why are Irish people so obsessed with the Post Offices?

whisky_galore

Deise Vu wrote: »

It isn't only the social aspect of Post Offices there is also the economic benefit. It might seem small and insignificant, but if the locals are going to the nearest town they will also shop and transact all their business in that town. In an ideal world you would hope that a local village will have a pub, a post office, a shop or two, a doctor and a vet, maybe even a Garda stationed locally. This not only reduces unnecessary travel (saving the environment and all that) but money circulates within the village, there is a some level of local employment and the village doesn't shrivel up and become a dormitory for the nearest big town where nobody sees their neighbour until Spring.

Every piece of that jigsaw that is missing means it is more likely that the rest will disappear also. Do we really want a world where everybody lives in commuter hell?

That's all very nice, but people will drive their SUVs to the bigger town or city and get a massive haul of shopping, by-passing all the mom-and-pop village shops.

An Post didn't close down the post office, the locals did. And they closed down the local pharmacy and small time shops...because not enough of them supported them. Add to that, An Post need to do more than the handful of services they currently offer.

Chrongen

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

But should a loss making entity be propped up to serve this purpose. They should think about opening up social clubs for the elderly in rural areas instead.

I know a little village near me who do this through the local community centre.

Does the Phoenix Park make a profit? Or any other park? I very much doubt it. So let's shut them all, sell them to some property developer who can turn them all into Tallaghts.

Wanderer78

BrokenArrows wrote:

Either way Norway/Denmark have an almost cashless society while Ireland is still living in the dark ages in a lot of places where cash is only accepted or they charge extra for a card payment.

It 'll be interesting to see what happens in these countries in the next financial/banking crisis, bank runs will be challenging!

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Cee-Jay-Cee

tomwaterford wrote: »

I see ould lads and neighbour having to walk
5 or 6 miles to a post office and back to collect their money

I would hazard a guess that there are very very very few old people having to walk anywhere anymore. I live in a typically rural area in Donegal and I can safely say I have never seen any old person walking on the roads around here, ever. They either have cars or get a lift, no one walks anywhere anymore and your experience is not typical of anywhere in Ireland. So to keep post offices open purely because there may be one or two old people living near you with no transport is not reasonable.

whisky_galore

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

This. Like just rural Ireland has dispensed with the local creamery, the blacksmith and the telephone box.

storker

Permabear wrote: »

This post had been deleted.

Eventually, granted., but I don't see the need to push things in that direction. It will happen in its own time.

Deise Vu

whisky_galore wrote: »

That's all very nice, but people will drive their SUVs to the bigger town or city and get a massive haul of shopping, by-passing all the mom-and-pop village shops.

An Post didn't close down the post office, the locals did. And they closed down the local pharmacy and small time shops...because not enough of them supported them. Add to that, An Post need to do more than the handful of services they currently offer.

I wasn't discussing the economics of what has gone wrong with local Post Offices (for what its worth I would say it is more to do with spiralling expectations for salaries since the 80's & 90's - repetitive tasks simply cannot be done manually anymore). I was just answering the question posed which was why are people obsessed with local post offices.

whisky_galore

Deise Vu wrote: »

I wasn't discussing the economics of what has gone wrong with local Post Offices (for what its worth I would say it is more to do with spiralling expectations for salaries since the 80's & 90's - repetitive tasks simply cannot be done manually anymore). I was just answering the question posed which was why are people obsessed with local post offices.

I think the OP answered his/her own question, the 'ah shur God love them' factor.

Widdershins

the_pen_turner wrote: »

I agree with you.
But u think the solution is for an post to be made profitable or at least self financing. The problem is that the product they sell out is dying out . The general public aren't sending g letters or paying bills in the same way or volume
I think they need to become a courier service as well.

They're part of the way there already with AddressPal Us and UK. Not a local service as such but good for them overall. I saved $40.00 on shipping on one item this week, by using AddressPal.

Mrs OBumble

tomwaterford wrote: »

It's where the dole and pension is collected....in many rural areas,many people on the dole have no car and public transport is non existent

So how are the ones on the dole going to get a job then?

And how do all of them get their groceries, and pints? Because I'll guarantee that they're not doing all their shopping in the same mam'n'dad shop which hosts the post office.

Also, the people who live in villages which don't have a post office seem to cope.

dd972

the_pen_turner wrote: »

its an outing to old people. a place to meet friends and catch up on local events

Talk sh!t about people you don't like or are envious of.

up for anything

Truly a nation of begrudgers. Where do we get the reputation for being charming, generous and happy go lucky?

Phat Dick

xabi wrote: »

How many old Danes and Norwegians do you know? They do more than pensions you know, it’s a social outlet for a lot of old folks too.

I know a few Danes because my uncle is married to a Danish lady, she can't get her head around that people would want to have their weekly entitlement counted out at the post office in front of everyone, she considers such a thing degrading.

Widdershins

Phat Dick wrote: »

I know a few Danes because my uncle is married to a Danish lady, she can't get her head around that people would want to have their weekly entitlement counted out at the post office in front of everyone, she considers such a thing degrading.

