I had an experience yesterday that I wanted to share with everyone. A few weeks ago I ordered a 3" folder from one of the more popular businesses that support this forum. When I received the knife I discovered that it was not comfortable in my hand. So I call the business and asked if I could exchange it for another. They were great and said no problem. I carefully wrapped the boxed knife in bubble pack and put in a sturdy box. Yesterday I took it to the post office for shipment. It took me 15 minutes in line to get to one of the windows. (We have the worst post office in the nation, but that is another story.) By the way, the name of the business has the word "knife" in the title, so that was on the address label.
When I got to the P.O. window a little old lady clerk saw the word knife and asked if a knife was inside. I said "yes, it is a pocket knife". She raised her eyebrows and proceeded to pull out this thick book of regulations that looked like "War and Peace". I asked her if she considered the knife a hazardous item and she nodded yes. Then she proceeds to interrogate me. Is it a switchblade? How is it packaged? She must have thought that the knife was going to leap from the package and attack someone. My patience was running thin at this point. It told her that she could hit the package with an axe and the knife would not come out.
I finally just asked her if I would have to take it UPS. She said "No, I will ship it, however, I couldn't do it if it had the word "knife" on the box". At that point I said "I thought that was what started this whole conversation". She then said that it was OK in the label, but not printed somewhere on the box. I almost laughed out loud. I could tell then that she was just making up regulations as she went. It is obvious that the P.O. clerks don't really know what the regulations are. The moral of the story is this. If you ship a knife to someone then DO NOT put the word knife anywhere on the box, not even in the address label. And the P.O. wonders why it is losing business!
When I got to the P.O. window a little old lady clerk saw the word knife and asked if a knife was inside. I said "yes, it is a pocket knife". She raised her eyebrows and proceeded to pull out this thick book of regulations that looked like "War and Peace". I asked her if she considered the knife a hazardous item and she nodded yes. Then she proceeds to interrogate me. Is it a switchblade? How is it packaged? She must have thought that the knife was going to leap from the package and attack someone. My patience was running thin at this point. It told her that she could hit the package with an axe and the knife would not come out.
I finally just asked her if I would have to take it UPS. She said "No, I will ship it, however, I couldn't do it if it had the word "knife" on the box". At that point I said "I thought that was what started this whole conversation". She then said that it was OK in the label, but not printed somewhere on the box. I almost laughed out loud. I could tell then that she was just making up regulations as she went. It is obvious that the P.O. clerks don't really know what the regulations are. The moral of the story is this. If you ship a knife to someone then DO NOT put the word knife anywhere on the box, not even in the address label. And the P.O. wonders why it is losing business!
Forget it; they are typically written BY the lowest common denominator FOR the lowest common denominator. On the other hand, I have had reason for complaint with about 50% of the packages I have shipped through UPS or FedEx. Typically just due to convenience, but that is good enough reason for me. By the time the FedEx gets delayed a couple of days while I try to get home to meet the guy and sign for it, I could have just had it shipped regular mail with the USPS. 
