Large order meant Hereford's main po ran out of stamps

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Large order meant Hereford's main post office ran out of stamps

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/82846 ... of_stamps/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hereford’S main post office ran out of stamps after a large order stumped staff.

The businessman who wanted to spend more than £1,000 in the St Peter’s Square branch said he would take his custom elsewhere after failing to get his post delivered.

Edward Widgery was hoping to send catalogues to clients across the UK and Europe advertising an auction at his vintage car business but was told the office had just 16 stamps left.

He says the shortage could have seriously damaged his business, Herefordshire Vintage Auctions, and he will now use a private postal firm. “It was certainly not the response I was expecting when I got to the counter,” said Mr Widgery, who set up the business four years ago.

“I needed about 300 £1 stamps but was told they only had 16. They said it was because of the cost of having them in stock, but I have to send these catalogues out four times a year and have never had this trouble.”

Mr Widgery, who had bought around 400 £1 stamps from the same branch earlier in the morning, was told they could order more stamps in by next Tuesday, the day before the auction at the firm’s How Caple base.

The business sends out up to 1,200 catalogues ahead of each vintage car auction, with stamp purchases usually divided between the main city post office and the Old Eign Hill outlet in Hampton Dene.

Mr Widgery said there had never previously been a problem but he can’t take any more chances.

“We eventually sent out catalogues through another firm with the minimum of fuss,” he said.

The Post Office says its stocks are in keeping with “levels of anticipated demand” and that they tried to meet Mr Widgery’s order.

“This customer’s first request for 420 £1 stamps in the morning was substantially above normal demand and exhausted our available stocks,” said Post Office Ltd’s external relations manager Susan Dakin.

“When the customer returned the same afternoon we were unable to accommodate his request on the same day. We would apologise to the customer for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

[POSTMAN]

Cock!

[Dogs of War]

Buy them online and get them delivered next day.

[PhilthyPhil]

I'm very surprised that if he is sending that sort of volume regularly that he is using stamps and not some form of bulk mail product. I'm sure he could save himself quite a bit of money

[fishtank]

You would think if this guy was such a businessman he would have.....planned ahead.
I'm gonna need 1000 £1 stamps,i know i'll just pop along to the local P.O. on the off chance they might have them.
Try going into your local supermarket and asking for 1000 loaves of bread...see if they have them in stock...numbnut.

[Lounge Lizard]

"The business sends out up to 1,200 catalogues ahead of each vintage car auction, with stamp purchases usually divided between the main city post office and the Old Eign Hill outlet in Hampton Dene." - so if purchases are usually divided between two Post Offices he is well aware that such a quantity are not usually stocked by one.
“I needed about 300 £1 stamps but was told they only had 16" - so why didn't he ask for 600 50p stamps ?

[subbie]

Now this story highlights the difference between a Sub Office and a Crown Office. A decent Subbie would know instantly that there is no postage rate for £1.00. There is a rate of 96p so maybe this customer didn't mind over paying. Assuming the correct rate was 96p for these catalogues, then again a decent Subbie would explain that stamps are not appropriate for this weight of mail, and advise the customer to let the subbie put postage labels on the mailshot. This would relieve the customer of lots of licking and they would save money and time. Job done.

To the person who said "buy the postage online" how daft are you?
9 out 10 customers who do this get the postage wrong in the customers favour!!, so revenue is lost which ultimately will threaten Posties, Crown and Sub Office staff jobs, and it also costs the customer more money to purchase postage online, computer labels and ink aint cheap, and I believe RM charge for the software that allows you to print postage, plus the whole process is open to fraud, which is clearly going on, as why have RM asked for the labels that PO's use to be changed from plain white to gold with security markings??

Subbie

[PhilthyPhil]

I would guess if he was sending catalogues then the postage would be greater than £1 (especially since it mentions some of them were international) and he was buying stamps of other values as well to make up the correct postage but they did not run out of these so it isn't mentioned.

[Lounge Lizard]

Now this story highlights the difference between a Sub Office and a Crown Office. A decent Subbie would know instantly that there is no postage rate for £1.00. There is a rate of 96p so maybe this customer didn't mind over paying. Assuming the correct rate was 96p for these catalogues, then again a decent Subbie would explain that stamps are not appropriate for this weight of mail, and advise the customer to let the subbie put postage labels on the mailshot. This would relieve the customer of lots of licking and they would save money and time. Job done.

To the person who said "buy the postage online" how daft are you?
9 out 10 customers who do this get the postage wrong in the customers favour!!, so revenue is lost which ultimately will threaten Posties, Crown and Sub Office staff jobs, and it also costs the customer more money to purchase postage online, computer labels and ink aint cheap, and I believe RM charge for the software that allows you to print postage, plus the whole process is open to fraud, which is clearly going on, as why have RM asked for the labels that PO's use to be changed from plain white to gold with security markings??

Subbie

If he "didn't mind over paying" for the 96p rate he would have asked for 97p not £1 stamps.
Also surely postage labels wouldn't be suggested for hundreds of catalogues, especially as it would make the queues even longer than they generally are in crown Offices.
Most likely is the £1.32 rate where he would add a £1 stamp to a basic '2nd' stamp but an alternative ( apart from 2 x 50p = £1 ) would be using two '1st large' stamps at 66p each or even making up £1.32 by 50p + 2 x 41p '1st' stamps.
Probably all he really wanted though was tio get his Herefordshire Vintage Auctions a free mention in the local rag.

[subbie]

Hi Lounge

From your reply I can tell you are not a subbie, in Sub land we NEVER sell a stamp when a label could be used.

Subbie

[Lounge Lizard]

Hi Lounge

From your reply I can tell you are not a subbie, in Sub land we NEVER sell a stamp when a label could be used.

Subbie

and why's that ?

[subbie]

Cos we are paid more to sell a label than we are to sell stamps. Remember we are only paid if we sell things, we are not salaried.
It took a while for all subbies to work it out, but now days hardly any sub office will put postage stamps on mail items, when a label will do.
Admittedly this takes longer because the Horizon kit is crap, and that is why there are queues, but labels are where the income is.

Subbie

[johnsouthwales]

how much would the bulk mail have cost?

still, only 16 stamps in the post ofice...lucky someone didn't ask for 17..

post office without stamps...now that's a new one! a bit like a pub having no beer lol

[Darren Bent]

Why did he not use franking machine to print stamps then pay the bill.

[Lounge Lizard]

Why did he not use franking machine to print stamps then pay the bill.

Presumably because he doesn't have a franking machine.