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It's stand up, line up and wait as post offices end number slips Readers are outraged by Postal Service 'fix'

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The U.S. Postal Service should bring back the numbered-ticket wait system in Arizona post offices. The tickets offer a convenient and civilized way to conduct mail transactions.

The Postal Service did away with numbered tickets on Aug. 21 as a way, it said, to shorten wait times. Until recently, 13 of the 16 post offices in the Tucson area used numbers.

We've received letters from Star readers who said their visits to the post office have become more inconvenient as a result of the change.

Based on our experience with numbered tickets at the cable company, bakeries, barbershops, the Motor Vehicle Division and other places, we find them a convenient and orderly way to wait. You grab a number and find a place to sit. There's no need to stand in line — often for an uncomfortable length of time — and no need to worry about losing your place or having other people cut ahead.

One of the few drawbacks is that people sometimes leave before their number is called. No big deal. Whoever is calling out numbers waits a few seconds, sees no movement and calls the next number.

It's hard to understand how getting rid of the numbers would greatly speed things up. The Postal Service, however, said the move has improved wait times.

"People who are in line are ready to be served and the line moves quicker as a result," said Rob Soler, customer relations coordinator for the Postal Service in Tucson. "This isn't the only thing we're doing, however. We're looking to make other enhancements in service — many driven by ideas recommended by our customers."

Soler said customers can offer suggestions by calling the U.S. Postal Service toll-free at 1-800-275-8777.

The Postal Service's view about the numbered tickets, however, differs greatly from those of Star readers who wrote us. The biggest complaint seems to be from seniors who find it difficult to stand in line for extended periods.

"I suspect that I am not alone in having to deal with a back ailment that makes it painful to stand for more than a minute or two. . . . It was no problem to take a number and sit on a bench to wait," wrote Dorothy Olson, a Tucson retiree.

Robert W. Lyons of Green Valley wrote: "Talk about a backward leap away from progress and common sense. This takes the cake."

Other readers complained that they were no longer able to make multiple trips to their car to retrieve packages for fear of losing their place in line. Others griped about having to stand with many packages. People who are disabled or ill also could face hardships from waiting in line.

If members of the community are complaining now, imagine how intolerable the lines could get during the holiday season, when post offices become crowded.

We believe the Postal Service should reverse course on the numbers not only for the sake of customers, but for its own viability.

In September 2005, the Postal Service projected a $1.8 billion deficit for the 2006 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. The Postal Service is a break-even enterprise, meaning it has a federal mandate not to turn a profit but to fully support its operations. It hasn't received tax dollars since 1982, Soler said, and pays for itself mostly through the sale of postage.

As e-mail, competition from delivery services and rising costs eat away at Postal Service revenues, it should adopt more customer-friendly policies. Doing away with numbered tickets only pushes customers away.

The Postal Service should bring back the numbers. That would lessen the hardship of waiting in line for some and send the message that the agency truly cares about serving its customers.