Decline of the post office

[magicbeard]

What is going on with the post offices ?

after my local post office closed earlier this year, I now have to make a 6 mile drive to the closest alternative at Longlevens. Its a familiar story and we have heard it all befor. It is like taking a backward step to some 3rd world establishment. Here are some examples of my experience :

1) On each occasion I have been forced to visit I have never been able to park near the post office. The parking provided is totally unsatisfactory.
2) There is always a queue no matter which day of the week or time of my visit. Frequently the queue is to the door. The shortest wait so far was 20 minutes. This is clear evidence of the impact of the recent closures.
3) The postal workers serving are ignorant and unskilled at their jobs. Today the server did not even know which side of the envelope to affix a signed for label ! and had to be told be me.
4) The postal workers are unprofessional, there is always one chewing gum and they are frequently lounging around drinking coffee and talking amongst themselves whilst the queue gets larger.
5) The layout is untidy and it is impossible to get any forms without joining the queue.
6) The postal worker serving did not know that an envelope should be provided with a Premium Bonds Cash in Form. The branch were also out of envelopes and no one had any idea when the they would be re-stocked.
7) A member of the serving staff commented that a village only 2 miles away was not local. How does that work ?

the larger branch in Kings Square Gloucester is no better and the queues there are always out of the door + you get the added bonus of being harassed by the drunks and beggars who loiter in the entrance.

What has gone wrong ? a post office used to be like a bank; clean, tidy , efficient and run by professionals who took pride in their work.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Preaching to the converted I am afraid mate. Last years strikes were about the continual erosion of the service not about pay which was what the Press said. We lost 8 days pay to highlight the state of Royal Mail, and to highlight how much worse it was going to get. The press vilified us and the public said we should go back to work, yet the public and press are now complaining about what we tried to warn them about.

The reason why you not I percieve the "postal workers" as "unprofessional" and "ignorant" at their jobs is the result of low morale and lack of training both of which have taken a back seat in recent years to profits. We did try to warn everyone.

This is the same type of plackard I displayed at my picket line.

[fmrPOSTIE]

magicbeard: can you clarify if the counter staff were Post Office staff (crown office) or were they Co-op WHSmith etc.. there is usually a big difference, i have come across ignorant Co-op staff who've no knowledge whatsoever in postal services, yet the Crown Office staff are very good in my opinion.

Sorry that you had a crap experience but we're all in agreement with you on this. Everytime I read the Letters column in my local rag its filled with bad stories about people queueing, lack of facilities etc.