Earlier this year USPS modified the HAZMAT questions to include perfume that Window Clerks (Sales and Service Associates) are required to ask customers. Let this article be a reminder to Window Clerks to ask all of the HAZMAT questions. Why? Well, some Postal Managers/Supervisors are issuing discipline for Window Clerks’ failure to do so . (see article below)Here is an excerpt from the USPS News Link article on perfume:
Because of its alcohol content, perfume is considered a hazardous material for shipping purposes. That’s why USPS has modified the Retail Customer Experience HAZMAT question to help employees understand whether a customer’s package contains perfume.
Retail associates must not accept packages containing perfume to be mailed internationally or to an APO/FPO or DPO location, regardless of its quantity or mail class.
When sent domestically, perfume also cannot be mailed using Express Mail, Priority Mail or First-Class Mail. But a package may be sent if it meets the following conditions:
And here is an article by Lisa Herrera, Vice President, East Bay Area Local #47 on what happened to Window Clerks who failed to ask HAZMAT question about perfume:
“Is there anything inside the package that is liquid, fragile, perishable, and potentially hazardous, such as lithium battery or perfume?” If these HazMat questions are not asked when processing a customer’s package(s) over the window, it is a possibility management will put you off the clock.
Management’s latest ploy is sending Window Clerks (aka SSAs) home for the day on emergency suspensions for not asking all the HazMat questions. We have discovered that in many cases Window Clerk(s) asked all the main questions, but forgot to ask if the package(s) contained perfume.
One postmaster informed our office that her reason for sending Window Clerk(s) home was so they can “reflect” on their action(s) for not asking all the HazMat questions. Although management’s rationale is absolutely ridiculous and the union does not agree with it –it is highly important that all Window Clerks should not take any shortcuts, even though there may be a long line out the door. All Window Clerks must continue to ask all HazMat questions until this matter is resolved in the grievance/arbitration procedure at the Regional/Area Level.
Although Postal Management is aware the discipline more than likely will be rescinded–it is used anyway to intimidate Window Clerks.
In a recent letter to Vice Presidents, Area Operations, Edward F. Phelan, Jr., USPS VP, Delivery and Post Office Operations wrote:
From baking “Poop Cakes” to issuing discipline.
If PostalReporter.com readers recall, a Postal Manager at the Cape Coral, FL Post Office baked a cake for Window Clerks to look like poop. The Postal Manager thought it was a perfect idea to present this cake to Window Clerks for receiving a bad score from a Retail Customer Experience (formerly called Mystery Shopper) . Well, baking disgusting “poop cakes” and/or issuing ill-advised discipline to Window Clerks does nothing but lower employee morale. But if Window Clerks ask all of the questions, management won’t have a reason to issue the discipline.
how true
Who is watching all the CPU employees, Village Post Office employees and all the PSE’s and PMR’s that are running these newly formed 2 and 4 hour offices. Are they being disciplined for not asking the questions? Not sure they even know the questions. These managers that are standing over the employees watching every move got their jobs by who they knew not what they knew. In the postal service the more you screw up the more you move up. I am sure the manager that made the cake will be promoted not disciplined.
The rules are,
Ask the Hazmat questions.
Try to sell them express mail.
If they don’t want express mail, try to sell them Priority.
Try to sell insurance and tracking.
Make sure you scan the distribution and Box up bar codes.
Make sure you do the Morning AM/PM report.
Make sure you do the Rural Curtailment Report.
When you get mail out of the drop boxes and chutes,
scan each barcode and count the mail and log that into the scanner.
When the carriers get back from their routes, run the report to make sure there are no packages that haven’t been scanned delivered or attempted. If there are, find out why and report that to the Poom.
Run the Postal One reports.
Do the EOD Report that asks if there are any packages on site that have not been scanned attempted.
Do the evening AM/PM report.
Scan the Dispatch bar code and confirm it has uploaded.
I’m not at work so I probably missed a couple more.
If you miss any of these things, no matter how busy you are at the window, you get into trouble. Miss them a few times and you could get fired.
And many of us these days do it for less than the $15 an hour the fast food workers are demanding to be their minimum wage. LOL.
