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Last nite or actually early this morning - just after midnite, my wife decided that we needed to mail two packages at the post office using the automated mailing service. So off we go. When we get to the post office I notice 3 cars in the lot. A dark PT Cruiser on the left of the left of the entry way and a Yukon or Tahoe to the right. There is a nondescript vehicle parked off to one side. I look and there is a woman who has a number of small boxes on a table near the window and a guy who is doing something near the stamp machine. As I walked up I noticed that the woman wasn't really doing any thing with the packages and was standing to one side. When I took a closer look I thought to myself "I wonder is she is a postal employee" because there was something about her body language that seemed to be proclaiming proprietership of the place. When I got in she grabbed a stamp collectors catalog off a rack and started perusing it. Right I thought. Then I looked over at the other guy and he had a stack of addressed envelopes and was piddling with the stamp machine. But when I initially saw him he was standing at the door that goes to the employee area of the post office looking like he was about to open it. Well, I went through the process of mailing two packages and notice that both of these two are pretending to be busy and not actually doing anything. I discover that I can't actually mail the first package because the package drop is jammed by someone else's package. So I am muttering about my wife's bright idea and wondering what in the world was going on and the woman takes her boxes which seem very light out to the PT Cruiser and brings in an apparently empty box. Meantime the guy with all the envelopes has wandered off toward the far area where the Post Office Boxes are.

Then in comes another guy with a cell phone to his ear followed by the lady with the empty box. The guy comes up next to where I am processing my second package and says "Excuse me! Do those machines take cash or just credit cards?" Just credit cards I reply. Now this guy is not threatening or anything but somehow odd. Like he is trying to see what I am doing. "Does it print an address label for you?" No, just the postage. "Oh, I was told it prints the address label." And then he goes outside.

I finish up, grab my parcels and leave being very aware of my surroundings on my way to my vehicle. When I get back in my vehicle the woman is back in the window shuffling her boxes and the envelope guy is back at the stamp machine not buying stamps. My wife asked "What did the wierd guy want?" I told her and she said that he did not drive up in a vehicle or drive away in one. Then she said "Do the other two work for the post office?" I asked why and she commented that they were real busy pretending to be busy all the time I was in the Post Office. So then she said she was looking in the console for my pistol when she said the guy go in and couldn't find it and figured if I got robbed without it I was gonna really be perterbed. I told her I wasn't without it.

So here is the thing. Somethng wierd was going on when I got there, was still going on when I left and I have no idea what it was. The lady didn't tape a single box, address a single box or anything other thanslowly shuffle the boxes on the table. The envelope guy never mailed a single envelope, never made an attempt to buy a stamp etc. Both of them studiously ignored each other. Even the wierd guy I got the feeling was more interested in what I was up to than in robbing me. But I do wish if my wife was gonna worry about me she would at least bring her pistol if not get a CHL.

So, what do you all think was up?

That is a really weird scenario.
They were up to something; the question is what?

The guy that asked you the question may have been interviewing you.

Sounds like government work to me.

Frost wrote:Sounds like government work to me.

Sounds very much like an undercover operation.

Speaking of, it's a valuable skill to be aware without appearing to be aware. Never be obvious when noticing what's going on around you. Both police and criminals are paranoid and sensitive about being observed, and you don't want your awareness to be misconstrued by either group.

Friggin Twilight Zone yo! :)

I woulda reported my suspicions to the cops :)

Frost wrote:Sounds like government work to me.

Yep, they were told they were going to get over time, and they were just doing what they always do.

lrb111 wrote:

Frost wrote:Sounds like government work to me.

Yep, they were told they were going to get over time, and they were just doing what they always do.

I was just thinking.. Hmm, several people shuffling around in a post office, accomplishing very little (if anything) over an extended period of time, with a few inane questions thrown in for good measure?

Sounds like EVERY visit to the post office that I've had!

Seriously, either they were casing you (in which case your awareness may of prevented something) or they were just innocents trying to get something done at the post office (which can be frustrating even when the postal employees AREN'T there). Either way, the situation you describe certainly sounds suspicious, and it would of probably been a good idea to give the police a heads-up so they could of checked it out.

Might be interesting if you could find an excuse to go back sometime today and see if you recognize any familiar faces.

I'll comment only on your question about your wife. If she was concerned enough to look through the car for a pistol while you were inside then she should be concerned enough to sign up for a class and get her CHL. JMHO. My wife and I took our glass together. We go to the range together.

Just wondering where this happened. There were 3 pretty high value P.O. burglaries in Lewisville/Flower Mound area in the last month or so. Postal Inspectors are offering a big reward.

So you carry in the post office???

It sure does sound funny...that much "odd" behavior at that time of night would have tripped the alarms for me too

TX Rancher wrote:So you carry in the post office???

It sure does sound funny...that much "odd" behavior at that time of night would have tripped the alarms for me too

Not normally, normally I would have dropped the pistol in the center console but I decided I would rather pay a fine if I got caught than get in trouble without it. I was very glad I had it.

We have discussed the legality of PO carry at length.
There is a pretty good argument that it is legal, but so far no one has stepped up to test it.

I carry all the time and never give it a second thought.

Could be there were stealing packages? This would be the logical season for it .