In the old days, you had to go to the Post Office to buy stamps. Then newsagemts started selling them, then other small shops, petrol stations maybe and supermarkets. Oh great! Yippee! No more queuing in the Post Office which in the hour between 1pm and 2pm - the only time I'm allowed out in the week-closes all its desks except for one, resulting in huge long queues. So I'm in the Co-op. Any 1st class stamps? Sorry, we've only got the ones for big envelopes. The Spar shop? Nope. Just 2nd class. The newsagent? Sorry, completely out of them. Try the petrol station, which is a longer walk. Sorry, not got any. Try the 'pound shop'. Pound shop has a notice on the door that was there when I passed on the way to the petrol station 'Back in 5 minutes'. Post Office? Well I don't have any time left now for the length of queues they have. Should have just gone there in the first place!!! GRRRRR!!!!!
Although I don't have much need of stamps these days ( lucky 'cos they are sooo expensive )whenever I go to a Post Office there are long lines like you find. There are usually more than one person serving too. It makes me wonder because I didn't think people used "snail mail" much these days so what do they go there for? Parcels sent overseas? I know there is a lot of that these days as families are spread out all over the world.
ReplyDeleteCertainly changed days with stamps, plus a lot of other things.
ReplyDeleteI remember in the 60's I went round to a shop when we lived in Essex as I wanted to buy a birthday card. "Sorry we don't sell birthday cards on a Sunday" ! I was told. Now even bookies are open on a Sunday.
Helsie: I use post a lot less than I used to but why did I want stamps recently? Well I find it useful to have a book in my purse. By snail mail I send birthday cards, cheques to pay for things - one-off things where you haven't set up a DD like holiday cottage booking or tradesmens' bills(some people don't have card facilities or even if they do it sometiimes costs extra to pay that way). Being attorney for my Dad I have had to send awkwardly sized packages of forms and it's quite hard to get the price right nowadays without going to the PO and getting it measured and weighed and everything. Parcels too, UK or abroad.
ReplyDeleteAnn: That made me laugh. No birthday cards on a Sunday. Yes, how times have changed. You can even get booze on a Sunday now. Unthinkable a couple of decades ago.