Impact on business of changed post collections

Changes to post collection times

A few days ago, AudlemOnline noted that post collection times have changed in Audlem. This will have a significant and detrimental effect on local business.

The nearest post box to us is in Shropshire Street, opposite the Bridge Inn. Until very recently, there was a collection at 5.15pm -- ideal for local shops and businesses to post customer orders, invoices etc. Without any local consultation, Royal Mail has brought the collection forward to 9.00am, an amazing eight hours earlier. This means that any letters or packets put together during the day will not actually be collected until the next day.

With the Post Office having closed, we buy postage through the Royal Mail website. They sell first class post labels, irrespective of the fact that in Audlem any post put in the box after 9.00 is effectively second class mail, as it will not be delivered until the second day, at the earliest. One of our USPs was that orders received before about 4.00pm would go out that day, so should arrive next day. Not a chance now!

Royal Mail do collect from the post box at the old Post Office at 5.00pm, but that's of little use. A significant part of our business is mail order of books, and because of their size and weight, most go as "large letters". The slot of that post box is smaller than the maximum dimensions for a "large letter", so I can't post most things there, whereas they will all go in the box opposite the Bridge Inn. Logic would say that this latter box should have the later collection. But I suppose that we cannot expect Royal Mail to consider the needs of their customers. If they did, they wouldn't have changed the collection times anyway.

Is this a problem for other local businesses?

Peter Silvester
Audlem Mill Limited

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