Reader's Letter: Postal collections

by Martin Sinker

Monday 27^th July 2015

Mon 27^th Jul 2015

Posting a letter this morning on Moss Road, Alderley Edge, I happened to look at the Collection Times notice (see the photo above). For many years the times for last collections at this postbox have been 5.15 pm on weekdays and 11.30 (more recently 10.15, I think) on Saturdays – not unreasonable.

Now the times are 9.00 am on weekdays and 7.00 am on Saturdays – meaning that you really have to be up with the lark to stand a chance of catching the post – no more popping out to post letters at the end of the working day, for next day delivery.

I suppose that Royal Mail are trying to improve their "next day delivery" statistics, by giving themselves all day on the day of posting – but it seems a bit hard on the poor old customer.

Please send your Opinion pieces and readers letter to [email protected] with a title and image if possible.

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

David Hoyle

Monday 27^th July 2015 at 2:07 pm

The post box on Kingston Road,Handforth has had the same collection times on for a number of months.

Mark Goldsmith

Monday 27^th July 2015 at 4:16 pm

My parents who live in London noticed this too. Turns out this is a national initiative on low collection post boxes (ie probably the one that's nearest to you).

Larger use boxes have a later time, so you may need to travel further afield to get the same service for your stamp money.

Hardly encourages you to use more snail mail though does it.

David Hoyle

Monday 27^th July 2015 at 5:06 pm

The post box next to The Paddock in Handforth has later collection times

Pete Taylor

Monday 27^th July 2015 at 5:17 pm

This is a cost-cutting exercise by privatised Royal Mail; now that all delivery postmen go out in vans, rather than on bicycles; they can now empty the collection boxes as they take out the deliveries. Previously these boxes were emptied, at later times, either by delivery staff on overtime, or by staff from nearby Mail Centres.

Oliver Romain

Tuesday 28^th July 2015 at 1:52 pm

Its the same for the post box outside Gorsey Bank School. I did a double take as I nearly dropped the item of urgent post through the slot at 9.05 am realising just in time I was too late!
Royal Mail should have announced the changes as many are being caught out. I wonder if they changed the times when they painted them to distract us?
I am lucky enough to live very close to a main post box. I suppose that if the boxes are 'low use' we are lucky to still have them at all!

Ian Hughes

Wednesday 29^th July 2015 at 5:12 pm

Senior Managers at Royal Mail are now either ex McKinsey consultancy or Harvard Business School graduates. They are experts in improving the efficiency performance statistics. Customer needs? What's that? - bring on my seven figure salary plus the performance bonus

Nick Jones

Wednesday 29^th July 2015 at 6:04 pm

Ian....... And some also live locally !!

Maurice Palin

Thursday 30^th July 2015 at 8:03 am

The Post Office is now a privatised business. This means maximising shareholder value is a legal requirement for the management.

I expect the number of post boxes to be reduced and that postal rates will begin to vary depending upon how far the mail has to travel. In this context a daily collection from a low use box could be seen as a bonus.