Q. Are the sales pitches the postal clerks give after you mail a package at the post office required by the U.S. Postal Service? I have better things to do than stand there and listen to something I have no desire to hear. -- F.S.
A. That pitch for more stamps, materials and services is part of a sales spiel that clerks are encouraged to give, said Carl Walton, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service.
"In the past we have gotten in a situation where the customers do not know what we have to offer," Walton said. "This gives the customer a chance to hear what we do provide."
The three-sentence pitch normally involves asking customers if they would like packaging products, some of which are free and others for which there is a charge.
Whether you get the pitch may depend on which post office or clerk helps you. Walton also said that asking people if they want stamps may save them an extra trip they would have to make later anyway.
"When you go to McDonald's, the employees ask you if you want fries with that.
"So it's a similar technique that we use with our customers," Walton said.
"Hopefully, it won't last very long, and most people won't be annoyed.
"It's so that the customers know what we have and so we can provide the best possible service to them."
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