Gone for good?
Gullane, my home village, has lost its post office. It’s a subject of much local concern and people are considering how it can be restored. That would be great, but . . .
If the old PO, which had plenty of retail space, had generated enough alternative income alongside postal transactions, it would have been a going concern, but it didn’t. If the income offered to franchisees was commensurate with the effort, it might have worked when it moved to a convenience store, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, because the people there gave it up after a year or so.
Truth is the online world is killing PO counter business and until we all stop sending emails rather than letters, paying our bills electronically, etc., that slow death will continue. Sad, but I fear, true. Pretty soon our one and only bank branch, which is already down to three days a week, will go the same way.
To add to this misfortune Post Office management are such unadulterated tossers that they have refused all requests to provide a single post box in the village that will accommodate an A4 envelope unfolded.
Quintin Jardine's blog 
Quintin, this is also happening here in my home State of Tasmania (Australia), and all over the mainland States. There seems to be little we can do about it, and the CEO receives a very high salary. Post Offices and branches are closing, as are banks and branches, especially in the smaller towns, and outlying areas.
I acept that it’s a developed world problem. As more transactions move online, fewer counter staff are required until a point is reached when offices are no longer viable. But, if those offices provide essential personal services, how can they be maintained? We can live without bank branches; I receive or write cheques very rarely and don’t carry much more cash than I’m likely to spend in the pub, but if I still had an old-fashioned granny, where or how would she collect her pension.
Sign of the times but not surprising. The PO used to be a village focal point but not now. Regards emails, understand the sentiment but I had cause to think about the cost of posting at Xmas when a second class stamp cost approximately 90% of the total cost of sending a basic Xmas card!!! The money saved on postage went to a better cause than PO management, I’m afraid.
90%? You must bulk buy your cards big-time to achieve that.
QJ sign of the times indeed when the PO charge you for a stamp and charge for a post box as well, but their business plan is firmly based around the parcel delivery side.
If you have housing developers in the village get your councillors to stipulate they must pay for a decent sized mailbox or no planning permission. That’s what we did along with the council making them put in grit bins and litter bins.
Sadly everything has a price nowadays.
QJ its ironic that they hit you for the price of a stamp and now for a decent letterbox but the PO business plan is firmly focused on parcel delivery for internet companies.
If you still have housing developers wanting permission to build in the village get them to pay for the letter box that’s what we did along with the council ensuring they put in litterbins (they don’t empty) and grit bins (they rarely fill), no letterbox no permission.
Everything has a price nowadays sadly.
Quinton, I agree but the world is subject to change, good or bad, but the changes seem to make it difficult for the older generation.
You’re getting by, Archie, aren’t you?
Difficult, but also liberating if they can embrace the changes. Why go to Tesco when it’ll come to you?