Is Dun Laoghaire Post Office the only large Post Office not to have a stamp machine?

LordSutch · 18-12-2012 10:02PM #1

I waited twenty two minutes in the cue today to get five stamps for my overseas Christmas cards, this begs the question "Why don't they have a stamp issuing machine in the Post office" ??? Surely a Post office of that size should have at least one stamp issuing machine to ease pressure on counter staff, and to get the Christmas post into the sacks ASAP in this busy Christmas card season, why no stamp machine???

All other positive & negative Post office/Christmas card observations welcome

)

admiralofthefleet · 18-12-2012 10:05PM

is rathmines the only one that has a junkie in the queue every single time i go in

Sar_Bear · 18-12-2012 10:07PM

You wasted your time, if you're only sending your overseas cards now, the America & Australia deadline was over a week ago

NegativeCreep · 18-12-2012 10:08PM

I don't think they have one in the GPO. I couldn't find it anyway. Had to queue to get one.

LordSutch · 18-12-2012 10:08PM

Sar_Bear wrote: »

You wasted your time, if you're only sending your overseas cards now, the America & Australia deadline was over a week ago

The cards were for Britain & Europe, and today was the last day for them . . .

dxhound2005 · 18-12-2012 10:24PM

There is a machine in Dun Laoghaire, in the Shopping Centre according to this.

http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/MainContent/Personal+Customers/Sending+Mail/Postal+Service+Centre.htm

I got a card posted in New York on Thursday 6th Dec first thing Monday morning 10th. Cards posted after the deadline may get delivered before Christmas and undoubtedly some posted before the deadline won't.

franktheplank · 18-12-2012 10:25PM

Let me just refer to my encyclopedia of post offices.....

WoollyRedHat · 18-12-2012 10:27PM

They really need to stamp down on this kind of thing.

Solair · 18-12-2012 10:29PM

They really need to have some kind of distinction between the queue for Welfare/Pension payments and the regular postal service stuff.

I have actually given up using Douglas Post Office as I just can't get to the counter ever. There's always a massive queue and it's not for postal products.

In general, I find the smaller suburban PO's easier to deal with and the GPO in Cork at least has a line of counters for stamps etc only and another line of counters for "all services".

LordSutch · 18-12-2012 10:31PM

dxhound2005 wrote: »

There is a machine in Dun Laoghaire, in the Shopping Centre according to this.

http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/MainContent/Personal+Customers/Sending+Mail/Postal+Service+Centre.htm

Hmm, thanks for that, so the Post Office stamp machine is not in the Post office, (but in Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre instead)! seems totally illogical to me, maybe they could errect a sign in the Post Office telling 'hacked off' queuing customers of the machine down the road in the SC :cool:

Solair · 18-12-2012 10:32PM

If they wanted to encourage more postage, they should just put postal counters in places like Dunnes and Tesco and sell stamps.

There's a serious shortage of post boxes too in a lot of areas, especially suburban sprawling places. You really should have a post box in every housing development if they are serious about getting people to post stuff.

Some of the post offices on the continent now let you print your own stamps too. You just print out a label that looks like a QR code and stick it on the envelope. It also means you can print custom designed stamps and all that.

https://www.montimbrenligne.laposte.fr/ for example

An Post needs to move with the times a bit! The days of people queuing for hours in a pokey office to pick up a few awl stamps are long gone!

http://www.royalmail.com/discounts-payment/online-postage - Seems they even do it in the UK

kneemos · 18-12-2012 10:35PM

How about an App where you pay for your post on line and write a code on the envelope?

Mint Sauce · 18-12-2012 10:35PM

Castle Street PO in Sligo doesn't even have a post box outside.

:eek:

Mr Simpson · 18-12-2012 10:37PM

NegativeCreep wrote: »

I don't think they have one in the GPO. I couldn't find it anyway. Had to queue to get one.

They have a few of them, all outside the building at the front. Do shops not sell stamps anymore? I know a few still do

Shelflife · 18-12-2012 10:41PM

Until recently the local shops could buy stamps at the local post office at a small discount and sell them in their own shop. This ment that the locals could get their stamps at any time and avoid the xmas build up.

An Post in their wisdom decided to stop the local POs selling to the local shops at a discount and as a result alot of the shops stopped selling the stamps thus forcing the locals into the PO at the busiest time of the year.

Sure you couldnt make it up.

LordSutch · 18-12-2012 10:43PM

MarkMc wrote: »

Do shops not sell stamps anymore? I know a few still do

Maybe they do, but like a fool I expected the Post Office to issue stamps from a stamp machine (to ease the queuing)?

I'll know better next time.

0ph0rce0 · 18-12-2012 10:45PM

LordSutch wrote: »

Hmm, thanks for that, so the Post Office stamp machine is not in the Post office, (but in Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre instead)! seems totally illogical to me, maybe they could errect a sign in the Post Office telling 'hacked off' queuing customers of the machine down the road in the SC :cool:

Yeah its down by the lifts on the bottom floor, across from the pharmacy, silly really they don't have one in the POST OFFICE :rolleyes: makes no sense.

LordSutch · 18-12-2012 10:48PM

Daft buggers

dxhound2005 · 18-12-2012 11:15PM

LordSutch wrote: »

Daft buggers

If there was never a machine in the Post Office it doesn't appear to have impinged negatively on your life up until this episode of the lost 22 minutes. As a person who tends to look on the bright side I would see the provision of the machine at the Shopping Centre as an additional facility that wasn't there before (presuming that it is recent).

The logical place for a machine would be outside the Post Office meaning that it could be used by customers out of hours. I know there was such a machine in my local Post Office but it was out of order much of the time I suspect due to vandalism and it is gone now. If you are in the Post Office at a quiet time again maybe you could ask them about the absence of a machine. I don't think you will get an explanation here.

Julius Seizure · 18-12-2012 11:18PM

Kilkenny

LordSutch · 19-12-2012 11:06AM

dxhound2005 wrote: »

The logical place for a machine would be outside the Post Office meaning that it could be used by customers out of hours.

Surely the stamps would get wet & soggy? anyway this is meant to be a lighthearted thread about any and all post office stories. Next year I will remember to buy my stamps (& my envelopes) elsewhere, seeing as all the stuff you used to buy in the PO is now being sold anywhere except in the PO.

PS: I noticed all the PO bags piled up behind the counter have Great Britain printen on them, maybe they were just for GB deliveries only? or maybe An Post are using Great Britain bags for all post? I think this has been mentioned before.

westcoast66 · 19-12-2012 11:14AM

I enquired once about the fact that the stamp machine outside my local post office does not work. The exact response I got : 'Sure its been like that for years' !

I have a nasty feeling that the staff dont actually want these machines doing 'their' work.

Is Dun Laoghaire Post Office the only large Post Office not to have a stamp machine?

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