Currently, with First Class mail taking several days,
there is no incentive to pay the extra premium over
Second Class, so the impending increase in cost for First Class
Stamps means that the Post Office,instead of getting
more money in their coffers, will actually get less, and
may yet go the way of the Dodo.

Perhaps reducing the cost of First Class stamps would
actually increase the takeup and so the profits
of the Post Office?

Is it time to set up a social network of postal delivery,
along the lines of what Fidonet was before the widespread
availability of T'Internet?

On Wed, 16 Dec 2020 12:38:13 +0000, gareth evans
wrote:

Currently, with First Class mail taking several days,

I had mail delivered yesterday (Tuesday) that had been posted on
Monday. Didn't check how much postage had been paid.

In article ,
gareth evans wrote:
Currently, with First Class mail taking several days,
there is no incentive to pay the extra premium over
Second Class, so the impending increase in cost for First Class
Stamps means that the Post Office,instead of getting
more money in their coffers, will actually get less, and
may yet go the way of the Dodo.

Perhaps reducing the cost of First Class stamps would
actually increase the takeup and so the profits
of the Post Office?

Is it time to set up a social network of postal delivery,
along the lines of what Fidonet was before the widespread
availability of T'Internet?

Remember the postal service has a flat rate for letters across the UK.
Meaning the service to distant parts is 'subsidised' by local deliveries.

Cream off the easy stuff and the distant will become totally uneconomic.

I think it a bit unfair to whinge about the PO at the moment. Many
services are suffering due to Covid.

--
*I have a degree in liberal arts -- do you want fries with that

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

I have to say, we use Free articles for the blind first class mail, all
members of the UN as far as I know offer this free service, and yet Royal
Mail seem to be losing outer pouches more and more. My guess is that despite
it being subsidised by Government they feel it to be unpaid and hence it
gets left till last. Be aware though that if you slag off the post office
they will deny their involvement. The are just an agent now for Royal Mail.
They are not the same company and cannot affect their operations.
It is also true to say that many couriers will get your mail there faster
and often at less cost than Royal Mail, due to their inefficient way of
sorting the mail when compared to what is done elsewhere.
Brian

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This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
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Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"gareth evans" wrote in message
...
Currently, with First Class mail taking several days,
there is no incentive to pay the extra premium over
Second Class, so the impending increase in cost for First Class
Stamps means that the Post Office,instead of getting
more money in their coffers, will actually get less, and
may yet go the way of the Dodo.

Perhaps reducing the cost of First Class stamps would
actually increase the takeup and so the profits
of the Post Office?

Is it time to set up a social network of postal delivery,
along the lines of what Fidonet was before the widespread
availability of T'Internet?

On Wednesday, 16 December 2020 at 15:28:56 UTC, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Remember the postal service has a flat rate for letters across the UK.
Meaning the service to distant parts is 'subsidised' by local deliveries.

Cream off the easy stuff and the distant will become totally uneconomic.

I think it a bit unfair to whinge about the PO at the moment. Many
services are suffering due to Covid.

Cost is not proportional to distance. From what I vaguely remember, it is delivering tiny quantities of mail to remote locations that are most expensive to serve per item. Even if they are not that many miles away.

Also, has anyone come up with a sensible postage system within a country which is based on differential charging by location (effectively, by distance)?

Mind, I always thought they made a mistake with the letter classes. First class should have been more expensive and better service than is offered. Thus only being a tiny percentage of mail.

On Wed, 16 Dec 2020 15:27:05 +0000 (GMT)
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:

In article ,
gareth evans wrote:
Currently, with First Class mail taking several days,
there is no incentive to pay the extra premium over
Second Class, so the impending increase in cost for First Class
Stamps means that the Post Office,instead of getting
more money in their coffers, will actually get less, and
may yet go the way of the Dodo.

Perhaps reducing the cost of First Class stamps would
actually increase the takeup and so the profits
of the Post Office?

Is it time to set up a social network of postal delivery,
along the lines of what Fidonet was before the widespread
availability of T'Internet?

Remember the postal service has a flat rate for letters across the UK.
Meaning the service to distant parts is 'subsidised' by local
deliveries.

Cream off the easy stuff and the distant will become totally
uneconomic.

I think it a bit unfair to whinge about the PO at the moment. Many
services are suffering due to Covid.


He calls it The Masturbating Mail. He's had it in for The Royal mail
and its workers for years.

On Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at 5:50:31 PM UTC, Jack West wrote:
On Wed, 16 Dec 2020 15:27:05 +0000 (GMT)
"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:

In article ,
gareth evans wrote:
Currently, with First Class mail taking several days,
there is no incentive to pay the extra premium over
Second Class, so the impending increase in cost for First Class
Stamps means that the Post Office,instead of getting
more money in their coffers, will actually get less, and
may yet go the way of the Dodo.

Perhaps reducing the cost of First Class stamps would
actually increase the takeup and so the profits
of the Post Office?

Is it time to set up a social network of postal delivery,
along the lines of what Fidonet was before the widespread
availability of T'Internet?

Remember the postal service has a flat rate for letters across the UK.
Meaning the service to distant parts is 'subsidised' by local
deliveries.

Cream off the easy stuff and the distant will become totally
uneconomic.

I think it a bit unfair to whinge about the PO at the moment. Many
services are suffering due to Covid.

He calls it The Masturbating Mail. He's had it in for The Royal mail
and its workers for years.
About two years ago on Radio 4, it was perhaps the head of Royal Mail who said, "Send your letters second class, it gets there just as fast as first"
To have second class mail, there would have to be discrimination between the two, which is probably more expensive than just delivering it.
The mugs can pay if they want.

On 16/12/2020 15:27, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

I think it a bit unfair to whinge about the PO at the moment. Many
services are suffering due to Covid.


The problems that RM have with timely delivery have existed for a couple
of years!

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On Wed, 16 Dec 2020 19:15:31 +0000, alan_m wrote:

On 16/12/2020 15:27, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

I think it a bit unfair to whinge about the PO at the moment. Many
services are suffering due to Covid.


The problems that RM have with timely delivery have existed for a couple
of years!

Our all time record has been reached. One week with no mail (but loads
expected).



--
My posts are my copyright and if @diy_forums or Home Owners' Hub
wish to copy them they can pay me £1 a message.
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK: http://www.mirrorservice.org
*lightning surge protection* - a w_tom conductor

In article ,
alan_m wrote:
On 16/12/2020 15:27, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

I think it a bit unfair to whinge about the PO at the moment. Many
services are suffering due to Covid.


The problems that RM have with timely delivery have existed for a couple
of years!

Can only speak for here. They're very good. I have a delightful postman.
One before him was excellent too.

--
*Wrinkled was not one of the things I wanted to be when I grew up

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Thu, 17 Dec 2020 00:52:53 +0000 (GMT), Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

I think it a bit unfair to whinge about the PO at the moment.
Many
services are suffering due to Covid.

The problems that RM have with timely delivery have existed for a
couple of years!

Can only speak for here. They're very good. I have a delightful postman.
One before him was excellent too.

Aye, highly dependent on where you live. Here 2nd is the same as 1st,
ie incoming mail arrives next day. Outgoing can be the same but
varies greatly by destination.

"Royal Mail Tracked 48" more often than not ends up as "Royal Mail
Tracked 24". Biggest delays are normally in getting the package from
supplier into Royal Mail, once in stuff flies through the system
barely stopping moving. eg, this "Royal Mail Tracked 48" due to
arrive this morning:

14 Dec 0847 "Sender Dispatching Item"
14 Dec 1500 eMail from sender "ready to dispatch"
16 Dec 1246 Rx North West DC
17 Dec 0112 Rx Carlisle MC
17 Dec 0501 Rx Brampton DO

Yes, 4 days since "dispatch" but it didn't hit Royal Mail until
midday yesterday...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Thursday, 17 December 2020 at 00:58:41 UTC, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
alan_m wrote:
On 16/12/2020 15:27, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

I think it a bit unfair to whinge about the PO at the moment. Many
services are suffering due to Covid.


The problems that RM have with timely delivery have existed for a couple
of years!
Can only speak for here. They're very good. I have a delightful postman.
One before him was excellent too.

Am happy to criticise RM, but the individual posties are all between good and excellent. Thoughtful, helpful, friendly.

Yesterday, RM van pulled up over the road while I am in my car waiting for partner to go shopping. Postie walks over, I wind window down, she asks "is this XXX Road", which it is. (The road name/house numbering is somewhat odd round here.) Obviously new but in the usual tradition of friendly.

In article l.net,
Dave Liquorice wrote:
"Royal Mail Tracked 48" more often than not ends up as "Royal Mail
Tracked 24". Biggest delays are normally in getting the package from
supplier into Royal Mail, once in stuff flies through the system
barely stopping moving. eg, this "Royal Mail Tracked 48" due to
arrive this morning:

IMHO, no different from other so called 24 hour services at the moment.

