My review is slightly biased since I do not rely on getting my mail at the Carmel by the Sea Post Office. For those who don't know, Carmel By the Sea does not have home delivery of mail. Residents need to go to the Post Office and pick up their mail. The hours are limited and as one would imagine, service is well at a level less than a tired tortoise. If you're on vacation and want to get some free nostalgia, then the Carmel By the Sea Post Office is for you. My last visit was completely nostalgic but it wasn't always this way. I often accompanied my father to check the mail in the PO Box as a little kid. He would take a break from being a chef at the restaurant he worked and later owned and ask me if I wanted to come along. As any kid would, I gladly accompanied him on the short walk from Dolores and 7th to Dolores and 5th. Along the way, we would check out rival restaurants and pop into fellow shop owners, and say hello. Once in the Post Office, I marveled how my Dad was able to turn the knob/ dial to the selected letters to open the tiny rectangular brass mailbox and retrieve the mail. When I think about it now, it reminds me of the same precision a safe-cracker uses to open a vault. The turns and counter-turns were so exact that one little mistake resulted in the mailbox not opening. One afternoon after the restaurant closed, I asked my Dad, if he would teach me how open to the coveted brass mailbox of 6629 in the Carmel by the Sea Post Office. We briskly made the walk all the way to the Post Office. He showed me twice how to open it but alas I failed on my tries. It was so mesmerizing when he did it that I could not pay attention long enough to remember the steps. My Dad stayed patient when others would have said, 'let's go. He decided to show me smaller steps and let me practice the smaller steps until I had them down before adding the next turn and counter-turn. What probably felt like an eternity for him, which was more like forty minutes, I achieved my first success in opening the mailbox. It was a combination of Christmas morning and winning a game of Checkers for me at that time. When the Carmel Rancho branch opened later, they too had PO boxes but they were all of the keyed variety so I was not able to hone my craft but I still remember that PO Box number. 221054. When I recently returned, I tried desperately to remember the steps he taught me so many years ago. I was hopeful that I would be able to open it and achieve glory once more but alas like so many times prior I failed so epically. I will always remember the Carmel Post Office fondly but I am thankful that I don't have to rely on it for mail but I just once, I would not mind tackling the brass dials one more time maybe with my kids or grandkids. We'll see. read more

Post Office - Carmel By The Sea - Post Offices Near Me - Carmel, California

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If you have a choice, only have Sharon wait on you. Otherwise go to another post office.

Edit as of 11/26/2022: I always mail a postcard to myself. I live in the bay area and have not received my postcard. Also I mailed 25 letters, internationally and US over 2 weeks ago. None of my letters arrived to the receiver. I dont think she ever put them through. It is a FEDERAL crime to interfere with USPS mail!!! Edit as of 11/21/2022: Th asian lady behind the counter is quite possibly a horrible, mistable person. I got 5 of my letters back in my mailbox today. 2 US, 3 Internationals. As an avid letter writer, this is not cheap. The USPS has increased the price of their stamps at least 2 times or more this year. I weighed and stamped my letters accurately. Despite this, I requested the asian lady to check all of my letters and make sure that my letters had sufficient postage. With an attitude, she sarcasatically looked at all of my letters and said they were stamped sufficiently. Regardless, she still cancelled all of my stamps with a black marker. She did this herself because it never left Carmel-by-the Sea post office. To the asian lady: You are a horrible worker. You don't do the USPS justice. you actually put them to shame. I will be contacting your supervisor to put your terrible work ethic to light... ----------------------------------------------------------- I wrote out and stamped all of my Carmel-by-Sea postcards last night and was excited to go inside the post office to get the Carmel-by-the-Sea post mark. I came into the post office with a smile and requested my letters and postcards be postmarked individually. The asian woman behind the counter was quite unfriendly and grouchy. She said; "We don't postmark here. Only in San Jose office." I can't believe Carmel-by-the-Sea does not have a postmark available. After all, it is a tourist destination! Either she was lazy to postmark my mail or maybe she was telling the truth. If anyone reading this knows the answer, i'd love some factual clarity. I'm an avid lover of hand written letters and go to the post office often and when on my vacations. Almost all post offices have their special postmark. Bad attitude. No postmark. Very disappointed.! read more