Its not really obvious what transaction is going on, it could be a bank withdrawal (if you're with AIB you can lodge/withdraw at An Post, I think), it could be that you're making a payment rather than receiving one. It's not verbally counted out or in view of the queue anyway, and I doubt the postmasters care.

Phat Dick

Widdershins wrote: »

Its not really obvious what transaction is going on, it could be a bank withdrawal (if you're with AIB you can lodge/withdraw at An Post, I think), it could be that you're making a payment rather than receiving one. It's not verbally counted out or in view of the queue anyway, and I doubt the postmasters care.

The swiping of the public services card would give it away in fairness:)

Widdershins

Phat Dick wrote: »

The swiping of the public services card would give it away in fairness:)

If you're looking over their shoulder.

hurler32

Fine Gael have closed most Garda Stations in Rural Ireland, next Step is the Post Offices whether people like it or not...Fine Gael are closing down Rural Ireland and must be chuckling to themselves in their Dublin headquarters as Rural Constituencies still vote Fine Gael. ...Turkeys, Xmas and all that ..

ED E

tomwaterford wrote: »

It's where the dole and pension is collected....in many rural areas,many people on the dole have no car and public transport is non existent

They collect their dole/pension and then make their way to Aldi in the nearest market town to spend it. If they can shop elsewhere (and they are, see closed convenience stores) they can make it to same to collect it.

Phat Dick

hurler32 wrote: »

Fine Gael have closed most Garda Stations in Rural Ireland, next Step is the Post Offices whether people like it or not...Fine Gael are closing down Rural Ireland and must be chuckling to themselves in their Dublin headquarters as Rural Constituencies still vote Fine Gael. ...Turkeys, Xmas and all that ..

Sure the government have just this week approved a €30million bailout/loan for an post.... which is almost certainly illegal under eu state aid rules

Tombo2001

It would be quite interesting to meet someone who is actually obsessed with Post Offices.......

Chrongen

whisky_galore wrote: »

This. Like just rural Ireland has dispensed with the local creamery, the blacksmith and the telephone box.

Well the blacksmith has been replaced by the mechanic. Same service just different product.

Harry Palmr

Post Office acts as the hub of most small towns and those villages that have one. It's handy as a place you can ask about almost anything if you arrive out of the blue and are looking for someone, somewhere that is obscure. They'll know.

I'm open to correction on this but I seem to remember dole, Child Allowance etc was for a few years paid directly into bank accounts for many but the Dept discovered that a significant number of east Europeans who had been living here were collecting by flying Ryanair to collect from accounts left open when they moved back.

Since then the whole DSP interaction has changed of course so it would be hard to pull off now anyway.

ToddyDoody

You mean The GPO?

Because they'really a bit unbalanced.

tomwaterford

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

So how are the ones on the dole going to get a job then?

And how do all of them get their groceries, and pints? Because I'll guarantee that they're not doing all their shopping in the same mam'n'dad shop which hosts the post office.

Also, the people who live in villages which don't have a post office seem to cope.

I live in a area with no post office for the 5-6 miles like I said?

These lads I'm talking about walk the once or twice a week to the nearest post office,get their money and do the shopping in the small shops about there (local centra being biggest shop)....lads who are 20+ years signing despite what boards would have you believe havnt 2 penny's to scratch together


Imo eventually you'll see post offices in a corner of a petrol station etc or else they'll have to start giving dole/pension out in local primary schools etc

Phat Dick

I'm surprised that several posters could think an post is making a profit? Sure the reason they have been in the news so much this year about wanting to close post office's is because they aren't making a profit

professore

blue note wrote: »

As people say, it's not really about the actual service they provide - it's actually a social outlet for some people.

The automation of the world is a scary and sad thing. I was in the supermarket last weekend and didn't know where to look for a product so I googled it instead of asking someone as it was handier. Then went through self service because that was handier too. But that's the way the world is going, everything is being automated, you deal with people as little as possible. The world is improving in so many ways, but at great cost. If the world continues in the direction it's going in when I'm old I might get all my shopping done on-line, have it delivered by droids. All correspondence will be internet based, medical appointments will be mainly on-line.

It's a scary prospect.

That sex robot is looking better and better

Peatys

the_pen_turner wrote: »

its an outing to old people. a place to meet friends and catch up on local events

That's a community centre you're thinking of

professore

BrokenArrows wrote: »

Phat Dick wrote: »

Anytime an post try to close a post office,they're accused of killing elderly people but in most other eu countries traditional post office's are almost extinct, and social welfare payments aren't doled out in cash through post office's in other eu countries either, so how is it that elderly people in say Norway and Denmark can live their lifes happily without going to a post office to collect their pension but Irish elderly people will apparently die if they couldn't do that ?

Post offices in rural communities are rarely just post offices. They usually are part of a bigger shop.

Either way Norway/Denmark have an almost cashless society while Ireland is still living in the dark ages in a lot of places where cash is only accepted or they charge extra for a card payment.

I was in Denmark several years back and the ATM was only open during office hours. Couldn't believe it.

Phat Dick

lots of stories on Joe Duffy the last couple of days about elderly people who don't have a bank account to lodge their Irish water refund cheque so they want to be refunded by postal order instead.