OT:The common sense of some people

[alan_m]

Conversely.

I went down to my local rubbish tip at 8:50am to join a queue for opening at 9am. Covid 19 restrictions on the number of car allowed in at one time meant that I had to wait until 9:15. I had a car load and because I wasn't parked close to the skip it took around 15 minutes to empty the car. When I left there were free parking spaces in the tip and no waiting queue. It doesn't always pay to turn up early!

Its a bit like going to the supermarket with an opening time of 8am. Between 8am and 9:30am you are likely to run into a lot of the school run parents with their brats in tow who shop before or after dropping off their kids at the school gate. Much better to leave it to 9:30am.

These days when using Royal mail I pay for the postage on line and print out my own label with the QR code. With a jiffy bag size item it's then just a matter of finding the nearest post box, which in my case a 60 walk away from my house.

[alan_m]

In a small village I went to a Spar/Post office, one person behind the till and no-one else in the shop. I needed a package weighed and the appropriate postage added. I was told that the Post Office wasn't open for another half hour. 30 minutes later I went back, same one person behind the till, still no other customers. Asked again about posting the package and she walked sideways 6 feet, told me to put the package on the scales and took my money for the postage.

[Bob Eager]

Small parcels (that won't fit in a postbox) can now be posted at their Parcel Drop boxes (formerly business drop boxes).

[Scion]

Ummm... as he explained, there was a large queue at 8am and no queue 10 minutes earlier.

So, forgo your 10 mins in bed and be at the head of the queue.

I was waiting to board an EasyJet flight, sat in a comfy-ish chair in the departure lounge. The 'priority boarders' were called and duly went through the gate. The plane was not ready to board for another 30 minutes or so; it tickled me that people who had paid extra to board first were standing in the gantry for half an hour while us plebs were sat comfortably.

[RJH]

They'd probably thought about it. But whatever, I think that shop needs to review its risk assessment. I wouldn't fancy visiting, much less working there.

[T i m]

And there could be no queue again 30 mins later with less Covid queuing and the extra time in bed. ;-)

There you go, you *do* know how it can work. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Dave Plowman (News]

About time they caught up with Hermes, etc. Here in this part of London, they've closed the few sub post offices where you could park easily (say with a large parcel) leaving only mainly high street ones. Which are also usually very busy.

[charles]

Sub-PO closures are rarely done by "Them". We had a village one and the couple running it wanted to retire and sell up. Nobody wanted to take on the PO business. The PO management were very helpful about using another premises, but nobody was interested in taking it on.

[michael adams]

Queues get bigger not smaller as people get up out of bed and decide to go out to the shops.

Early on at 6 or 7 a.m, supermarkets are almost empty with shoppers easily outnumbered by staff.

The same doesn't necessarily apply at the other end of the day and many are still relaively busy after 9 p.m. presumably right up until

10 p.m closing.

michael adams

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[michael adams]

[Dave Plowman (News]

Could be in a village. The handy local ones in London which closed were busy. I'm told it wasn't their choice.

[Dave Plowman (News]

Thinking on, IIRC, it was something to do with the PO counter staff being exclusive to that job. Not something that suits in a family shop. Even more so given the queues at the main PO.

[Tim Streater]

How d'ye know that it wasn't just "not ready for the plebs to board"? Perhaps the toffs part of the plane *was* ready and they had 30 mins seated being seen to by the staff.

[Tim Streater]

As has been pointed out before: all those sub-POs in villages etc are privately owned and run. And cost those running them quite a few bob to set up.

[charles]

Certainly not true here.

[Peter Johnson]

I've stood behind them. You can tell that's what it is. Lots of small packages, too small for Hermes. And I know someone who now makes a living out of selling transparencies and negatives on eBay who despatches at his local PO.

[charles]

They get a 'grant' towards the fittingb out of the PO bit.

[Dave Plowman (News]

Not quite clear why you'd need to take them to the PO?

You'd assume if they deal on Ebay they are at least semi computer literate?

[michael adams]

Can you get "proof of posting" or "recorded delivery" with small items you print out and post yourself ?

I've never ever been attracted to the idea of printing my own stamps as I know very well that half way through the first attempt either the printer would run out of ink, there would be a paper jam, or it would all come out in pink - a common failing with HP inkjets*.

michael adams

*they deliberately make it nigh on impossible to refill colour cartridges as the three internal compartments are so designed that if you fill one up first, that ink will seep into the other compartments and everything will come out pink. Whatever colour you add first.

michael adams

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[Dave Plowman (News]

You can buy stamps in many places - like your local supermarket.