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By John Darling For the Tidings December 05. 2014 7:03PM 'Tis the season — to wait in line Connie Ingram, of Medford, waits in line at the Ashland Post Office on Thursday. Daily Tidings / Jamie Lusch Going to the Ashland post office is not an errand most people look forward to. The long lines, often stretching out the door, the small staff at the counter, often one or two clerks — all these inspire 10 or 15 minutes of conversation with line-mates or surfing the net on smart phones.   “The wait in line is ridiculous. Get more tellers. This is crazy hectic,” says Oona J. Meade.  “Usually, it’s one clerk here and that’s it. He’s very nice and efficient, but no one else comes out. I try to come here as infrequently as possible,” says Linda Katzen.  “I haven’t seen two clerks here in a long time. Lines were out the door many times. They should at least put up wanted posters for interesting reading. Why would they go postal? I’m the one who’s about to go postal!” Muriel Ames reports she sent a gift to California two weeks before Christmas last year and it arrived two weeks after Christmas — and that’s part of the reason the spread-out family agreed to stop shipping presents. Many other Ashlanders take it in stride, with one mom saying it’s a nice chance to get a break from her five children. Sylvia Massey says she just moved here from Weed and the post office lines there are much worse. “I’m very pleased with Ashland. I don’t mind a 20-minute wait for the good service you get here.” Lonnie Van Trump notes the staff is very helpful and knowledgeable but it’s “borderline” — the line of at least five customers, a wait of at least eight minutes and only one clerk who’s there all the time. The second clerk comes and goes. In addition, clerks take scheduled breaks, no matter how many are in line. “I always see long lines, but they do try to get people through as fast as possible, about 10 to 15 minutes,” says Eva Steiger. Ashland Postmaster Mark Christopherson says things are getting better. He just hired two new clerks, bringing that staff to six. To further grease the tracks, he suggests customers come at less busy times: 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Otherwise, you hit the lunch crowd and those getting off work. “Our goal is to serve every customer in under five minutes, with the ideal being three minutes," he said. "Of course now is the peak season and that’s going to be a real challenge but I think we’re handling the line fairly well.” When logjams happen, Christopherson and a supervisor often fill in on the front desk or, he says, will pull people out of line and tutor them on using the lobby machine that weighs and stamps parcels. “People still don’t understand it and are a little afraid of it,” he says. The public is little aware that, while the U.S. Postal Service is still part of the U.S. government, it is not subsidized by any taxes, he says. It may seem like they compete with UPS and FedEx, but they’re actually partners and help each other out, Christopherson adds, with the USPS often providing “last mile” service for remote spots, such as Green Springs, where they go every day. Prices among the three carriers are fairly similar, but with lines often shorter at private carriers, says Steve Barnard, owner of A Street Print and Parcel. “We’re not cheaper, but with Fed Ex, you get more service and we can do the heavier packages, mailed late, and get them there on Dec. 24 if you ship the day before. The post office can’t promise to get them there by Christmas after about Dec. 4 or 5," says Barnard.   “We’re an approved postal shipper. We’re very used to deadline stress and duress on holidays. We don’t get stressed by it. Sometimes we have lines, but we have two registers and can add a third. We process quickly.”  Email Ashland freelance writer John Darling at [email protected]. http://www.dailytidings.com/article/20141205/NEWS/141209880 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->