| Pubs and Post Offices 18:38 - Mar 11 with 8705 views | colinallcars |
Like most I bemoan the closure of pubs, but another pillar of civilisation, the Post Office is also disappearing. Three in my area have closed in the last year leaving us quite a trek to the nearest plus sometimes impossibly long queues.
I thought it was the Post Office closing them but after speaking to a couple of shopkeepers who have Post Offices embedded within their shops, It transpires that the Post Office is a nightmare to do business with and so they just consider it's not worth the candle carrying on.
What a mess the Post Office/royal Mail is in. Just one delivery per day often around noon and just one collection, again, where I live, around noon.
Privatisation has led to a very poor service and huge salaries for the bosses. |  | | |  |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 19:16 - Mar 11 with 6317 views | traininvain |
Retail is on its ass whether that’s the post office, shops or restaurants. You can’t keep a business running on sentimental value. Shops close because they’re not making money.
Pubs in London having a comparatively better time of it as you can’t order a pint on Deliveroo and all the closures have led to a more competitive market place with the surviving pubs generally being fit for purpose.
Investors / funds are actually ploughing money into pub investments as they’re seen as relatively secure in comparison to retail. Pick the bones out of that one! |  | | |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 19:23 - Mar 11 with 6303 views | colinallcars |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 19:16 - Mar 11 by traininvain |
Retail is on its ass whether that’s the post office, shops or restaurants. You can’t keep a business running on sentimental value. Shops close because they’re not making money.
Pubs in London having a comparatively better time of it as you can’t order a pint on Deliveroo and all the closures have led to a more competitive market place with the surviving pubs generally being fit for purpose.
Investors / funds are actually ploughing money into pub investments as they’re seen as relatively secure in comparison to retail. Pick the bones out of that one! |
All true but of course the Post Office is a necessary service ( so are pubs in my view ! ) | | | |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 20:30 - Mar 11 with 6226 views | PBLOCK |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 19:23 - Mar 11 by colinallcars |
All true but of course the Post Office is a necessary service ( so are pubs in my view ! ) |
Don’t think it has much to do with Privatisation more to do with modern technology and consumerism changing.
I maybe set foot inside a Post Office 5 times a year. Sending Christmas presents overseas odd pack of stamps if passing etc. I remember as a kid being dragged there at least 2/3 times a week.
Now you have online banking online shopping apps even the mind inducing call to a call centre to sort out an issue all take precedent over a letter and a stamp.
It’s going the same way as many high streets up and down the country. If it’s not used extensively (like it previously was) it can’t survive in its current form |  | | |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 20:35 - Mar 11 with 6214 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 20:30 - Mar 11 by PBLOCK |
Don’t think it has much to do with Privatisation more to do with modern technology and consumerism changing.
I maybe set foot inside a Post Office 5 times a year. Sending Christmas presents overseas odd pack of stamps if passing etc. I remember as a kid being dragged there at least 2/3 times a week.
Now you have online banking online shopping apps even the mind inducing call to a call centre to sort out an issue all take precedent over a letter and a stamp.
It’s going the same way as many high streets up and down the country. If it’s not used extensively (like it previously was) it can’t survive in its current form |
Who delivers the stuff you ordered online then? |  | | |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 20:38 - Mar 11 with 6201 views | loftboy |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 20:35 - Mar 11 by BazzaInTheLoft |
Who delivers the stuff you ordered online then? |
DPD, UPS Amazon, yodel, etc. Or occasionally parcelforce |  |
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| Pubs and Post Offices on 21:05 - Mar 11 with 6166 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 20:38 - Mar 11 by loftboy |
DPD, UPS Amazon, yodel, etc. Or occasionally parcelforce |
So the former Royal Mail then. They held every single one of those services less than 20 years ago. Parcelforce didn't even bother to change their name.
