United States Postal Service — Local services in Hermiston

I had seen that my package arrived at the post office at 10:40 in the morning, but that it wasn’t gonna be delivered to me till 9 PM. I needed the package for my grandmother for the next day since she flew out at five in the morning back to Texas. There was a pair of sunglasses that she needed. Mind you her husband had just passed away, not too long ago and if I could’ve done this one thing for her to make her life easier Than I do. I show up to the post office seeing if the package was obtainable since it said it was still at the facility and wasn’t out for delivery. There was A woman there with blondish short hair and glasses that had advised me that there wasn’t a chance that it could possibly be there, but she would check for me anyways. There was another woman there that went by the name of Liz that was already telling her to not waste her time that the lady in the back hadn’t even done package sorting. The lady with the blonde hair still went to the back just to check to make sure that maybe my package was somewhere obtainable. I do understand they go through tons of packages every day and I just wanted to see. Because this lady went above and beyond she said that the package was right there at the top of the pile ready to go out. Had she not gone back there? I wouldn’t be getting my package till afternoon time Friday . Thus my grandma not having any sunglasses. She wanted these two sunglasses that she ordered off of Amazon. My point is is that because this lady went to the back and took her time to help me out and the package just miraculously was right there on a great day , she was able to give it to me right then and there. Had she had listened to the other employee named Liz who seemed like she didn’t even want to make the effort to go back there just to check. I would’ve been walking away without the package, my grandma without the sunglasses that she wanted. My point is you don’t know what that person is going through and something as little as handing a package over that had the sunglasses that the grandmother wanted because she loved them and it was gonna make her day just a little bit better is all it takes. All it takes For you to walk back and by some miracle it worked out. THANK YOU to the gal that helped me and checked for me and not only made my day but managed to help me make my grandma day better. Even if it was just a pair of glasses…thank you for...

Venturing into the Hermiston Post Office with a simple prepaid mail bag, I expected what any reasonable person would: basic postal services. Instead, I stumbled into an alternate reality where customer service is not only absent—it's actively avoided.

Greeted not with assistance but with suspicion, the counter staff seemed utterly baffled by the sight of an out-of-town mail bag. Their response? A curt directive to "go home and use your own post office." It appears the Hermiston Post Office prefers to operate as an exclusive club where only local mail is worthy of processing.

The postmaster then joined this unwelcoming committee, delivering a masterclass in how to excel at customer dissatisfaction. Together, they doubled down on their bizarre local-only policy with a zeal that would be impressive if it weren't so misplaced. Apparently, the spirit of national postal connectivity stops at the doors of the Hermiston branch.

Contrary to this experience, the Kennewick, WA, post office later accepted the same mail bag without batting an eye—a stark reminder of what competent postal service looks like and a glaring indictment of the Hermiston office’s failings.

It's clear the Hermiston Post Office is competing hard for the title of "Least Helpful Post Office" in Oregon, possibly even aspiring for national recognition in this category. Their commitment to frustrating customers is as robust as their refusal to handle out-of-town mail.

This farce has galvanized me to demand better. Hermiston deserves a postal service that embraces its role as a community facilitator, not a roadblock. Until significant changes are made, I advise locals and visitors alike to seek alternatives where the concept of 'mail acceptance' isn't treated as an...

I sent a certified letter, and requested return service... as I needed the returned letter as proof that I had attempted to contact the person. Finally, I got a notice in my mailbox that the letter had been returned and I had 15 days to pick it up. I went to pick it up a few days later when I could, and the post office had already sent my certified mail that had been stamped for Return Service Requested... to dead mail~! So...I got a case number, and followed up with a phone call. Apparently, nobody communicated anything to anyone so when I called they then were able to initialize my case and gave me another case number for the "mail recover center". They did apologize, but this should have never happened! The mail I sent out was a certified letter that was requested to be returned so that it could show that I had attempted to contact the person... The returned mail being the part of proof that I needed!! As important as this was for me, my mail was treated as unimportant as a...