To be confused by the post office

[OhHoHoOhNo]

I have loads of stamps that I need to use up before next year so I've been using them to send parcels.

In the past the post office person would check the weight, add up the stamps (usually tell me I was under), and give me a proof of postage if I asked for it. Then take the rubber stamp thing and Frank the stamps.

A couple of months ago they started omitting the franking step.

Then today they omitted checking the weight and the stamps. The lady just put them on the floor. I asked if she wanted to weigh it and she said no.

There wasn't a massive queue, and it wasn't easy to count up the stamps at a glance, you'd need a calculator. I could have done with a proof of postage but it all happened so fast 😆 it wasn't closing time, or postal collection time.

Is this common practice now?

Bump

Post office worker here. Cancelling the stamps with the rubber stamp is so they cannot be used again , and so the sorting office know ttheyve been checked. Some post office clerks know, and do this, others don't 🤷🏻‍♀️ not even checking and weighing your parcel suggests to me the clerk is thinking they won't get paid for your transaction, so why waste the time checking if you have the right postage on your parcel. If incorrect, the recipient will have to pay the extra, plus a fee. Not their problem

Thank you very much for your message!

Does the post office as a whole mind that sort of behaviour? What if I complained? I used to do mystery shopping at the post office but not for a few years now.

Wouldn't the sorting office be annoyed and tell post offices to not be lazy? The money for the stamps has gone to the post office - aren't you paid a wage irrespective ?

It's entirely possible that I made a small error and I should have spoken up to get it checked. Equally I should have asked for a proof of postage.

There's a sign in the post office that urges you to use up your stamps before next spring.

In rereading my message it might sound like I'm whining at you in particular but I'm really not, just asking questions :-)

The postmaster gets paid per transaction, a clerk will get their wages however many transactions they do. If it was the postmaster serving you, this may be why. The sorting office is Royal Mail, which is a totally separate company to post office, and it is them you have paid for the stamps, via an agent, the post office. I personally would not be annoyed at you doing this, but I find PO workers and their 'rules' differ greatly. I used to work with someone who didnt let people send more than 3 parcels at a time, even if there was no queue 🤔 but she was bonkers and had all kinds of funny rules

Next time just ask for proof of posting, you'll probably get an eyeroll, but ignore it 😊 or find a PO with friendlier staff 🤣

Thank you! I'd like to - they closed our lovely big main post office and downsized to two positions in a basement of another shop.

I had no idea about royal mail and the post office being different.