Although i'm guilty of using them they treat their workers like shit. Royal Mail don't because they have a strong Union in the CWU. | | | |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 21:31 - Mar 11 with 6111 views | Rog |
Just need to correct a few things - doesnt mean I disagree though ;-)
Royal Mail and Post Office are two completely different organisations, they are not managed or owned by the same people.
The government privatised the Royal Mail and all the delivery services (including the Parcelforce business unit) but retained Post Office. Post Office is 100% government owned and controlled. Royal Mail is in private hands and its share price has halved since new management took over about 12 months ago. It's in a big mess and the next shareholders meeting will probably be a bloodbath. Last year saw the biggest shareholder revolt over pay ever seen. Ignored by the board but a repeat will send a big message.
There are two types of Post Office, Crown Offices that the Post Office owns and ordinary post offices which are essentially franchises (sub post offices in the shops). The original plan was that Post Office would become the front office of government services but the internet (GOV.UK) got more prioritisation and so Post Office has been under invested and is failing. That's why the franchises are pee'd off. The people in there are trying hard but they've been shafted.
The question is, how important is mail these days? Parcel delivery is where the money is and that's largely a gig economy with DPD, Yodel etc keeping costs low that Royal Mail can't do because of the contracted, unionised workforce.
As usual, you get what you are willing to pay for and we're all poorer than ever. | | | |
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| Pubs and Post Offices on 21:50 - Mar 11 with 6086 views | TacticalR |
The Post Office in Kilburn really is an alternative universe with the atmosphere of a benefit office. Always packed, always chaotic, always a queue that moves at a glacial pace, and the last time I went in there baking hot because of a malfunctioning fan over the door. It really is a scandal that something that people obviously still need and have to use is crammed into a tiny prefab building on a side street.
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| Pubs and Post Offices on 22:08 - Mar 11 with 6029 views | ted_hendrix |
Down here in the West Berkshire village where we've lived for nigh on 40 Years the village post office went many years ago, it was never gonna survive anyway, this was closely followed by the village hall that was rapidly demolished to be replaced by two £1 million detached houses, the village hall was rebuilt on the outskirts of the village hence every time we have a vote for some such bullshit we have a half mile walk.
The one and only pub we've got struggles to survive and the only time it's full is when the Newbury races are on and you sometimes get a coachload of Welsh punters stopping for the evening, getting even drunker than they were when they turned up and singing (bloody loudly) about their fathers or whatever that Welsh song is.
The next village to us about 3 miles away is a success story, just a small post office that also happens to sell hot food (bacon rolls to die for) all manner of home made pies/bread and culinary delights, table and chairs in the garden so you can have a pot of tea in the Summer time and sit there thinking 'what a great fcking Country this is' a proper old fashioned English shop and long may it continue.
Their one and only village pub was sold to developers and is now an upmarket block of high end rental flats FFS, but they've managed to hold onto their village green and their cricket team which has got nothing to do with the post office or pubs, I just thought I'd throw that in there. |  |
| My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic. |
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| Pubs and Post Offices on 22:09 - Mar 11 with 6026 views | smegma |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 19:16 - Mar 11 by traininvain |
Retail is on its ass whether that’s the post office, shops or restaurants. You can’t keep a business running on sentimental value. Shops close because they’re not making money.
Pubs in London having a comparatively better time of it as you can’t order a pint on Deliveroo and all the closures have led to a more competitive market place with the surviving pubs generally being fit for purpose.