--
*If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Thu, 17 Dec 2020 10:02:22 +0000 (GMT), Dave Liquorice wrote:

Biggest delays are normally in getting the package from supplier into
Royal Mail, once in stuff flies through the system barely stopping
moving. eg, this "Royal Mail Tracked 48" due to arrive this morning:

14 Dec 0847 "Sender Dispatching Item"
14 Dec 1500 eMail from sender "ready to dispatch"
16 Dec 1246 Rx North West DC
17 Dec 0112 Rx Carlisle MC
17 Dec 0501 Rx Brampton DO

Arrived before 1100 17 Dec.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Thu, 17 Dec 2020 10:19:01 +0000 (GMT), Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

"Royal Mail Tracked 48" more often than not ends up as "Royal Mail
Tracked 24".

IMHO, no different from other so called 24 hour services at the moment.

Except it's supposed to be 48 not 24... Not that I'm complaining that
my package arrived this morning instead of tomorrow morning. B-)

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Wed, 16 Dec 2020 08:57:58 -0800 (PST), polygonum_on_google
wrote:



Mind, I always thought they made a mistake with the letter classes. First class should have been more expensive and better service than is offered. Thus only being a tiny percentage of mail.

When the class system was introduced in the late 1960s the difference
was only 1/2p, which meant that a lot of stuff went first when it need
not have done. But currently the difference is 11p, 19p from 1
January.

(The system was set up to deal with the vast amount of mail posted
late afternoon that was expected to be delivered the next morning.
I have been trawling digitised newspapers for travelling post office
stories and find that in the 19th Century the objective was to get
letters posted in London delivered early enough the next day to give
the recipient enough time to write a reply and post it in time to be
delivered in London the next morning. Reports on accidents would
usually end 'the post arrived at xxx two hours late (or whatever).'

In article ,
Peter Johnson wrote:
When the class system was introduced in the late 1960s the difference
was only 1/2p, which meant that a lot of stuff went first when it need
not have done. But currently the difference is 11p, 19p from 1
January.

In percentage terms, there's very little difference between 3p and 2.5p
than between 76p and 65p.

--
*Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 17/12/2020 14:41, Peter Johnson wrote:
I have been trawling digitised newspapers for travelling post office
stories

I had a friend (RIP) who bought stamps at one minute past midnight
on the day of issue from the all-night post office (Trafalgar
Square?) and then rushed to catch the travelling post offices
leaving London in order to get the very special "AM" cancellation
because the TPOs franked mail with the date of leaving London
otherwise you'd get a first day cover postmarked the day before!

On 17/12/2020 14:41, Peter Johnson wrote:
On Wed, 16 Dec 2020 08:57:58 -0800 (PST), polygonum_on_google
wrote:


Mind, I always thought they made a mistake with the letter classes. First class should have been more expensive and better service than is offered. Thus only being a tiny percentage of mail.
When the class system was introduced in the late 1960s the difference
was only 1/2p, which meant that a lot of stuff went first when it need
not have done. But currently the difference is 11p, 19p from 1
January.

(The system was set up to deal with the vast amount of mail posted
late afternoon that was expected to be delivered the next morning.


If there is a lot of post to sort then first-class post collected in the
afternoon will be sorted while the second class is held back. In quiter
times the second class will go through with the first.



--
djc

(–€Ì¿Ä¹Ì¯–€Ì¿ Ì¿)
No low-hanging fruit, just a lot of small berries up a tall tree.

On Thu, 17 Dec 2020 16:05:40 +0000, gareth evans
wrote:

On 17/12/2020 14:41, Peter Johnson wrote:
I have been trawling digitised newspapers for travelling post office
stories

I had a friend (RIP) who bought stamps at one minute past midnight
on the day of issue from the all-night post office (Trafalgar
Square?) and then rushed to catch the travelling post offices
leaving London in order to get the very special "AM" cancellation
because the TPOs franked mail with the date of leaving London
otherwise you'd get a first day cover postmarked the day before!

Yes, it was Trafalgar Square. The objective was to get the up trains
to London. The down trains had all gone by about 10.30.
Once, when the M1 was new, someone hired an e-type Jaguar because it
allowed them to get further from London and get postmarks that hadn't
been available previously.
There was, apparently, great excitement when the Forth Road Bridge
stamps were issued in Edinburgh at midnight, because they could chase
Scottish TPOs and get pre-dated covers from them.