customer service, part 2

Maybe it's because I've worked in the "customer service" industry all of my working life...  Maybe it's because I pride myself on providing a good customer service experience, that I have grown to expect it back in return... Here's a story...

A number of weeks ago, Chris received a tag from the post office in the mail re: a parcel for me that required a signature for delivery.  As the tag indicated, he went to the post office before the office closed to pick it up.  It was a Friday afternoon, approximately 10 minutes to 5.  The office closed at 5:00.  He waited his turn in line behind another customer who had a number of parcels to send in the mail.  Spying the tag for the parcel in Chris' hand, the post office clerk advised if he was only there to get a parcel, she could pop back to get it for him.  She checked with her current customer to see if it was ok if she left her for a moment to do so, and the customer agreed without hesistation.  So far, pretty good customer service, no?

The postal clerk goes back to where the parcels are stored, and soon returns, the parcel in her hand, and a grimace on her face, "I'm sorry, I can't give this to you now.  It requires a signature, and we close at 5pm. You'll have to come back for it".

Chris: "But the parcel is right in your hand".

Clerk: "I'm sorry, sir; I'm in the middle of helping this customer, and we close at 5".

Chris: "But I entered this location before 5; you have my parcel in your hand".

Clerk: "I'm sorry" (with very little apology in her tone).

Meanwhile, the other customer who was being assisted looks extremely uncomfortable.  Chris, still in shock that the clerk couldn't interrupt the job she was doing to take the thirty seconds it would take to enter the code on the box and have him scribble his John Hancock.  I mean, really....she could easily have said the parcel wasn't in his name, and she'd only release it to the addressee, that would have been swallowable.... She obviously had a hot date and needed to skat out of there at 5:00hrs 01 secs.  UNREAL.  I dunno where she learned her service ettiquette, but when I was being taught the ways of the customer service world, I was taught to clear the queue, or clear the store before the shift ended.  NOT push the customer out the door as your shift ended on the time clock and you didn't have 'time' to help his/her concern.