To get really annoyed at Monday morning post office queues?

[wizardora]

Our local post office always has a queue round the block of elderly people drawing their pensions, it takes over an hour to get to the front & drives me bonkers so I always avoid it if possible.

I am genuinly curious, is there a reason why pensioners can't get it direct debited into their bank and use a cash point to withdraw the money?

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar - but you have just said

''It's the SAHMs SAHPs who clog up the shops, banks and post offices dutring my lunch hour that annoy me''

And I said

''Our local post office always has a queue round the block of elderly people drawing their pensions, it takes over an hour to get to the front & drives me bonkers so I always avoid it if possible''

So how am I being very unreasonable and you aren't?

YABU as there is an alternative which has been suggested = on line postage, which you couldn't be bothered to look into for yourself. However, you expect OAPs to look into alternatives to convenience you. As I often say to the dcs 'the world doesn't revolve around you'.

If the pensioners should find other ways of getting their pension then you should get yourself a printer, weigh your letter and print your postage label at home. There is absolutely no reason for you to clog up the post office for a simple letter.

YABVU in case that wasn't clear.

If the pensioners all went to the bank instead people would be moaning about them causing long queues at the ATM or the Cashier's desk when 'other people' need to use them and were on their day off work.

Ok points taken I concur that I am being unreasonable, bearing that in mind likely won't stop me feeling annoyed the next time I have to use the Post Office on a Monday though Btw I still need to queue to get things stamped even when I buy it online at mu PO

FranSanDisco - how on earth do you know I haven't looked into online postage myself?!?!
I used to do that but you still need to take it to the post office to get it stamped

If you know that Monday morning is when the pensions are given out, go on a different day.

I am being unreasonable. That was my point. It's a PITA that other people want and/or need to do stuff at the same time as me. But there's nothing to be done about it.

Not sure what you mean by "I still need to queue to get things stamped" - are you sending it recorded / special delivery?

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar - oh right I see. I know there's nothing can be done about it but I was asking why people don't get pensions paid into banks and would rather queue for hours in the PO, which I now know

Bramshott - yes sending recorded

Sorry, see that Monday morning is the only time you can go.

Wizardora, your OP didn't mention that you had gone to lengths to avoid having to queue, including on line posting, hence my assumption you were just complaining without looking at solutions. YA still U though.

you know what'd save all of these complaints?

more post offices.

but no the Post office is shutting dow nPost Offices left and right and bloody centre becausethey don't think they need them!

so, now, in my town, there used to be 2 post offices in town and another in the neighbouring town (which is really part of the same town), but they closed one of the ones in town down, and when the old postmaster in the other bit left, they didn't replace him (get this - not because they couldn't find anyone, but because they wanted to sell the franchise to the next postmaster, rather than taking it on as PO and then employing a postmaster), and so that closed down too

So now we have queues halfway down the town every day, and only one post office where there used to be 3.

that's what the problem is, not when people go.

Wizadora - Post Offices do not like people who have paid for their postage online then go to the post office to get their receipts stamped etc. The Postmaster does not get paid for doing this (he gets paid on the amount of postage he actually sells). So you are in effect increasing the post office queue and inconveniencing other customers (ie pensioners) who are carrying out a transaction which is actually making money for the postmaster concerned!

Pensioners are the lifeblood of small Post Offices.

Perhaps "do not like" isnt a good term! Sorry. Just meant they are not contributing to the profitability of the Post office branch concerned.

Wizardora - you keep saying you don't know why the pensioners don't use the banks and cashpoints - along with many others on this thread, I have given you several reasons why this is, and you appear not to have noticed them.

Have you discovered that you can pay over the internet and print off a label you can stick on parcels or letters of any size. Google 'post office online parcels'. You have to register as if you are a small or medium business but that's no problem. You create an account and pre-pay about £5, and then you are away. You just need some scales to know how heavy things are - I use my kitchen ones.

I use it once or twice every six months. It can be very useful when its difficult to get to a post office.

i swear our local post office has a plan to maintain the length of the queue. if there are fewer than 20 queuing up, they take one person off until it gets to the right length again.

during one of the usual 25 min queing sessions, they actually had one member of staff at the head of the queue flogging bloody household contents insurance

"Are you interested in household contents insurance?"

"No, i am interested in posting a parcel. If you could go and stand behind the counter, maybe you could serve me/"

It's the same in shops. Elderly people often stand chatting to the cashier long after their goods are paid for. Don't think they realise that the person behind is busy/needs a wee/is late for work/desperate to go and buy a doughnut.

I think some elderly people get very lonely. Pension day is a chance to chat to their peers.

I see them in the morning at around 8.30am queing up outside in the cold even though it doesn't open until 9.30am. Might be their only outing that week.

:(

I was sat in GP waiting room yesterday morning and overheard two middle-aged men complaining about the number of small children around and one of them even said "why can't they come in the afternoon instead?". The gist of it was that they, as working people, were higher priorities than kids.

I didn't have DD with me at the time, but did my best to give them a very cold stare, until they shut up.

(But I do agree with OP about Post Office queues. Our Post Office was awful in the run-up to Christmas with older people queueing up for their one stamp to USA/Australia, and always on the last posting date. I've tried online postage but I think our Post Offices need a better method to buy postage - like the machines they used to have in French post offices, where you could weigh anything from a letter to a parcel and print your own postage.)

It would be a lot easier on everyone if there were some sort of 'sorting' payment macnie that you could put your letter or parcel in and pay with a card or cash so you didn't have to que for ages just to post something.

But why do all the OAPs have to go in on a Monday? What's wrong with the rest of the week?

The govt. could easily stagger the payment days out over all 5 days of the workweek (money for A-C surnames first available on Mondays, E-H surnames on Tuesdays, I-L on Weds, etc.), so why does it continue to be Mondays?

StayingDavidTennantsGirl - actually I have noticed the reasons and have already said as much, read the thread

don't worry peanutbutter, the govt is on it already

Benefit payment changes that start from April 2010

The changes also affect the payment of State Pensions. If you reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010 you will be paid in arrears on a day linked to your National Insurance number. This means you will be paid at the end of your pay week, not from the start. Your payday is the day you normally receive your payment (sometimes called your ?pay week-ending day?).
National Insurance number

Your National Insurance number (NINO) is the number you get when you first start work or claim a benefit. It is normally shown on the letters The Pension Service sends you.

The Pension Service will use the last two numbers of your NINO to work out your new pay week-ending day, as shown in the following table.
Last two numbers of National Insurance number Pay week-ending day
00 to 19 Monday
20 to 39 Tuesday
40 to 59 Wednesday
60 to 79 Thursday
80 to 99 Friday

For example, if your National Insurance number is QQ 12 34 56 A, your pay week-ending day will be Wednesday.

from www.direct.gov.uk/en/Pensionsandretirementplanning/StatePension/DG_069498