Investors / funds are actually ploughing money into pub investments as they’re seen as relatively secure in comparison to retail. Pick the bones out of that one! |
I thought we were discussing Post Offices or lack of. I use the Post Office about 3 days a week sending eBay items out. The two POs within 5 mins from my front door have closed in the last 2-3 years. | | | |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 22:51 - Mar 11 with 5954 views | Boston |
Have you gone postal then? | |
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| Pubs and Post Offices (n/t) on 00:01 - Mar 12 with 5917 views | timcocking |
[Post edited 12 Mar 2019 0:28]
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| Pubs and Post Offices on 07:01 - Mar 12 with 5833 views | traininvain |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 22:09 - Mar 11 by smegma |
I thought we were discussing Post Offices or lack of. I use the Post Office about 3 days a week sending eBay items out. The two POs within 5 mins from my front door have closed in the last 2-3 years. |
Try reading the title of the thread. | | | |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 11:02 - Mar 12 with 5728 views | GloryHunter |
Charing Cross main post office seems to have gone - being converted to flats by the look of it. Not sure if it's been moved elsewhere. |  | | |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 13:54 - Mar 12 with 5645 views | R_from_afar |
Nicholas Crane’s book “Two degrees west: A walk along England’s meridian” is interesting in this respect because he travels through many places, especially in the south of England, where there are few or no facilities and no one to be seen. In one village, he relates how, if he were willing to hang around for two months, he could go to a jazz concert at the local village hall.
Mind you, in my experience, most of rural France is totally devoid of people after 6pm. |  |
| "Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1." |
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| Pubs and Post Offices on 14:14 - Mar 12 with 5609 views | YorkRanger |
Whilst I know there is no love of the Banking community on here, the branch network closure programme (or rightsizing the business model to align with consumer behavior and alternative distribution mechansims) has seen 3 of the 4 retail banks close in the market town close to me.
One remains (for now) along with one building society (the latter without a cashpoint). A couple more coffee shops and one more charity shop have been the replacements... |  | | |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 16:04 - Mar 12 with 5528 views | colinallcars |
I recall, many years back when I first joined CAMRA, it was considered really outrageous that a village could be left without a pub. It then became commonplace. In recent years communities have fought back, saving many pubs, often having pubs becoming a real centre of the village serving as a shop, post office in some cases and meeting place. It's very encouraging. | | | |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 19:56 - Mar 12 with 5416 views | Boston |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 14:14 - Mar 12 by YorkRanger |
Whilst I know there is no love of the Banking community on here, the branch network closure programme (or rightsizing the business model to align with consumer behavior and alternative distribution mechansims) has seen 3 of the 4 retail banks close in the market town close to me.
One remains (for now) along with one building society (the latter without a cashpoint). A couple more coffee shops and one more charity shop have been the replacements... |
Crikey, it’ll be the tattoo and piercing establishments next, mark my words. | |
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| Pubs and Post Offices on 21:59 - Mar 12 with 5361 views | TacticalR |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 21:57 - Mar 11 by BazzaInTheLoft |
Are you a Kilburnite Tactical?
I grew up on that street (63a Brondesbury Villas). It always marked the first stop on a horrendous Saturday morning shopping trip with my Mum as a kid. There used to be a Baker's Oven next door which was my reward for not being a little cnt up and down Kilburn High Rd.
I rarely made it in there. [Post edited 12 Mar 2019 9:07]
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Yeah. Originally from Shepherd's Bush, a little urchin up and down the Uxbridge Road in the 60s, but lived all over London since then. | |
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| Pubs and Post Offices on 02:04 - Mar 13 with 5315 views | Pommyhoop |
Starter for ten..... Name and explain why is relative to the thread.   |  |
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| Pubs and Post Offices on 02:20 - Mar 13 with 5309 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 02:04 - Mar 13 by Pommyhoop |
Starter for ten..... Name and explain why is relative to the thread. |
The only popular Harry R in Shepherds Bush. | | | |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 02:34 - Mar 13 with 5307 views | Pommyhoop |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 02:20 - Mar 13 by BazzaInTheLoft |
The only popular Harry R in Shepherds Bush. |
Can see the similarity but nope.
The answer is in the title ,, mmmkay? | |
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| Pubs and Post Offices on 02:58 - Mar 13 with 5302 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| Pubs and Post Offices on 02:34 - Mar 13 by Pommyhoop |
Can see the similarity but nope.
The answer is in the title ,, mmmkay? |
Donald Neilson? | | | |
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