‘Neither Rain Nor Snow Nor Sleet At Night…’
What happened to that famous motto of the U.S. Postal Service that was held up to us in our youth to motivate us to do our job no matter what may hamper you in your daily life?
It used to be that, if you mailed something by noon within the five boroughs, you could be assured that it would be delivered to an addressee in these boroughs the next day.
Now, if we are lucky in Glendale, we can expect erratic delivery service, and only God knows where, when and if something mailed to us will be delivered.
Sometimes, after no mail delivery for days, we are overjoyed to see those ubiquitous advertising fliers on our front steps or in our hallways.
Have the highly paid postal service employees lost their work ethic, or have incompetents been promoted to supervisory positions?
Before computers and electronic tracking, we could be assured of three things in life: death, taxes and the daily mail delivery.
Contrary to what the pundits want you to believe, the average citizen and local businesses rely on their “snail mail” for survival. Many of our local businesses advertise in the weekly newspapers that many of us receive in the mail.
Typical issue dates are on Thursdays, with anticipated home delivery by Friday or Saturday at the latest. Many of us in Glendale have been experiencing deliveries of their favorite newspapers on the following Monday and, since November 2013, as late as the week following publication.
This wreaks havoc on our local businesses and, in my case, caused me to receive a cancellation notice from my insurance company.
What is to be done with this failure to provide a promised service for a generous fee? Have you tried going to the Glendale finance station or the Ridgewood main post office for service?
Thank God the Stammtisch Pork Store is located next to the Glendale station. We have learned to stop there to pick up a snack before getting on line at the post office.
The station closed for a couple of weeks and the thousands of nearby residents had to schlep to Ridgewood for a daily attempt at receiving reasonable services. A typical day at the Ridgewood post office begins with one getting on line by 8:30 a.m. in anticipation of an opening sometime on or after 9 a.m., then waiting for one window to open after the other.
What happened to employees being in their place when work begins?
Those of us in Glendale have been advocating for our own post office separate from Ridgewood. The population increases in both communities support this request.
Hopefully, someone will pay attention to the poor service we currently receive and realize that Ridgewood is too big and growing to continue providing service to Glendale.
Editor’s note: Vincent Arcuri is chairperson of Community Board 5 and a long-time advocate in Glendale. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of his organizations and the Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times.
