Wishing for no postal service-related issues was just not to be. I feel like I am under a shoe curse–if I purchase doll shoes, the postal service will somehow make it less than a smooth transaction. The girl that I purchased the shoes from was courteous, prompt with communication, and shipped very quickly. The package was traveling internationally via registered mail, so I knew that I had a while to wait. I checked the tracking every few days or so, so that I wouldn’t miss it like last time. I didn’t see much activity there, but one day I came home to the orange “delivery attempted” slip in my mailbox.

The next day I headed to the package annex (my old enemy…) and tried to retrieve my parcel.

This did not go as planned; they couldn’t find my package.

I left a photocopy of my “delivery attempted” slip and my phone number. The worker told me that they would keep looking for my package and I’d be called when it was found.

I waited one week before I finally called back. This was an adventure in and of itself, because package annexes aren’t listed in the United States Postal Service directories that are available on the website or through the annoyingly-automated phone line. It wasn’t until I spoke to an actual customer service representative that they could search the full database and give me the phone number for the carrier annex. It isn’t an actual post office–you can’t mail packages or buy stamps, you can only pick up mail that couldn’t be delivered.

When I called, I was worried that if wasn’t located soon my package would be returned to the sender due to being “undeliverable” even though I had been trying so hard to complete the delivery. I spent a very long time on hold–around 45 minutes–and spoke to several different people. No one even asked for my tracking number or name, and only eventually did anyone ask my address! The last person that I spoke to told me that they still couldn’t find it, and I hadn’t been called because they hadn’t found it, but they’d call me soon. I interrupted her and let her know that it was sent internationally, via registered mail, and that I didn’t want it returned to the sender.

At the mention of “registered mail,” suddenly they found it. ¬_¬

After work that day I hurried to the annex and waited patiently, only to be told–yet again–that they didn’t know where it was. I explained that it was international registered mail and that I had spoken to someone not too long ago who had said they knew where it was. The worker I was talking to looked at the slip again and goes, “Oh, it’s a letter.”

I interjected, “No, it isn’t a letter. It’s a very small package.”

The slip was flipped over and the front array of check-boxes pointed to. “See, it says letter. I’ll be right back.”

Thankfully my “letter” was actually an airmail envelope clearly stretched over a small box. It was handed to me with a off-handed “here’s your letter-that-isn’t-a-letter.”

I opened it as soon as I stepped outside. The shoes are lovely–demure and cute. They’ll look amazing with so many light-coloured outfits that Mimi might wear. I’m so glad they’re here now, but I’m not so keen on buying other shoes and having them shipped… this is just kinda ridiculous. I hope this doesn’t become a recurring theme with all of my mail!