Lolita has always been very rude and unhelpful. I have no idea why you keep her in the front to "deal" with customers. The rest of the ladies Sharon and the others are always so nice and helpful. I've lived here all my life and try and avoid Lolita when I got to post office. Unfortunately, she was the only one available and this afternoon and she was as rude as ever. I'm giving a 3 star because of the rest of the ladies that are helpful and kind. Lolita needs an attitude adjustment . read more

The cutest invest post office box anywhere for a small town. If you live within the city limits, you get a post office box for free. All of the window people are very nice and will help you with anything and they remember your name. Totally recommend at least a visit when you walk through town. read more

It's great if you're retired and can go between 10:00 and 4:00 what if you have a job? How do you get your mail we used to be able to get mail 24 hours a day I need to use my vacation time now just to get my mail. Something needs to change Unfriendly unhelpful service people as well. read more

If you are in Carmel and on a wander this is a hidden gem worth sticking your head around the door. Residents of 'Carmel-By-The-Sea' don't have mailboxes as they don't have house numbers so instead they all are granted the use of an old fashioned PO box... It's a throwback and worth a couple of vacation snaps... 2 blocks off the main drag so you don't even have to hail a cab ! read more

Noticing all the comments about the slow and inefficient service--I concur with those statements. An even bigger issue for me is the homeless man who resides there. He gets money from locals and camps out inside. Is this really necessary? I would like to be able to pick up my mail without someone loitering around, looking for cash, and wearing more expensive shoes than I am. read more

Open 10 AM to 4 PM and closed on Saturdays. Lines are prevalent. If you're a local picking up a parcel - prepare to wait even longer. There was a certain 'charm' at one time about this 'quaint' facility. It's morbidly slow for service as residents must pick-up their mail - no home delivery ('quaint'). I think it's the best job in town - 6 hours-a-day! read more

It's OK as far as post offices go. The people who work here's attitudes remind me a lot of the attitudes of the workers at the Noe Valley post office in San Francisco. Maybe spending a bunch of time around rich white people makes you rude? I'm not sure. In any case, it's a little bit more efficient than most post offices. I was a little bit annoyed, however, that instead of finding all the stamps necessary to make exact postage the worker asked whether I'd be OK spending an extra six cents. How do you say no to that question? You would look like a jerk. Anyway, I paid my extra six cents and mailed my stuff. read more

If you live in the Golden Rectangle in Carmel - this is where you pickup your mail. Mail box numbers are the 4 digits in 5+4 zipcode format. Hangout for wanna-be politicians running for office. read more

If I could give negative stars I would. I cant think of any other profession/service that tells you to come back in a day to recieve your package/mail. If it happened one time sure, maybe they were short staffed that day or someone went home sick... benefit of the doubt sort of things, but this had happened multiple times now. Get confirmation of delivery for FedEx. Show up hours later asking for package.... not only will the not look for it but the tell you come back in a day. Honestly, where can you keep your job when you tell a customer that? Unacceptable. This post office is a joke. Never have I experienced customer service to such a bottom feeder level. Stay away if possible... or be fore warned read more

Yes the Ladies here are a little bit cranky... but play with them a little and smile and be polite and they loosen up! Especially Zoe.. by far my favorite! They are a little slow, and probably not as efficient as they could be... but all the people that come in there are really old.. or on vacation.. so we arent in too much of a hurry are we? Be kind and they will respond similarly. read more

This place is super quiet, clean and the staff is friendly. Cannot always say the same for the customers (Folks have cut in line multiple times). There is plenty of parking in the 10 minute lot across the street, as well as 10 minute street parking right next to the Post Office. read more

Service is friendly and efficient (well, as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service gets; they still have to ask you half a dozen questions about what you're shipping--is it flammable, gaseous, sneezy, dopey, greazy, perishable...Do you want stamps. Do you want insurance, tracking, a personalized tattoo telling you when the package will be delivered...) That said, the nice lady I only know as Clerk #1, on duty just before 3:00 this afternoon, was a delight to interact with. The historic nature of the post office is pretty cool, and they have some great big framed cartoons that self-deprecatingly mock the good folks of Carmel-by-the-Sea who, due to some medieval regulations, cannot have addresses or home mail boxes. I've had several recent experiences there, all positive. You never know who you'll see in there (I ran into an old retired coworker I hadn't seen in quite some time; well, I don't think of her as "old," but she's retired, anyway). So go to the post office--for old time's sake. It's good for you! read more

