Time to say goodbye to posties?

[donnashuggy]

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/entering-the-postaustralia-post-era-20140114-30t12.html

[freakiness]

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@am*3 wrote:

No I suggest reducing the loss from home mail delivery.. a considerable amount in profit from parcel delivery props up the letter delivery.

Aust Post will make a lot more profit if it doesn't have run a $128m loss (and increasing) on mail delivery.

No matter who owns the PO in the future they are going to make changes to the letter delivery. the amount of letters being posted is reducing considerably every year. Employing posties 5 days a week to deliver a handful of letters each week isn't likely to continue forever.

The fire service (and other emergency services) are different.. consumers don't go in their everyday and buy their products, receive items delivered at home by them.

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Our delivery people work in the post office as well as delivering the mail. The post office is busy even though the business is changing.

[donnashuggy]

With a lot of privately owned post offices. ........Mine is privately owned and when I asked the same question he said Australia Post is 75% privately owned - perhaps a twist in his response

[*crikey*mate*]

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@boris1gary wrote:

Australia Post makes an overall profit. It is profitable and it is ours.

Do you suggest that we get rid of fire stations, they don't make a profit, they provide a service.

Oh I forgot the NSW State Liberal Govt has been busily closing down fire station, I suppose that's fine as long as it isn't your home or business burning.

If you think you understood what I just wrote, you're probably right.

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here in Qld, a scout den burned to the ground. It was right next door to a fire station. The fireys were all away fighting fires elsewhere.

Not sure if any of that post was specifically for me though - that was just one of those useless random bits of information that popped into my head and I thought I would share it.

[cherry*135]

Our delivery people work in the post office as well as delivering the mail. The post office is busy even though the business is changing.

When you say ' our delivery people work in the PO as well as delivering the mail (parcels I presume).. do you mean they come in and out of the post office dropping off parcels when noone were home to accept them... or do you mean they work behind the counter?

Our post office used to be very busy.. long queues. but it isn't anymore. I see people heading in their to drop off their  pre paid online parcels in ebay satchels, which takes a minute or so for the teller to scan and put in a bin. 

Saves a lot of time at the counter, weighing each parcel, printing labels, accepting money and giving change if necessary.

The local post office would probably prefer people brought their parcels in there and paid for them over the counter, so they get the $$ benefit from that transaction. Especially the smaller franchise PO's.

[cherry*135]

The  main view here is -  keep the loss making home delivery letter service (loss which increases every year, posties could have no mail to deliver at all on some days in the near future) and cover that loss with regular increases in  the cost of posting parcels.

[just_me_karen]

Donna you've received 25 posts full of correct, without a doubt correct, information by resident expert, so you should be an expert too by now.

[freakiness]

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@am*3 wrote:

Our delivery people work in the post office as well as delivering the mail. The post office is busy even though the business is changing.

When you say ' our delivery people work in the PO as well as delivering the mail (parcels I presume).. do you mean they come in and out of the post office dropping off parcels when noone were home to accept them... or do you mean they work behind the counter?

Our post office used to be very busy.. long queues. but it isn't anymore. I see people heading in their to drop off their  pre paid online parcels in ebay satchels, which takes a minute or so for the teller to scan and put in a bin. 

Saves a lot of time at the counter, weighing each parcel, printing labels, accepting money and giving change if necessary.

The local post office would probably prefer people brought their parcels in there and paid for them over the counter, so they get the $$ benefit from that transaction. Especially the smaller franchise PO's.

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No, I meant the posties who deliver the letters and some small parcels. When I said they work in the PO I meant they work in the PO. There seems to be more multi tasking than in the past. The mail deliverers serve in the shop front, sort, letter box and serve on the parcel counter when it's open.  I don't know the numbers of full time/part time staff.

[cherry*135]

Thanks, freaki

We have a mail delilvery centre, that is where the posties sort the mail in the morning. They do pop in the PO  after they have finished delivering, if they have underdelivered (carded) mail that needs a signature and noone home to drop it in, as does the parcel guy.

Small town PO , 2 staff and Post Manager.  They are the only ones that serve at the counter. I don't know who puts the mail in the PO boxes. The staff at the counter roll their eyes if I take back,  wrong mail that gets in my PO Box, so I presume it isn't them.

We have another small franchise PO also on other side of town.

[the_great_she_elephant]

If only we had  Federal and State Elections every 12 months instead of every 4 years, then the posties could work their little butts off stuffing our mailboxes  with political propaganda. Of course we'd all end up payng for it in the end but hey, isn't that what being a taxpayer is all about?

[freakiness]

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@am*3 wrote:

Thanks, freaki

We have a mail delilvery centre, that is where the posties sort the mail in the morning. They do pop in the PO  after they have finished delivering, if they have underdelivered (carded) mail that needs a signature and noone home to drop it in, as does the parcel guy.

Small town PO , 2 staff and Post Manager.  They are the only ones that serve at the counter. I don't know who puts the mail in the PO boxes. The staff at the counter roll their eyes if I take back,  wrong mail that gets in my PO Box, so I presume it isn't them.

We have another small franchise PO also on other side of town.

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We don't have a mail delivery centre here. Once it gets here from the MDC it is locally sorted.  The woman that delivers with the cart then goes back to PO to work. I don't know about the bike deliverer who covers a larger area.  I imagine as the letters drop off the run will be faster and the delivery hours will decrease.  That doesn't mean they should cut all deliveries.