can the postal system survive

the_pen_turner · 13-08-2018 10:59AM #1

they are going closing loads of post offices all around the country.
im sure a few were not really neaded but the majority will be a big loss the the areas.

do you think the post office and postal system is going to survive

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 13-08-2018 11:02AM

I can't remember the last time I needed to use a post office.

With communications and services increasingly delivered online, and packages delivered by private couriers, why do we need a state-funded postal service? Why are closures of these unnecessary offices always described as a "great loss to the community"?

jjbrien · 13-08-2018 11:11AM

Mohammed Attractive Serpent wrote: »

I can't remember the last time I needed to use a post office.

With communications and services increasingly delivered online, and packages delivered by private couriers, why do we need a state-funded postal service? Why are closures of these unnecessary offices always described as a "great loss to the community"?

There are some towns and villages in Rural Ireland that the banks have also closed and older people use the post office to get their pension and do their banking. My dad being one of them and he keeps going on about saving the local post office. He lives in Kilbeggan so would have to go to Mullingar or Tullamore to use a post office.

Me i do most of my stuff online id only use a post office or bank branch once or twice a year.

Mrs OBumble · 13-08-2018 11:11AM

How many letters have you posted recently, caller?

seamus · 13-08-2018 11:11AM

People still need stuff. There is a thriving and growing postal system, it's just delivering more packages than letters.

The problem with An Post is that they've failed to identify the trends in the market and seize them and be open to them. Services like Parcel Motel launched five years before An Post got the finger out and delivered an expensive and worse solution.

They still won't get it. A national postal service will always be needed, but eventually it'll be a subsidised niche thing that very few people use. All of the other crap bundled into post offices; billy paying, pensions, etc; can be done anywhere. They don't need a post office.

Cabaal · 13-08-2018 11:12AM

The postal system will of course survive, with so much services moving online people still need physical items delivered and somebody has to do this.

However, local post offices is another matter and people need to think long and hard about the importance of them in their community (and they are important social hubs) especially for older people.

My dad was at the post office a few years back and was talking to a women who said "did you know you can get your pension paid into your bank account now, would save Q'ing here". My dad replied "but if we all do that, we may not have a post office.

He's right.

o1s1n · 13-08-2018 11:14AM

I would imagine most post from online shopping still goes standard post, no?

Any time I collect post from my local an post depo it seems to be jammed with packages from Amazon and the likes.

Cabaal · 13-08-2018 11:16AM

Mohammed Attractive Serpent wrote: »

I can't remember the last time I needed to use a post office.

With communications and services increasingly delivered online, and packages delivered by private couriers, why do we need a state-funded postal service? Why are closures of these unnecessary offices always described as a "great loss to the community"?

A number of reasons, take my local one.

BOI are in the town but they have stopped dealing in any cash...full stop.
The Post Office on the other hand provides Ulster Bank & AIB banking services and allows use of cash. If we lost the post office this means everyone would need to travel 10miles to deal with cash in a bank.

Post Offices are very important social hubs and important for news and keeping an eye on people. if for example Mary collects her pension every week and the suddenly doesn't show up the people in the local post office are likely to notice this and may follow up with somebody to see if they've seen Mary and is she ok.

if Mary gets her pension paid into a bank account and doesn't use it...nobody will notice.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 13-08-2018 11:17AM

jjbrien wrote: »

There are some towns and villages in Rural Ireland that the banks have also closed and older people use the post office to get their pension and do their banking. My dad being one of them and he keeps going on about saving the local post office. He lives in Kilbeggan so would have to go to Mullingar or Tullamore to use a post office.

Me i do most of my stuff online id only use a post office or bank branch once or twice a year.

You're right that post offices are often used, frequently by older people, to collect state benefits or to do banking transactions. But in those cases they're just operating as extensions of social welfare offices and banks, not as post offices. Surely people can have their benefits deposited into their bank accounts, and the banks themselves can provide better networks of branches and ATMs.

As this older generation die off, the last remaining rationale for keeping post offices will disappear.

Turnipman · 13-08-2018 11:18AM

jjbrien wrote: »

There are some towns and villages in Rural Ireland that the banks have also closed and older people use the post office to get their pension and do their banking. My dad being one of them and he keeps going on about saving the local post office. He lives in Kilbeggan so would have to go to Mullingar or Tullamore to use a post office.

