Royal Mail final posting dates

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So the final date for 1st class post is 16 December but given the strikes how realistic is it that something posted on 16th will get there before Christmas?
I am posting something tomorrow and I'm not really sure if it'll get there before Christmas. Considering going special delivery.

Honestly I wouldn't even risk it! I posted Christmas cards last Monday morning,1st class stamps, and so far one arrived on Friday and one today. That leaves 15 cards MIA!!!! I needed to post a parcel of Christmas presents to SIL and have actually gone with Yodel, as they're cheap and the drop off shop is at that bottom of my street.

Royal Mail are going out of their way to deliver in time for Christmas this year; they always do in my experience but especially so right now because of the strikes. I am quite impressed with them.

Yes, get your things in the post and they will almost certainly arrive in time.

I'm inclined to believe you LBFseBrom,but what are your sources for this comment

If you can afford it I'd go special delivery

My experience of receiving things does not make me feel like they are going out of their way. I really feel for small businesses who are having a nightmare dealing with disgruntled customers.

Following the previous round of strikes at the end of Nov/beginning of Dec we got no post at all for 2 full weeks so I have no confidence whatsoever that things posted now will arrive in time for Christmas. I’m still waiting for something posted first class on the 23rd Nov!

I was told today that even special delivery isn’t guaranteed, I paid the extra, item has to arrive by sunday at the latest, but apparently they aren’t prioritising letters at all not even special delivery ones. Also screwed over with my small business, paid extra to up the postage of everything sent last mon/tues, only a few have actually arrived. I don’t object to the strike as such, but my online business has really suffered.

I have put a Christmas card in a box purely as then it would be a parcel

I received a small parcel today that was dispatched on 29th November, first class! Yet I've had other post arrive within a couple of days. It's a bit of a lottery at the moment.

Your parcel is probably stuck on the inside of the pile and more gets added and moved from the outside of the pile.

I'm waiting for a 48 hour signed for that was sent over a week ago. I'm not sending anything using RM

Special delivery will be prioritised along with full track and trace services.

Signed for is barely worth the extra over 1st and 2nd class imho.

Anything else is a bit of a lottery I think. RMG must be haemorrhaging cash and small businesses that depend on them as well as Post Offices which earn commission only must be being crucified.

I am now boycott8ng companies using Royal Mailmas far as possible. I knownits not fair on them but there are other couriers and I need things t0 be delivered not sitting in a pile somewhere.

I ordered something yesterday and there.was an option for free RM delivery or 48 hour FedEx for £2.50.. it wasn't a hard decision. Another parcel I ordered on 48 hour delivery at the end of November is still on its way apparently!

That said we got some post today..Some of it was posted in mid November- luckily not urgent.

I don't trust RM, especially with the strikes. I ordered a vacuum filter from dyson on 30 Nov, which was handed to RM for delivery. RM still have my sodding filter nearly 2 weeks later. Annoying. I had to send some stuff to a solicitor last week and paid for special delivery as it would have been annoying to lose. 7 quid vs about 1 quid. So 6 quid extra for me to pay, to avoid their incompetence.

I posted two parcels second class on Friday and both arrived this morning.

I wouldn’t bother with Royal Mail. I have a number of items I’m waiting for and am getting a bit pissed off with it tbh!

I was in a post office today. The last date for posting second class was today (amended from 19 Dec) and for first class was 14 Dec! So hurry up!

I'm still waiting for a 48hr tracked delivery from the middle of November sooo

I posted 24 small parcels on Thursday, 1st class signed for, and they've all been delivered, most yesterday and the remaining few today. On Friday (a strike day) I posted 2 large parcels Special Delivery and they were both delivered today.
My online order from John Lewis, made Saturday afternoon, was delivered by Royal Mail today. I'm bloody amazed.

Royal Mail are going out of their way to deliver in time for Christmas this year; they always do in my experience but especially so right now because of the strikes. I am quite impressed with them.

Then why would they deliberately call their strike days in the run-up to Christmas? Do you think they somehow don't realise that December is always very busy with people posting cards?

If they were striking on some days and then working flat-out on the other days to ensure that all the Christmas stuff was delivered, none of the public would know - so what would be the point of the strike in the first place, other than to convince the bosses that they were apparently 'slacking' normally, if they could strike and still achieve the same level of output?

I think this is going to be the year when a lot of people will just decide not to bother sending cards at all - and then, come next Christmas, the habit will have been broken for good.

Most people now have various (free) electronic methods of instantly conveying their festive wishes; and if there are people you never see, speak to or hear from throughout the whole year and only ever 'stay in touch' out of habit by sending a card that says nothing more than "To the Wilsons, merry Christmas from Lisa, Kevin and family", then seriously what is the point of it all?

I posted my passport to the passport office first class last Monday AM and it hasn’t arrived yet..

Your parcel is probably stuck on the inside of the pile and more gets added and moved from the outside of the pile.

I wonder if there may be quite some truth to that. When the whole pile is taken and dealt with as normal, it doesn't matter at all; but if there's temporarily only the capacity for a small proportion of items to be sent, who on earth is going to deliberately dig down to the stuff at the bottom?

Reminds me of the old Del Boy tip to always wait and enter postal competitions just before the closing date, so that your entry will be near the top!

When the strike is resolved and the union is happy, there will be, IMHO, a reckoning

This may mean that people will not trust RM with their post and seek alternatives which in turn, will lead to job losses as letter post is going down whereas parcels volumes are going up

Other couriers are quietly waiting for RM to implode and then offering a better service at an acceptable price

I now use e-mail mainly as against a letter, it’s cheaper plus I can check if it has been delivered, read most of the ime

A birthday card I sent two weeks ago (1st class) arrived today.
Christmas cards I posted 2nd class last Wednesday arrive by the weekend.
Today I posted six cards (going to relatives who live near each other) in one larger envelope and sent it tracked to arrive by 1pm tomorrow. It cost £7.85 I would have sent them first class anyway so it would have cost nearly £6. I thought the extra was worth it to make absolutely sure they got there especially as there’s another strike Wednesday and Thursday.

DS is supposed to get a comic every Friday.

We ended up with two last wed. One from 10 days previous. And one from the Friday before. One due last Friday hasn't shown up. (Fortunately I held on to one which was late and gave it to him then - a week late)

I'm hoping it does before Friday, so at least he has one this week!

Its a mess. Fortunately DS is being patient about it.