Data Drop

one of my fellow carriers told me of a phenomenon she calls "Data Drop".
Data Drop is when you bid off of a route and have been off of it for a short while, and another carrier asks you info about your old route like a no such number, or if a certain customer from that route is UTF.. and you have absolutely no idea. Out of sight out of mind. It's like you never carried the thing.

i used to think it was funny when i would see a customer on the route, talk to them, and then see them off the clock somewhere in my civilian clothes and they would walk right by me like they couldn't possibly recognize me unless i was wearing blue polyester.

well, the reverse just happened to me..several times in one night.
i was at my son's curriculum night at school.
i deliver in the same zip that i live in and lots of customers old and new have kids in school with mine.
so at curriculum night i had two families come up to me and ask why i wasn't there mail carrier anymore. i recognized their faces, but had a complete data drop as to their names and where they exactly lived..and i was their mail carrier just a year ago!
another lady told me "you're my carrier!" and i swear to God i couldn't even place her.
i did a total data drop on her and i'm still her carrier... i guess i need people to be standing in their yard or i have no idea who they are!
scary.

Quiz Show part 2

i had 11 days off.
i came back from vacation the day after the labor day holiday.
needless to say the mail was backed up to the rafters.
i took two hours OT in the office and still left 7 feet of bulk behind.
i had huge bundles.
i was trying to hustle.
i was hoping that just for this one day, i wouldn't have to stop and explain:
1) where i've been
2)why they got their mail at 5 pm while i was gone
3)why i was so late.

i made it through the first half of the route nicely.
a few customers said it was good to see me back.
a few bitched about the service in my absence.

then i got to mrs.B.
while i was gone she had left subs 2 handwritten messages wondering where her Daily Word was.
she didn't receive one in July or August!
i was hoping that i could quietly deliver her mail without having to confront the Daily Word controversy. i knew the conversation would take more time and patience than i had.

but that wasn't to be.
she was doing a stake out.
she wanted me to know that this had never happened in 40 years and that someone at the PO told her that it was being returned to sender.
and the Daily Word said they sent her a second copy and she STILL hadn't received that.
WHERE WERE THEY???
"I'm sure it's not your fault...but...."

Any other day i would have felt capable of handling this..but not after a vacation, after a postal holiday, and not when i'm running 2 hours late.
I tried to keep it short and sweet..but it went on and on and on...
my one small victory was that i didn't say any of the Amazing Kreskin comments that were floating through my mind.
after much discourse and many, many minutes i walked away and realised
that all of the peace, and relaxation i had built up over the past 11 days was now officially gone.
somehow i managed to make it through the rest of the week.
and no, the Daily Word still hasn't shown up.
God help me. God help Mrs. B.