Rant

[eezypeazy]

Sometimes my blood just boils.....

Today I had to post a birthday card to my niece in Canada.

Now firstly, I’m appalled that a city the size of Newcastle upon Tyne has just two post offices to serve it – one in the centre, the other to the north of the city centre.

All I needed to do was post the card to Canada. But that means it has to be weighed, and an airmail stamp affixed, by a counter assistant.

I queued for twenty minutes. That’s twenty minutes out of my valuable lunch hour. Add ten minutes to walk from the Quayside to Eldon Square, and that’s two thirds of my lunchtime gone.

Now, I’m not an unreasonable person. But can anyone explain why pensioners, who have free travel to get to and from the town, need to be queuing at lunchtimes?

And to top that, two of them ahead of me in the queue, when they reached the counter, placed debit cards into a card reader, asked the counter assistant for cash, and entered pin numbers.

SURELY THEY COULD HAVE JUST GONE TO ANY CASH MACHINE ANYWHERE! BUT NO, THEY’D RATHER WASTE EVERYONE’S TIME IN A POST OFFICE QUEUE!

And so, I finally reached the counter.

“I hope you’ve been good,” I said to the assistant.

“Why?” she replied.

“Well, haven’t you heard? I have it on good authority that there’s a special part of Hell reserved for naughty post office counter staff. It looks just like the world, except you’ve got to queue for twenty minutes for EVERYTHING!”

She was not amused.....

PS: This part of Hell is next door to the part reserved for post office delivery staff. That bit looks just like the world, too, except you get everything when it’s been tossed about in the back of a Transit van, trodden on, and stuffed through a letterbox when it blatantly won’t fit...... three days late.

PPS: When the last post office finally closes its doors for the last time, please join me in a celebration party......

PPPS: Even Margaret Thatcher didn’t have the bare-faced cheek to try to privatise the Post Office...

 

[theblackwatch]

Now, I’m not an unreasonable person. But can anyone explain why pensioners, who have free travel to get to and from the town, need to be queuing at lunchtimes?

This is something we discussed at work a few months back, after I'd got back from the Post Office one lunchtime. We worked out that the Post Office queue is actually somewhere for these pensioners to meet up every week (or day?) and have a natter with each other whilst they wait to buy their 2nd Class stamp!

 

[CallySleeper]

Now, I’m not an unreasonable person. But can anyone explain why pensioners, who have free travel to get to and from the town, need to be queuing at lunchtimes?

I find this unreasonable. They can queue whenever they like; if queues are longer at this time, allow extra time or make alternative arrangments. Live with it. They can't be prevented from doing something just because it happens to disrupt your working day.

Ever heard the saying, "respect your elders"?

And so, I finally reached the counter.

“I hope you’ve been good,” I said to the assistant.

“Why?” she replied.

“Well, haven’t you heard? I have it on good authority that there’s a special part of Hell reserved for naughty post office counter staff. It looks just like the world, except you’ve got to queue for twenty minutes for EVERYTHING!”

She was not amused.....

Yeh, small talk. Doesn't really go down well with some people. They've got a job to do, other customers to serve, money to make, not polite conversation. (Plus another proportion may not understand anyways)

 

[Craig]

if queues are longer at this time, allow extra time or make alternative arrangments.

What alternative arrangements do you suggest to someone who works full time who's only opportunity to visit the post office is in their lunch break?

 

[Darandio]

I can see what you are all saying but I have to agree with eezypeazy simply because it isn't just confined to pensioners. I have seen people in our local post office where after I have queued for quite a while ask for a 'BALANCE'.

Now maybe I should not have been looking so closely but the card involved is generally of the Barclays variety.

If this was a rural post office then I wouldn't have a problem but the local branch of Barclays is 250 yards around the corner.

Like other people have said, it seems to be a meeting point, especially at lunchtimes.

 

[Mojo]

Now firstly, I’m appalled that a city the size of Newcastle upon Tyne has just two post offices to serve it – one in the centre, the other to the north of the city centre.

Never been there so I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, but the Post Office website shows over 30 post offices in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

I queued for twenty minutes. That’s twenty minutes out of my valuable lunch hour. Add ten minutes to walk from the Quayside to Eldon Square, and that’s two thirds of my lunchtime gone.

I've always found the queues at main post offices dreadful. Before they closed a few Sub-offices where I used to live, queues were often 20 people deep, I dread to think what it's like now.

Now, I’m not an unreasonable person. But can anyone explain why pensioners, who have free travel to get to and from the town, need to be queuing at lunchtimes?

I've always wondered why they have to all be on the first bus after 9am, I'd love a lie-in if I could get one!

 

[Tom]

I think he meant main post offices, not all have the facilities...

 

[Craig]

Never been there so I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, but the Post Office website shows over 30 post offices in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

They're not all in the city though. One of the ones shown is Belsay, which is about 15 miles away.

 

[eezypeazy]

Thank you, Craig... and, what makes this worse is that the number of people who actually live in the City Centre is relatively small... so, our dear pensioner friends have foregone the delights of the suburban offices ("This is a local post office for local people, there's nothing for you here...") to join the queues in Eldon Square......

...... (takes multiple deep breaths, goes to lie down in a darkened room...)

 

[Tom B]

I can see what eezypeazy says. Basically, some people can only do things at certain times of the day - often their lunch hour. OAPs can do it at any time of the day, they aren't restricted in when they can do it - so why do they choose to do it when everyone else has no choice? Why not do it before lunch?

 

[devon_metro]

Much like how OAPs insist on jumping the bus queue!

 

[mbonwick]

[rant]
Yep, I had an 80 year old who ramdomly started prodding me, while I was sat waiting for my bus, before telling me to '**** off because I want to sit down'

I told he with that attitude I would not let her sit down, but she pushed 1 of my mates of and sat down anyway!

Anyway, when I get up and go to the front of the queue for my bus (I was there 1st!), yet again this bat tells me '**** I was here 1st'

I pointed out that she was wrong and things could have turned nasty except the bus driver ( a friend) heard her and told her that he would refuse to carry here (in the bus ) unless she shut up and didn't cause any more trouble!
[/rant]