Why not Moate?

Anyhow, there isn't much chance of Kilbeggan PO being closed for the forseable future.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b · 13-08-2018 11:26AM

Cabaal wrote: »

The Post Office on the other hand provides Ulster Bank & AIB banking services and allows use of cash. If we lost the post office this means everyone would need to travel 10miles to deal with cash in a bank.

But surely that's a problem with inadequate banking services, rather than a rationale for keeping post offices open? Additionally, having the post office be the only facility locally that deals with cash will only make it a magnet for robbers, even though many of them have minimal security.

Post Offices are very important social hubs and important for news and keeping an eye on people. if for example Mary collects her pension every week and the suddenly doesn't show up the people in the local post office are likely to notice this and may follow up with somebody to see if they've seen Mary and is she ok.

I take your point ... but surely the same thing could be said of local shops, neighbours, etc. Plus, there are plenty of Marys who do have their pension direct deposited, and this will probably become the default in the years ahead.

Duff · 13-08-2018 11:36AM

I hope so. I've a serious addiction of buying shíte on Aliexpress and I love the surprise of it arriving 6 months later after I've forgotten about it.

ohnonotgmail · 13-08-2018 11:44AM

seamus wrote: »

People still need stuff. There is a thriving and growing postal system, it's just delivering more packages than letters.

The problem with An Post is that they've failed to identify the trends in the market and seize them and be open to them. Services like Parcel Motel launched five years before An Post got the finger out and delivered an expensive and worse solution.

They still won't get it. A national postal service will always be needed, but eventually it'll be a subsidised niche thing that very few people use. All of the other crap bundled into post offices; billy paying, pensions, etc; can be done anywhere. They don't need a post office.

where?

Turnipman · 13-08-2018 11:45AM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

where?

Sitting in front of one's laptop or desktop.

ohnonotgmail · 13-08-2018 11:47AM

Turnipman wrote: »

Sitting in front of one's laptop or desktop.

I must not be looking hard enough for the slot that dispenses cash.

draiochtanois · 13-08-2018 11:49AM

This post has been deleted.

fattymuatty · 13-08-2018 11:49AM

I post about 15-20 packages every week, an post provide a good price for international postage and it is pretty fast too. If our local post office closed it would be a major pain for me. It's always pretty busy when I go in.

ohnonotgmail · 13-08-2018 11:50AM

draiochtanois wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I'm pretty sure i heard that 5 years ago as well.

Turnipman · 13-08-2018 11:52AM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

I must not be looking hard enough for the slot that dispenses cash.

But the post that you quoted made no reference to cash. But perhaps you didn't look hard enough to see that either!

Cabaal · 13-08-2018 11:52AM

Mohammed Attractive Serpent wrote: »

You're right that post offices are often used, frequently by older people, to collect state benefits or to do banking transactions. But in those cases they're just operating as extensions of social welfare offices and banks, not as post offices. Surely people can have their benefits deposited into their bank accounts, and the banks themselves can provide better networks of branches and ATMs.

As this older generation die off, the last remaining rationale for keeping post offices will disappear.

Why would banks roll out more ATM's when they are already changing branches to cashless and they are pushing for more and more payments to be cashless.

A better network of branches and ATM's simply won't be happening.

seamus · 13-08-2018 11:55AM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

where?

Newsagents, online, etc.

Cabaal · 13-08-2018 11:56AM

Mohammed Attractive Serpent wrote: »

But surely that's a problem with inadequate banking services, rather than a rationale for keeping post offices open? Additionally, having the post office be the only facility locally that deals with cash will only make it a magnet for robbers, even though many of them have minimal security.

I'm not aware of post offices being robbed weekly...are you?

banks are switching to staff less and cashless more and more as part of money saving, its nothing to do with providing better customer service or a better customer experience. if banks cared about customer's they'd be open later and at weekends with staff for the last few decades.

Rather then provide services for people that need them via post Offices the solution is to stop offering these services...that doesn't seem smart,

ohnonotgmail · 13-08-2018 11:58AM

seamus wrote: »

Newsagents, online, etc.

OAPs should pick their pension up in a newsagents? So the newsagent would need the same IT system currently in place in post offices. You haven't really done away with post offices then, just moved them next door in a lot of smaller towns.

