Seminole Post Office Goes Above and Beyond in Service

Graci sending out her first care package for Operation: Miltiary
Matters in January 2016 at the Seminole Post Office.

I never use to think the post office was a place where you could go to meet people so many nice people, but it is. It’s not too often you hear about postal employees going above and beyond and being extraordinarily nice, so when it happens it’s worth writing about. That’s why I must let you know about our post office at the City of Seminole. They are a wonderful group of people and I believe it stems from their Postmaster Theresa Painter.  

I am in there quite a bit with my 12-year-old daughter, Graci, helping her mail hundreds of care packages to the military overseas with her nonprofit Operation: Military Matters.  

We have been doing this for more than two and a half years now, so the clerks and postmaster know us by name. But they don’t just know us by name, I notice them calling others by name too. Sometimes it reminds me of the 1980’s television sitcom “Cheers” with the theme song “Where everybody knows your name.”

So many people these days think if it’s not in my job description, I don’t have to do it, so I won’t. That’s not the case when I go to the post office. They go out of their way to help. Sometimes I have a bunch of packages to load into the cart and the clerks are right there asking us if we need help.  

It’s not just us though. The other day I was there checking my P.O. box right about the time the post office was closing. There was a man was walking in at 5:01 p.m. He needed a check mailed and needed an envelope to mail it in and was pleading to be able to mail the check. The clerk said ok and he even helped him get an envelope. I know he didn’t have to do that, but I am sure it made that man’s day.  

When the employees are nice, it makes for nice customers. I can’t tell you how many times I have met wonderful people at the post office. It’s not that I am talking to everyone when I go there, they just seem to talk to me or overhear my conversation and start talking. One day I was there and met a lady who was mailing a package to someone overseas and I told her about my daughter's nonprofit and that she would mail a package also if she wanted. The lady ended up telling us how she and her husband are Mr. and Mrs. Claus during the holidays and deliver toys to the kids who have parents in the military. She gave me her number and it was a wonderful connection.

Another time, I met a nice young man who was in line, who was in a wheelchair and started talking to me about how he got hurt playing soccer years ago and caused brain injury to him. He just brightened my day by just being so pleasant.

I’ve met others who have given me their business cards to help with my daughter’s nonprofit and others who have just given us money to help mail a package while we are there. We’ve also been able to send care packages overseas to friends of people we’ve met while in line.

Next time there’s a line at the post office and you are waiting, strike up a conversation or at least say hello to the person you’re in line next to and if you get a worker who is a veteran (most of them are) thank them for their service to our country.   You never know how you might just brighten their day and make your trip to the post office worthwhile experience.