Owning an online wool store (www.yarnandkisses.com) and having to deal with posting out parcels every week, I often wonder to myself what goes on in the letters/parcels sorting process.
The geek in me…… okay, who am I kidding.. THE Geek, ME, loves to watch or read about large scale productions or processing and I’ve often fantasied about taking a tour around the postal facilities.
That’s right. Should I change my mind about being a doctor (trying my darnest best now to get into MBBS in 2 years time), I would want to be a postal worker. (Not a worker gone postal… although that’s another story altogether)…
I did a search on Google and found this link with a video that shows how USPS works. However, the video didn’t satisfy my curiosity as it didn’t have much details. I need details! Tell me how the whole system works!
So I found this link. (As you can see, I SEEM to have loads of time to search for stuff that ‘normal’ people don’t give a 2nd thought about.. hehehe).
Ohh I had trouble keeping my heart from skipping beats. Such detailed explanation! (Somewhere, someone reading this is going to say, “Shut up, you dork!” but I don’t care. 
)
Machines that can READ HANDWRITTEN ADDRESSES AND POST CODES! Can you IMAGINE THAT?!?! Woohoo! This must be the greatest invention ever!!! (Who cares about inventions like lightbulbs and toilet bowls when you CAN HAVE A MACHINE TO READ HANDWRITTEN ADDRESSES?!?!?)
This is why everyone of you should write PROPERLY and LEGIBLY so that these awesome machines can read your handwriting and send the letter to the correct address. Okay?
And oh… it doesn’t stop there!
Check this out!
Because these items (packages) vary so greatly in size it is difficult to design a machine which would accommodate all of them. Instead, packets are sorted manually. Sometimes they are placed on a conveyor and sorted by operators along the track.
One may wonder where can one apply for the position of ‘sorting operator for packages along the conveyor’?
I’m pretty sure I’m not just speaking for myself. I’m sure you’d want to be a Sorting Operator For Packages Along The Conveyor too! Who wouldn’t like such a brilliant job?
It’s a pity that stamps are canceled (or ‘chopped’) by machines nowadays (did you also know that they have machines that can detect the ‘right side’ of the envelopes by searching for the presence of stamps? They can even FLIP THE ENVELOPES to search for the stamps!!!!!!) err.. where was I?
Oh.. it’s a pity that stamps are canceled (or chopped’) by machines nowadays because a Manual Stamp Chopping Operator job comes pretty close to the Sorting Operator For Packages Along The Conveyor job for me! I wouldn’t be able to choose between these two if I had to. Maybe I can go on rotation?
I’m pretty sure I will be dreaming of touring postal facilities tonight.
Oh come on……! I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks about these things often from time to time!
Off to write a cover letter: RE: APPLICATION FOR THE POSITION OF MAIL SORTING OPERATOR ALONG THE CONVEYOR
September 16th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
are you serious about your very last line
Don’t be silly. Of course you can get into it in 2 years.
September 16th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
dont listen 2 dat daffy sis of yours….chase yr dreams on the conveyor if u need to…..stamp out yr competitors on the belt if need be….its a merciless unthankful job so you have to chop a lot cruelly to be kind to these envelopes!
September 16th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Did you know that the mail sorting machine can detect if the stamp is a stamp to be posted within Australia, or if it is an International stamp? I found that out the other day when we were at the post office. I thought that was pretty neat.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Ai, it’s not a machine that chops on the stamp. it’s called a franking machine. when i toured the postal office a few decades ago, we were ‘educated’ on how to write the name, address on the ‘To’ side of the envelope. 1 is supposed to put 2 finger spacing down and start writing. the stamp is always on the top right hand corner.
bigger parcels are hand-franked and slotted into pigeon holes according to countries (and or, if local, postal codes). Illegible addressing, wrong positioning of stamps are “thrown” aside and will be sorted out manually (from the conveyor belt) and then franked manually.
postal workers do wear roller skates to speed the process of slotting stuff into the pigeon holes.
hahaha…. you should sing Karen Carpenter’s song, POSTMAN.
Let me know when your application for the post is accepted!!!!
September 17th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
it’s alright to want to be a mail sorting operator along the conveyor. i’ve always wanted to be a cashier too. *haha* even tried to apply for it once, but nothing came out of it. my dad wants to work at macdonald’s one day also.
September 17th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
post-manager: hehehehehehehehehe
December 3rd, 2010 at 1:43 pm
We really enjoy this blog. Iwish we could come here all the time.