There are a lot of post offices in New York City, from grand Beaux Arts gems to inspiring Art Deco projects. A survey of New York post offices can offer a look at the changing tides of civic architecture and urban planning in the five boroughs. Or, entering a post office can mean leaping into a shadowy vortex of shoddy service and lost packages. It’s really one or the other.
North Brooklyn’s post offices have gained some notoriety for being less than user-friendly. Greenpoint’s own branch, the Greenpoint Post Office (66 Meserole Avenue) became a crime scene in October when one employee was charged with stealing packages, electronics and nearly $10,000 worth of stamps over a two year period.
But even a stamp heist can’t complete with the goings-on at Williamsburg’s South Fourth Street Post Office (263 South 4th Street), a location Yelp users have called “The Bermuda Triangle of post offices” and “Hell personified in a post office.”
The branch has received one star on Yelp, and a total of 283 scathing reviews. Is it the worst post office in the city? Many aggrieved users seem to think so. Want to show the branch a little love? Have a thing for post offices no dower mail carrier can dampen? Sound off with positive vibes for the Williamsburg PO in the comments.
I’ve lived in 3 different boroughs in my 17 years in NYC, and this PO is for sure the worst. The only positive remark I can make is that the staff and manager usually remain polite and patient despite the multiple near-riots I have witnessed while waiting in line (forever) to pick up a package.