Why are the Post Offices that are located inside W H Smith branches so poorly run?

[Hadders]

Back in the day a Post Office counter used to be a license to print money. Hasn't been the case for around 15 years now as sub=postmaster commission rates have been dropped and many things that used to be routinely done at a PO counter (e.g. car tax, paying out pensions) no longer happen in the volumes they used to. These sort of transactions also earned the highest commission rates.

This is one reason why Post Office Limited have cur the number of branches they run themselves and why staffing levels at many branches are low.

 

[IanXC]

How many Crown Post Offices are actually left? I have a feeling the final batch were all closed in a 'big bang'?

It's interesting to note that Post Office Counters have busily disposed of Post Offices, replacing them with franchises, but are currently piloting "Post Office Bank Hubs" which, as far as I understand it, are operated directly by them.

 

[tom1649]

Matlock still has a Crown Post Office. They tried to move it but as there's no WH Smith in town and nowhere else suitable it's still in the original building.

 

[Djgr]

Has nobody mentioned the extremely subdued lighting in WHS branches?!

 

[Hadders]

It's interesting to note that Post Office Counters have busily disposed of Post Offices, replacing them with franchises, but are currently piloting "Post Office Bank Hubs" which, as far as I understand it, are operated directly by them.

The shared banking branches is interesting. Much as I would like the project to succeed I doubt we'll see a roll out unless someone (i.e. the banks or Government) stump up a fair bit of cash as I cannot imagine the sort of transactions these shared branches provide will be remotely profitable. If they were profitable the banks wouldn't have closed their branches in the first place.

Pendant alert - Post Office Counters was renamed Post Office Limited a few years ago. POL is still state owned and is separate from the privatised Royal Mail Group.

 

[IanXC]

The shared banking branches is interesting. Much as I would like the project to succeed I doubt we'll see a roll out unless someone (i.e. the banks or Government) stump up a fair bit of cash as I cannot imagine the sort of transactions these shared branches provide will be remotely profitable. If they were profitable the banks wouldn't have closed their branches in the first place.

I'm more optimistic than that. If you think of an example of a place which maybe had 5 banks represented, each would have 2 or 3 staff, and each is paying for the overheads of the building etc. Replace that with 1 building and maybe 3 or 4 staff and you're potentially doing 4 times as many transactions as any of the original bank branches, yet have marginally more than a 5th of the cost. Then add in whatever fee you charge the banks for usage of the meeting rooms...

As I understand it the technology and processing fees are exactly the same as those used in other Post Office branches, where the fee for each transaction is broadly representative of the cost and is generally seen to be representative of the cost incurred.