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USPS · Tell Us Your Story (CS)

A friend comes to your counter and jokingly asks you to give them a discount or free postage since you know them. What should you do?

Reviewed by Jordan Morley, Editorial Lead at 247SimpleTests. Written by the 247SimpleTests Editorial Team from the official source material cited on every question.

Correct answer

Treat them like any other customer and charge the correct amount — giving unauthorized discounts or free service is dishonest and against policy

  1. A Charge them more as a joke
  2. B Give them free postage quietly
  3. C Give them the discount since they're a friend
  4. D Treat them like any other customer and charge the correct amount — giving unauthorized discounts or free service is dishonest and against policy

Why this is the answer

INTEGRITY and IMPARTIALITY: A friend (or anyone) must be charged the CORRECT amount and treated like any other customer — giving unauthorized discounts or free postage is DISHONEST, against policy, and a misuse of position (effectively theft from USPS). Quietly giving free service, or charging more as a 'joke,' are both improper. The 477 VEA emphasizes integrity — clerks handle funds and must apply correct charges to everyone impartially, without favoritism. Using your position to give friends unauthorized benefits violates the honesty and accountability USPS requires; treating all customers equally and charging correctly, regardless of personal relationships, reflects the integrity the assessment values.
Source: USPS 477 VEA — Integrity, Impartial Service

Practice more questions

This question is from our USPS Exam Practice Tests practice test. Take the full practice test to test your knowledge across all Tell Us Your Story (CS) and other topics.

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About this topic: Tell Us Your Story (CS)

Tell-us-your-story items for retail associates ask about customer-service and cash-handling experience and reliability. Answer accurately and consistently with your application. This is one of 7 VEA 477 (Customer Service) questions on tell us your story (cs), each with a full explanation on a single study page.

New to this exam? Our USPS exam guide explains the format, scoring, and how to prepare.

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