Subpostmaster claims he's closing as POL don't pay enough

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Conwy subpostmaster claims he's closing service as Post Office don't pay him enough http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-w ... ng-9681726" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

A subpostmaster claims he is closing the service because Post Office chiefs do not pay him enough to survive.

Angelo Baluyot runs Llanrhos Stores and a Post Office counter service in the same shop.

However, he has handed in his notice to Post Office Ltd, which means that, after September 28, the town will have no postal branch.

Mr Baluyot says for months he has subsidised running the postal counter with thousands of pounds from shop takings.

He says he has even invested £15,000 of his own money in refurbishing the building.

Post Office Ltd insist converted Post Offices are thriving around the UK with “40 or 50” opening every week.

Mr Baluyot, who is aged in his 40s, said: “I am resigning, although I don’t want to resign and I don’t want to cause any inconvenience to my community.

“But I am subsidising my Post Office business from my shop business.

“It’s morally wrong. I can’t carry on doing that because my (shop) business is at stake. It has caused me a lot of stress. I feel sad.”

Mr Baluyot and a partner bought the postal business in Maes y Castell in Llanrhos near Llandudno in November 2013.

Twenty months down the line, he says he doesn’t earn enough to operate the branch because he needs one full-time and two part-time members of staff to run it, regardless of staffing commitments for his shop in the same room.

In May, he received £694.90 from Post Office Ltd, when his full-time postal worker alone has a monthly wage of about £1,200.

He says he found the outstanding £500 from his own money.

Mr Baluyot says he earns less than 2p per stamp sold, and the Post Office Ltd even takes a cut of Lottery ticket sales.

A Post Office Ltd spokesman said Mr Baluyot could “voice his opinion” and appreciated every business was different.

He said “well over 4,000 branches” have been converted into existing businesses and 40 or 50 are opening weekly.

The spokesman said: “The reason the new model of Post Offices has been so successful is that you can share overheads and open longer hours in the same building as the shop. The shop benefits from the Post Office footfall.”

[datasaint]

"The shop benefits from the Post Office footfall"

Wonder if he took that into account. I know shops that run a Post Office counter single handed next to the till. So it's clearly feasible without needing 3 staff.

[NWpostie]

I think he saw what happened to other Postmasters because of the flawed Horizon computer fiasco and got out while he can, I don't blame him, it is likely he is paying for the shortfall out of his shop takings, he may well find his takings will rise afterward, people will always pop in for a paper, lottery and food, just looked up on the area on street view, it looks busy enough and plenty of parking.