BrianBoru00 · 13-08-2018 12:03PM

draiochtanois wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

No it won't.

If there was any foresight or ambition in the civil service/ government there would remain a single public services office preferably attached / co located with the local school. There you could have postal service / garda desk / doctors surgery and possibly even a local shop which would (1) satisfy one of the reasons for closure (wasted resources) and (2) have a social hub in villages and towns with footfall on a daily basis and (3) have garda presence in the location at least some hours daily even if its just a 30 minute window five days a week for example.

seamus · 13-08-2018 12:08PM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

OAPs should pick their pension up in a newsagents? So the newsagent would need the same IT system currently in place in post offices. You haven't really done away with post offices then, just moved them next door in a lot of smaller towns.

Most newsagents will do cash back. If someone really, really, doesn't want their pension deposited in a bank account, maybe they should have the option of a debit card that allows them to spend their pension directly?

This is an old, tired and ultimately baseless argument that anachronistic processes should be held onto for the sake of "OAPs".

Old people are perfectly capable of using cards, of doing stuff online and using new technology. My mother is an OAP and doesn't stop sending bloody whatsapps.

Tradition is the main reason they do it; as per Cabaal's anecdote. People still queuing in the post office, and clinging onto it just so they can continue to queue.

ohnonotgmail · 13-08-2018 12:09PM

seamus wrote: »

Most newsagents will do cash back. If someone really, really, doesn't want their pension deposited in a bank account, maybe they should have the option of a debit card that allows them to spend their pension directly?

This is an old, tired and ultimately baseless argument that anachronistic processes should be held onto for the sake of "OAPs".

Old people are perfectly capable of using cards, of doing stuff online and using new technology. My mother is an OAP and doesn't stop sending bloody whatsapps.

Tradition is the main reason they do it; as per Cabaal's anecdote. People still queuing in the post office, and clinging onto it just so they can continue to queue.

So your alternative is to force people to go cashless?

Dravokivich · 13-08-2018 12:11PM

It better. Every time I've to send something to a civil servant it's via post. I've also got to send a form to my insurer via post too.

Turnipman · 13-08-2018 12:12PM

BrianBoru00 wrote: »

No it won't.

If there was any foresight or ambition in the civil service/ government there would remain a single public services office preferably attached / co located with the local school. There you could have postal service / garda desk / doctors surgery and possibly even a local shop which would (1) satisfy one of the reasons for closure (wasted resources) and (2) have a social hub in villages and towns with footfall on a daily basis and (3) have garda presence in the location at least some hours daily even if its just a 30 minute window five days a week for example.

And, while you're at it, why not co-locate the local bookies, brothel, pub, hairdresser, undertaker and church too?

Maybe we could describe the small cluster of service providers as a "village"?

seamus · 13-08-2018 12:12PM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

So your alternative is to force people to go cashless?

Nobody's being "forced" to go cashless. If they want cash, they can go and withdraw it somewhere.

Why should the state be forced to maintain and pay for archaic delivery systems because some people like queuing in a post office?

Dravokivich · 13-08-2018 12:13PM

seamus wrote: »

Nobody's being "forced" to go cashless. If they want cash, they can go and withdraw it somewhere.

Why should the state be forced to maintain and pay for archaic delivery systems because some people like queuing in a post office?

It's because the state require it themselves.

jjbrien · 13-08-2018 12:13PM

seamus wrote: »

Most newsagents will do cash back. If someone really, really, doesn't want their pension deposited in a bank account, maybe they should have the option of a debit card that allows them to spend their pension directly?

This is an old, tired and ultimately baseless argument that anachronistic processes should be held onto for the sake of "OAPs".

Old people are perfectly capable of using cards, of doing stuff online and using new technology. My mother is an OAP and doesn't stop sending bloody whatsapps.

Tradition is the main reason they do it; as per Cabaal's anecdote. People still queuing in the post office, and clinging onto it just so they can continue to queue.

Could just replace giving out social welfare payments via the post office by installing an ATM like machine in a local shop that dispenses the pension each week. To be honest most of what the post office does could be replaced with a machine. We have those post office kiosk things could easly add a cash dispensing thing to them and use the public services card with a pin number or facial recognition

can the postal system survive

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