POST OFFICE SANTAS CUSTOMERS GET HELPING HAND.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer

VALENCIA - Palmdale resident Craig Sherman walked into Santa Clarita's main post office Monday on what's known as the busiest mailing day of the holiday season, and figured he'd have a heck of a wait.

He had 25 boxes to ship out, mostly toys and games purchased on eBay, and it took a few trips back and forth from the car to bring the parcels in.

But a big surprise awaited Sherman and dozens of others who turned out during the lunch hour: fast-moving lines, six open windows with tellers waiting to help and a postal worker out on the lobby floor.

``I had heard that it was busy earlier today, but I think we must be avoiding the major crush or something,'' Sherman said, slightly bewildered.

That's because just as last year, the U.S. Postal Service is using lobby directors to handle customers right in line, before they meet the window tellers.

Lobby directors, many of them postal administrators who don't usually work with the public directly, expect to continue to help with holiday lines today as well as next Monday and Tuesday, said postal spokeswoman Terri Bouffiou.

Postal worker-turned-lobby director Richard Murachanian guided customers swiftly, serving them right in line by slapping priority mail stickers on packages, suggesting box sizes, handling outgoing Christmas cards and helping with customs applications so that by the time a customer reached a window, all he or she had to do was pay.

``The most common question I get is 'how should I send this?' or 'do I need insurance?' or 'will it get there by Christmas?''' Murachanian said. ``We pretty much can get people moving.''

Saugus resident Dolores Catlin was thrilled with the service, especially since she just wanted to mail out a bundle of cards, then buy some stamps.

``This is fantastic,'' she said. ``I'm so surprised by how empty it is.''

Local resident Emily Dengler lugged in a few packages, one to be delivered as far away as Japan. She expected to wait in line with the armload forever, but instead Murachanian stamped and weighed her packages while she waited for an open window.

``I knew this was the busiest day and I had planned for a long wait,'' she said. ``I'm very happy this line is just moving.''

At the Postal Service's Santa Clarita general facility on Franklin Parkway, where mail from the San Fernando Valley is moved and processed, truckloads of parcels and cards began coming in earlier than usual, Bouffiou said.

``We've been steadily busy all day,'' she said. ``We expect the same amount of mail to be delivered this year as last year.''

The Postal Service said about 850 million pieces of mail would be moved nationwide Monday, with Wednesday being the busiest delivery day of the holiday season.

Susan Abram, [phone]

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Postal lobby director Richard Murachanian, right, helps Emily Dengler prepare her parcels for shipping Monday.

(2) Craig Sherman of Palmdale loads up parcels for postal worker Sook Young at Santa Clarita's main post office.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer