There IS a Santa -- And he works at the Post Office

                                                      

This story will renew your faith in mankind.  Well, maybe a little overstated, but it's a personal tale that let me feel pretty good about the fact that there are still people out there honoring the spirit of the season with honesty and integrity. 

Last week, my company (Venture2) was conducting market research on new product concepts for one of our clients.  We were holding these interactive focus groups at our Launching Pad facility in South Florida.  Our research team had prepared envelopes to be handed to each participant with $75 in cash, along with a survey that was to be mailed back to us later.  So, logically (at least at the time), these nine unsealed envelopes were pre-addressed back to us with postage stamps already applied to them. 

Then the 'perfect storm' formed.  One of the research team members put the pile of envelopes on the reception desk momentarily.  As they stepped away, our friendly postal carrier happened to be also delivering the mail, placing it in the box outside of the front window.  The astute postal carrier saw through the window a pile of envelopes with addresses and stamps attached.  You know the rest.  He opened the door, grabbed the envelopes and placed them in his sack, as he was sure we just hadn't gotten around to placing them in the outgoing mail. 

As the staff member returned to pick up the envelopes a few minutes later (it was time to pay our respondents), there were no envelopes to be found.  We quickly found another way to pay our respondents, and over the next hour pieced together the theory that our envelopes may have been inadvertantly 'mailed'. 

We contacted the Post Office and they could not intercept the envelopes, so we spent the next several days placing bets in the office pool on how many envelopes might actually show up in our Indiana office (where the envelopes were addressed).  And because the flaps were wide open, with cash easily in view, we further placed our bets whether ANY of them might actually make it all the way to Indiana with some cash still inside.

I am now happy to report that all nine envelopes arrived in the office, with each still containing $75 in cash.  Even the envelopes that were damaged by the sorting machines and had to be repackaged! 

Have a Happy Holiday season and do unto others as the U.S. Postal Service has done unto us!