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The nice part time lady was at the post office counter today. Even so,
there was no straight answer given to my question about the cost of
posting a card abroad, it all depended on the weight, I was told. "A normal sized, average, possibly, even below averaged sized card," I said, "I do not send big ones." "Uhm, difficult to say," was the reply. I nudged a bit more, asking about the basic cost and was then informed.
The stamp price for sending a card to Europe, up to 20gms has risen to 87p. My brain was thinking it might have gone up from 60p or so last year, to say, 70p. Obviously that was me being too optimistic. "And did I have the airmail stickers for them?" There was no charge for them (yet), so I decided to add the ones offered to my small collection, just in case someone has a brain aberration brainwave and institutes charges for stickers. It would not surprise me if we are charged for writing in cards in due course. It makes you wonder what miniscule weight ink or pencil lettering might add.
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12 comments:
One good thing for the people who work in post offices: it's so complicated knowing what stamps you have to put on to anything, you more or less need to go to the post office and stand in a queue to post anything anywhere. Whereas in the old days you could just put a 2½d stamp on any letter and drop it into a pillar box with confidence. There was one famous author who lived in London - was it Noel Coward? - who threw letters out of the window into the street instead of posting them himself, on the basis that any passer-by would be conscientious enough to post them.
One gets the feeling that times have changed a great deal since then.
As you highlight, Vincent, complexity is designed 'in' these days to induce us to go to post offices to pay, and pay again, for what used to be a straightforward service.
These days if you dropped mail from on high to the well trod streets below, your mail is more likely to be frisked for all sorts of curious reasons. One or two envelopes might get sent on to a poor unsuspecting addressee to pay a penalty fee for the dubious pleasure of receiving it.
I've done a minute's research on this. It was P G Wodehouse. the letters were always stamped. Of course he is not necessarily to be believed. However, see this article for an update! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5264210/After-the-honesty-test-the-test-of-public-spiritedness.html
An interesting feature and worth a read, Vincent.
The 'honesty' numbers are a bit distorted by a bit of resealing of envelopes. The research tells us that people will send the post, but some will see if there's any 'pre-honesty' reward before doing so. I think the 40% or so envelopes that were not returned might not all have been a sign of dishonesty,( note the road sweeper putting one in with the trash for disposal) anymore, than all the ones that were returned were a sign of complete honesty.
Though quite flawed, the research is a good starting point for assessing the positive elements in society. The manner in which the article is written leaves you with a 'fuzzy massage'. Nice.
I have not yet successfully penetrated the esoteric thickets of the post office mailing system ...
Hello GillyK,
When you do fell the thickets of the Post Office, (I am not sure penetration will be sufficient)I shall look forward to an abundance of enlightenment. :)
I'm sure that counter staff dread this time of year, as do many customers as well.
If ever there was a case of how not to do things it's surely the current postal system.
Flighty xx
Hello Mr f,
I agree it a case of 'how not to do things' when customer service is at the heart of the post office practices. However, It is probably a case of 'how to do things' to maximize profits and compete on an uneven playing field with much of the incompetent competition that has been allowed in. We, the customers, are caught up in the middle of the commercial war.
I'm shocked at the price of stamps now, I am seriously considering drastically reducing how many I send, seems a shocking waste of money.xxxxx
It is a seriously costly matter. sending cards these days, PP, I agree. I am trimming back this year.
Trimming quite literally, according to your latest post.
:) Ooh you're good, Vincent.
Yup, right on, I am trimming quite literally and the post describes one method of doing it!
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