Post Office – Proposed 3 Days a Week Service

What’s new then?

Ofcom’s suggestion that the Post Office may have to reduce its deliveries to five or even three days a week, to remain viable, seems to have caused a stir, both in the House of Commons and the national media.

Which seems rather strange considering Royal Mail is a private company.

In an ever changing market place and fierce competition from the many courier services on offer, it seems to me to be a sensible approach. But no, everyone seems to be getting their knickers in a twist over nothing really.

It’s a shame the Politicians and Media didn’t make such a fuss when the Horizon debacle started over twenty years ago, rather than wait until a TV programme is made. Everyone is now storming around indignantly. Just a little bit late for those Postmasters and Post Mistresses – am I allowed to say this in our modern age – that were wrongly accused and prosecuted, but I digress as is often the case.

The BBC and ITV sought out potentially vulnerable and older people, who suddenly had a chance to get themselves on national TV, to apparently decry the proposal. Saying that they would suffer and be lost without a daily service – Really?

What about my hospital appointment, or my birthday card from my daughter, or sister – who never visits – or the letters no one now sends. What will I do, they apparently cry, encourage by reporters that should know better. Come on National Media, start reporting news, and stop trying to make it.

Let’s be sensible about this. Hospital appointments arrive at least a week before you are due to go. Who ever heard of the NHS providing a next day service. You will be lucky to see someone in 3 months.

Those that now send greeting cards are a dying breed – like my generation – and we already know the service is crap, so we send the cards at least a week in advance to ensure they get there on time.

What’s the problem if it arrives another day late? – Nothing.

What else comes by post now, let me think, oh yes. Bills and Junk mail. Are we really bothered if these are late or not actually received. If either of these came a day or two later than when we didn’t know they were coming, what is the affect? Nothing.

RS, is obviously thinking about the General Election, when he said, ‘the government is absolutely committed to ensuring the Royal Mail’s universal service obligations remained as they are.’

No doubt KS will follow suit.

They wouldn’t want to be seen to be making radical changes to established services, like the Royal Mail or the NHS. Heaven forbid. I mean they provide such great services, don’t they?

Let’s be clear, all most people want is an affective – preferably cost effective – service they can rely upon.

Currently if you use the Post Office or Parcel Force services, – and there aren’t that many of us – you are offered a plethora of delivery options and costs that make your head spin. Of cause you can have a next day service, but blimey do you pay for it.

So what happens, you go for the cheaper standard 3 day service, – at about half the price – because you thought in advance about when you wanted your letter or parcel to get to its destination, and to be honest, that’s good enough.

Our modern world now uses emails for virtually all business transaction. Letters and correspondence have been superseded by WhatsApp or other Social Media platforms. The parcels we buy from our internet transactions, are provided by the huge array of courier services. Very few use Royal Mail. Transactions by the Post Office are apparently down from 14 Billion to 7 Billion a year, a 50% reduction and likely to fall further.

Wake up and smell the coffee.

The logical solution – if we still want Post Offices in our towns, and little red boxes on our street corners – is to have a reduced, cost effective service – as considered by Ofcom.

Let’s be honest that’s all  we want or need, and we will adapt.

Plus most of us just don’t care. So please stop trying to make out we do.