Going Postal

I like how some stores cater to kids, to make it easier for parents to shop with their children. At the grocery store I always park near the cart corral so I can keep my kids in sight while I'm putting the cart away. I guess I'm not the only parent who does this because I was recently in a parking lot that had a "reserved for families with small children in tow", or something to that effect, next to the cart corrals. I even like those gianormous (that's David speak for extra, giant enormous) car and wagon carts that I can push my children around in. They really ought to have directionals, because they're way too big and kind of dangerous in those little aisles. I almost took out a cereal display trying to pilot one. People seem tolerant enough of them and keep well out of my way while I'm shopping, so that's a plus. I see improvements all around, in most places I frequent with my kids, and I appreciate that. There are still a few places that could use some work. Some places you have to go with the kids once in a while, even though you'd rather never go there at all, but if you're only going to be open for a window of three hours on Saturday, then guess what? I've got to bring my kids! Yes, I'm talking to you post office.

The one in my mom's town is pretty nice. They have some kids' art work at kid eye level, and they hand out stickers left and right, which is very thoughtful and a simple way to please the little ones. The one I went to recently had all these colorful, padded mailers right at knee and waist level. There were oodles of them. Right at the place where you have to pause to wait your turn to be called to the counter. They are kind of begging to be taken out and played with. So when my children begin perusing through the assortment, carefully examining each envelope like vegans with eggplants at a farmer's market, I'm a little taken aback when the postal employee shouts at them "to not play with those, people have to buy those!"

Who exactly is the target demographic for these items? Adults under three feet? I'm not a size-ist and I can appreciate that there are people much shorter than myself in our community, but I can't see these things from where I am unless I sit down on the floor, so again, I'm really not sure that they're properly placed for most people over the age of seven. If these envelopes are so precious as to warrant yelling at my three and not-quite-two year old to not touch them, then perhaps they need to kept in a locked, shatter-proof glass cabinet. Just a suggestion. If we both do our parts, we can make the exchange more pleasant for everyone. I'll try keeping a closer watch on my children while you're asking me a dozen questions about the contents of the package I'm sending, and you try and keep your mailers above my knees.

It's all about baby steps...