Yes it's quaint and adorable, but it's horribly managed and the staff are typically curt and rude. It is understaffed and the hours are impractical. I actually live in Carmel by the Sea and I'm not retired. Strolling down to the community post office can be enjoyable, but it's usually always packed with people trying to pickup packages. It sometimes takes 25 minutes to pickup packages. Forget Amazon prime if you use this post office; it takes 2-3 days extra to get anything which has been ordered online. Plus, there have been countless times the staff has either misplaced packages or sent them back to the sender for no apparent reason. The staff is quick to deflect any questions or complaints to the postmaster who never responds. It is open for 10a-4p (6 hours), 5 days a week. Who thought that was a great move? Tourists may love it; retirees who still shop at Sears may love it. Any working-age, modern person will quickly realize this post office is simply an unnecessary frustration - one that could be fixed with better management. read more

Absolutely no customer service offered during my visit today. The woman working the cashiering and shipping area couldn't be bothered. She looked annoyed that I would even dare ask for her help with anything. I decided to take my business over to Monterey (Hartnell St) where they typically are very friendly and helpful instead. read more

I have zero experience with the staff here, but seriously, those mailboxes are adorable. It's things like that, that make Carmel-by-the-sea so charming and cute (qualities that seem to be fading more and more). As a kid I loved walking downtown with my mom to the post office and turning the ancient looking nob on our little mailbox lock. It's amazing how something so simple can be such a happy memory. read more

This place has turn of the century charm, plus you get to see and be seen. The handsome brass mail boxes are adorable. Nobody has official home delivery, so all the townspeople go there. Carmel is special. Lucky to have family there. read more

I agree with reviewer below, yes it is cute and quaint, like the town, but horribly managed. It's too bad we don't get mail or package delivery like other towns and have to go in especially for packages. Many times I have an email confirmation with no yellow slip and am simply told "it's not here you need to come back". When I show the email, signed by postal employee, I'm still told it is not there. Horrible customer service delivered by employees with great work days 10-4. read more

Every year we visit Carmel for a month and find the postal employees know us by name after the first week. They are very personable, knowledgeable and make it a delight to go get your mail. read more

Where do I start, my Great Aunt on a whim is moving to Carmel by the Sea, basically on the seat of her pants. She sold all belongings including her condo in Chicago suburbs, and is basically flying by the seat of her pants. She is seventy something and planning to spend her first several nights in her rental cottage sleeping on hardwood floors with a sleeping bag, uhhhh unacceptable, I wouldn't even do that being in my thirties, c'mon its just not pleasant. So, I shipped out an air mattress that I hope would make things more pleasant for the time being. The problem is Carmel by the Sea does not have house to house normal mail delivery. So, I shipped it to the post office I thought. Here in Illinois the woman at the post office was horrible, completely un-knowledgeable about Carmel and basically told me I can hope my package gets there. GREAT!!!!, basically she said said " You would think they would know what to do with it." This pretty much left me feeling very uneasy. So, I called Carmel Post Office Direct. This is where the Five stars comes in. I spoke with Heather. I gave her my tracking number and information. She really seemed to care about the situation and is supposed to be ear marking this package for my Aunt. Heather thank you for your additional effort, I feel confident this package will end up in her hands thanks to you. :) Heather, Thank you again! I truly hope this works out and absolutely appreciate all of your help. You are an extraordinary person. Thank you!!!! Amy Menolascino amymenola@gmail.com 815-254-4724 630-430-6953 read more

Awful. The previous box holder's mail was put in my box for NINE YEARS. No change of address or giving it back in person did any good. Then try to reach someone at the post office by phone. Forget it, it rings and rings and rings, then you get a piercing squealing. And forget using the 1-800 number, not one of the options is of any use if you have a question. Like why aren't you re-directing my mail. read more

Incredibly rude customer service today. The clerks have grown increasingly curt and rude over the last 7 years, but today was over the top. I'll be grateful when I don't have to wait in long lines, be spoken to rudely and dismissively to pick up my mail. read more