, a backlog and the inability to deliver to post office box numbers
means they are back home immobilized by that oxymoron Priority Post!!!>>!!!
/…the moronic part of today’s frustration, of course lies with the failure of the managers(that may be an oxymoron too)at Canada Post to recognize the huge potential
of getting Priority Post up and running the minute the strike was over. As they cleared away the millions of pieces of mail, Priority Post would be setting the
return to business pace, delivering urgent letters and parcels by the next day and racking up big dollars at the same time.
Instead they idled their best weapon and instead concentrated on “clearing the backlog.” Brilliant.
Lord, I hope the people running Canada Post are never asked to lead us through a major challenge!
/…Shopping for groceries is another exercise in frustration. Product distribution and availability forces many shoppers into
multiple grocery stores. For instance you can be sure that quite often Loblaws won’t have it. The other day, a day made for barbecuing
the nearby Loblaws store had no briquettes. Are you serious? Absolutely! Loblaws bakery isn’t as good as Metro’s but the prices at Metro
are stratospheric. And over at Highland farms the produce is fresh and the choices are double those at Metro but the staff doesn’t look very happy.
I often wondered whether this was a requirement of working there-not smiling. The other day I was at Loblaws to buy buttermilk. “won ‘t have any
until tomorrow.” Right. No so long ago a Metro didn’t have clove of garlic in the entire store. I kid you not!! When I shop for groceries
I plan to visit at least two to four different stores.
/…is there anyone in the vast reaches of the web who has noticed all the gasoline prices at all the different gas stations move up and down
in unison? Anyone notice that everyday, the price at the pumps is the same at Shell, as it is at Esso, as it is at Petrocan, as it is at Husky, as it is at Sunoco?
What would we call this in a country driven by private enterprise and the spirit of competition? Would we call it freedom from having to choose?
Would we call it coincidence? Would we call it a force for good riddance to competition in the gasoline business? Would we call on the
Competition Bureau to investigate? Of course not!!
What have you done to magnify this blatant disregard of competitive pricing? Have you called on the people who represent you politically
to do something ABOUT FIXED GASOLINE PRICES????
Not yet? Let’s get ‘arountoit.’
Filed under daily comments Tagged with gasoline, oxymoron, Priority post