Post office employees ruin stereotype

U.S. Post Office employees: the dregs of the barrel of overpaid and underworked government employees.

That’s the stereotype. And for decades, I rarely came across a post office that proved it wrong. It seemed whenever I was forced to go to the post office – after usually waiting in line for an extended period – I was greeted by a frowning clerk who made me, the customer, feel like I was really inconveniencing them by being there. Typically, I found the clerks to be much more focused on how many minutes were left before their next break than how they could assist the customer, without whom they wouldn’t have a job as secure as Fort Knox.

That changed during my first visit to the little ol’ Maricopa Post Office in 2002. I remember the shock of being greeted by the warm smile of Lisa Bustos, a lifelong Maricopa resident who has worked at the post office since 1995.

The local post office has changed quite a bit in the last five years – if not physically, certainly in the workload and stress of serving more than 30,000 residents versus less than 3,000. And many of the faces behind the counter have changed. too.

Fortunately, one notable face, the former Lisa Bustos who married co-worker Shawn Gauld in 2004, has remained. And luckily for the customers, the friendly, fun-loving spirit of these government employees has, too.

I was reminded of this when I was there Friday. I was served by Lisa, who was flanked by colleagues Buck Brawner on her left and Andy Polito on her right. As they almost always do, each of them seemed happy to be there and enjoying their job. Their jovial mood and co-worker conversation became contagious and soon customers – who may otherwise have been impatiently tapping their watches hopelessly attempting to expedite the inevitable line – and employees alike were laughing together about Lisa’s birthday party the night before.

There are many similarities between Maricopa’s post office operations and many others – lots of traffic, lost mail and long lines among them. Fortunately, there are many differences as well. While the doors still lock at the 4:30 p.m. closing time each weekday at the Maricopa Post Office – and not 4:31 p.m. as we’d oftentimes hope – here in Maricopa, they are locked with a friendly smile.

Unlike years past, I look forward to going to the post office, and I hope the friendly Maricopa atmosphere that Andy, Buck, Lisa and the whole team have created never ceases.

So next time you’re buying stamps, make sure you wish Lisa a happy belated birthday. She’d undoubtedly do the same for you.

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