please dont close the post offices!!! (Should we save the Post Office?)

Member Name: sparky111

Product:	Should we save the Post Office?
Date:	04/11/08 (85 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: helping the locals

Disadvantages: if closed then workers could lose jobs and homes

Should we save the post office?

well my answer is yes!

I used to work at a small sub post office 5 years ago in the rural community of Alwalton near Peterborough it was a beautifull little thatched cottage which is also a grade two listed building, so we had lots of tourists come and see the village and its historic sites around, it was a family run business and was a real god send for the villagers and especially the pensioners who couldnt travel.

The only other retailers in Alwalton was a pub and restaurant which again was a listed building, a swallow hotel nearby, and a holiday let home for tourists.

The town centre was about 6 miles away so was quite a trip, and the nearest supermarket was about 2 miles away and the busses only ran once an hour at that time.

The post office i worked in also had a small convenience store for the every day essentials like bread and milk but we did expand it and provide the items locals asked us for, just to help them out, we also did the evening papers, we couldnt do national papers as they were provided by a paper deliverer who was 83 years old!!! he was well known as the oldest paper boy for miles, and every one liked to see his friendly face of a morning, he also rode around on a really old fashioned bike.

I worked there for 10 years and loved every minute of it, even though we were the target for robberies and armed raids, whilst i was there we had 6 robberies and two armed raids one of which was quite a bad one he came into the shop where i was serving with a hammer and a knife demanding money from the post office, while the other member of the gang stood at the door to stop anyone getting in, they got a lot of money in the process and did lots of damage in the shop by smashing glass everywhere with the hammer, it was terrifying but the police did catch them thankfully.

To start with we had a roaring trade as customers used to cash their pensions and child benefit, but when that stopped things got a lot harder in the way of trade, the bosses of the post office should try to find ways of people needing them more instead they are turning customers away, the other day i went into my local post office to pay my water bill as i like to try and give the post office some of my business, but was told i needed to pay a fee for paying my bill!!!! its absurd the bank dont charge anything, thats not the way to make revenue post master general is it!!!

The reason i left was because i fell pregnant, but it was sold on anyway, and it now has tea rooms in the upstairs of the property too.

I had lots of good times there and still miss it somewhat now, i think it would be such a shame to lose these quaint little places and would be a real loss for the community.

I strongly believe that especially the rural communities need services like the post office its easy and convenient for them, not to mention the staff losing their jobs and in some cases their homes.

Summary: it would be a dreadfull loss.