Walking around
Making perfumes is a lot about ordering fragrant stuff from different places, some of them abroad, keeping stocks and paying bills. I try to get as much as possible from one supplier, but some things I need to get from the producers directly, such as the CO2 extracted Frankincense. Globalization comes in handy there. Without e-mail, internet, on-line banking and speedy delivery across continents, making niche perfumes would be more tricky. Thus, I am globalization winner.
Thus, I got this parcel the other day, delivered to my house, but unfortunately it wasn’t Momo. The W. - factor took it and it was delivered by this yellow coloured government owned monopolist that makes its client’s faces turn green. Well, I guess you know what’s coming…
Politicians and others always talk about “service publique” when it comes to the postal services; there in remote rural Switzerland it means letters to any place, and a post office more or less near by. Here in urban Switzerland it translates into closed post offices and invoices for parcels from abroad. Besides a reasonable amount for taxes (can’t complain there with a tax rate of 7.6%), the bill features some service fees: No service publique without service fees. Like 30 Swiss Francs for handling, 10 Francs for handling and another 10 Francs for ….handling. The wording is different, but this is the bottomline: 50 CHF for handling a little! parcel at customs.
Thus, I wondered how many miles this guy at customs walked around and was handling my parcel, must have been more than half an hour for sure. Otherwise the service fee would not make sense. I imagine hundreds of guys and girls carrying parcels forth and back, handling them for hours, turning them up and down, caressing my parcel, whipping the dust off its brown paper after its long journey, polishing the polyethylene coating of the bills, maybe they give it a little brush, too. Only interrupted from time to time by phone calls from clients, wondering what service fee xyz really is about.
Thus, this is today’s bottom line if you are a client of Swiss Post, too: Do not call and disturb them. Otherwise, they might have to charge more! Thank you for your understanding.
October 31st, 2007 at 11:25 am
Ah, Andy I think, that many people in different corners of the world often ask to themselves these questions. Why I, should spend 2 or 3 hours of time to send a package to you or Vero? To write a heap of papers, to stand in a queue, open all me the packed things and to make a heap of other silly actions? And for me - my expenses and payment and taxes of services and done by the state, mail and customs work are always incommensurable. Probably other times, sometime, will come?:)
October 31st, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Dear Vladimir
they say it is the age of Aquarius, thus…my time has come already! I can imagine that -at your place- customs work might even be worse compared to here! But then: Life is too short and precious to worry about these little annoyances, isn’t it! Greetings to you and your happy family
October 31st, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Bureaucracies and terrorist alerts !
Where would we be without them !!
Now I can appreciate why it takes so long to get things to my friends in Switzerland….
I promise not to disturb them….
October 31st, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Thank you for not disturbing ;-)
I know where we would be without bureaucrats: On Mars by now! hehehe
November 3rd, 2007 at 1:25 am
Makes me rethink my view of our USPS. They may be on the grouchy side, but fees are usually minimal and packages are delivered straight to my door, even if the postman is deadly afraid of the cats.
November 5th, 2007 at 8:11 am
Dear Gaia
hehehe… so you have tigers at home?