To think that first class postage is now very, very expensive?

[Lookandlearn]

Will be doing local deliveries myself and investing in a carrier pigeon!

46p seems a lot considering it doesn't guarantee next day delivery!

you can't get a loaf of bread or a bottle of milk for 46p. You can't get most bars of chocolate for 46p! yet you can get a letter from one end of the country to the other in one day (sometimes 2 yes, but normally 1) and people think that's expensive?

Items you post within your local area for delivery in the same area, will in all probability be delivered next day whether they are 1st or 2nd class.

Items you post for delivery further afield with a 2nd class stamp will be put to one side whilst 1st class post is prioritised at the mail centre.

Knew that info would come in handy some day

From memory Royal Mail certainly never made a profit from letters, it was always heavily subsidised by their other operations (and historically from the old days of huge state support for the postal network). This was always the irony of allowing competition for postal services - nobody else ever wanted the letters business unless they could get all the other stuff thrown in too.

They also suffered terribly from a civil service background in terms of working practices - their competitors are prepared to be far more ruthless. No compulsory redundancies, that sort of thing.

I should add I haven't done any work for them for 10 years or so - things may be a-changing now.

Not very expensive at all, agree with those who say it was too cheap to start with. Think about what has to take place for your letter to get from A to B. It's still cheap.

Good points everyone. It's just a huge hike in price at what is an expensive time anyway. And just considering how expensive Christmas cards will be to send. Makes another thing that I used not to think about feel like a luxury. I know it might not seem much, but we are lucky to have people send gifts for birthdays and christmas, like to send notes by post not email and our budget it tight to bursting. Would cost eight to ten pounds now for posting set of thank you notes. We'll still do it of course, but it's another ouch. Albeit not a "we can't eat" but a pinch nonetheless.

Personally I don't think it's expensive at all. I recently posted a card at a quarter to five here in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and it was with my sister in Northampton the next morning with her postman! I am very happy to pay for that kind of service.

Considering that in many countries, you don't get doorstep delivery and have to collect your mail from a PO Box, there is no timescale agreed for delivery and security is negligible - I think Royal Mail is exceptionally good value for most services.

I think it's tres efficient how they can manage to get your letter so far in 24 hours for 46p!! When you skinflints complain about the cost, I think you're just taking the service for granted.

"BramshottTue 05-Apr-11 14:47:13
It's gone up a lot! That's why I bulk bought 300 stamps last week"

would you care to expand on that?

i think it's good value - anywhere in the country for 46p - try and do this any other way and work out the cost - TBH I doubt they make any profit at all on this -

where else can you send a item of mail from one end of the country to the other for 46p,a bargain i think

you probably spend £3 on a costa coffe without ??????

personally think YABU on this

As a current employee of Royal Mail: First class is delivered to the main sorting office in that area, sorted and dispatched to relevant delivery/sorting office office by 9pm every night: hence next day delivery.

Second class is put to one side and sorted up when the night shift start and sorted throughout the night, dispatch is 5am the next morning to relevant delievery/sorting office: sometimes it may get delivered the next day (esp. if within same area of posting) but not by any means as likely as first class.

And if you think 46p is expensive, wait till privatisation happens

Coffees at costa bit the dust at around the same time as magazines, curries, cinema trips, haircuts except twice yearly; hardly bread line but watching the pennies!

Cat - no, not a guerrila post office (though that's quite a good idea )

I am self-employed and get through quite a lot of stamps. This way I can protect my clients from the postage price rise for a couple of weeks, and then I will start to charge on the new prices.

I thought you got a bulk discount and was preparing my business model accordingly

Ah, but come next year, you could bulk buy before the price rise (this year would have been 41p), and sell to your colleagues at slightly less than the new price (this year, anything between 43p and 45p) - thus making yourself a profit!

I must say I do have a stash of elderly Xmas stamps, I must have saved anythoing up to £1.25 by now