Hey dotherightthing thanks for eating all the cake,think you got a little on your nose……
The district dictatorial narcissist bully management style
reflects how they were selected for positions they occupy. Their brains are programed to cause confusion and inflict punishment to achieve their desired results. Academia plays no part in the selection for higher management positions. Many appear to have poor childhoods and are striking out to inflict punishment to compensate for their innate need to seek a means to inflict hurt to others.
District management operates in packs when one fails to take down the prey other join in for the take down.
Craft employees are the victims of so called corrective action as the pressure flows downward to eliminate any opposition.
Have to agree that the “poop cake” was a dumb idea and that manager should be disciplined. EAS out in the field agree the RCE program has become without a doubt the worst program in the retail unit and wish it would go away. It is management at the District and Area who are calling for discipline (corrective action) for every little infraction. The District is wasting huge sums of money by having employees sitting in “unofficial jobs” who send out emails before the window even opens about potential WTIL failures. As soon as there are 3 people in line, they send out another email. If that is not enough, they make mystery shopper phone calls. Here’s the catch, if you are out in the lobby, you can’t answer the phone right? Then an email is sent out asking why the phone could not be answered in 3 rings? What a waste of time, resources and money by the District. For every little infraction, missed MSP scan or whatever, the District and Area want discipline.
Supv. must have completed Associate Supervisor Program and assumed to have knowledge to manage areas they are totally ignorant. Recourse be aggressive and instill the fear factor among employees. Beware of the secret shopper as they must create havoc toward window sale associates.
I use to love to work the windows till they came up with these games they would play with us. After 30 years most of the clerks knew the customers and we knew how to ask the questions. I finally retired I have never looked back.
SO what if all the windows clerk decide to not ask the Haz MAt questions and get sent home? The windows close early?
Thanks again for your insightful input to the dialogue.
He should have used real poop!
Here is an article from this year USPS News Link about a new Perfume Worldwide company using Priority mail to ship perfume. Guess its ok if they spend enough money.
https://liteblue.usps.gov/news/link/2013/01jan/news03s2.htm
Shipping beauty
Cubic pricing helps company control costs
Posted 1/2/13 at 4:47 p.m.
Sales video perfume worldwide, SSS-video-perfume
Perfume Worldwide relies on USPS Priority Mail cubic pricing to deliver its perfume and beauty products to online customers.
The Plainview, NY, company has been in business seven years. According to Piyush Golia, Perfume Worldwide’s president, being able to offer customers quality products at affordable prices is the reason the company has been successful.
USPS Priority Mail cubic pricing helps Golia control costs without sacrificing service.
To qualify for cubic pricing, a customer must meet the Priority Mail volume threshold of 250,000 pieces annually, or have a signed Customer Commitment Agreement with USPS. Prices are not based on weight, but are charged per cubic measurement of the mailpiece and applicable zone.
It is available for soft pack and padded envelopes as well as for boxes.
“Priority Mail Cubic Pricing lets you know exactly what your shipping costs will be,” said Golia. “Compared to its competition, the Postal Service is far more cost-effective with better service.”
The Postal Manager at Cape Coral that baked that pile of S— Cake is a jerk! The window clerks have enough to do just getting the people threw the lines, asking these questions just piss off the customers, give the clerks a break – I can’t believe the management would think this was funny, it’s harassment, plain and simple!
Staples clerks know they can be fired for not providing acceptable customer service.
We were told that “clerks” at Staples were exempt from asking HAZMAT questions. Get this in writing and use it in any grievance when a clerk is disciplined for failure to ask. If it’s so important that corrective action must be taken, then Staple’s people should be required to do as we do.
What questions will the Staples employees be disciplined for forgetting to ask? Dotherightthing rocket surgery? Really what’s that? You must be management.
So, you block the vertibule, leave the hand lift wherever, block the exit etc, etc, and don’t ask the proper questions out front for everyone’s safety down the line…and the boss is the simpleton? He or she is the problem? What we do is not rocket surgery.
Wow… I simply have very few nice things to say about this. With all the freaking change going on in the postal service, the additional jobs we’ve been tasked to accomplish, the pressure and scrutiny, and Management continues along the simpleton’s route of issuing discipline rather than an on the job correction or further training. Yet, in the back of the house, they look the other way at safety issues such as leaving a vestibule blocked with equipment or mail, hand lifts parked wherever they were last used, exit routes blocked, etc. etc, all of which a little training would fix. Please train your supervisors and managers. Their high school diploma just isn’t enough for the job.