The Postal Service A to Z Challenge

I confess I have no real understanding of how the internet works. It's like magic to me. I have come to realise, over the years, that for most people the postal system is like the internet. They drop something into a big red box somewhere and, like magic, it appears in the place they want it to be (or sometimes not, but we'll get to that later). Prior to the Christmas rush I usually post some advice for the public to help them get the most from the service we provide. This year I thought I would extend this advice and try and point out some useful information about the functioning of the postal system and some of the pitfalls that mean packets don't reach the person they are intended for. About 15 years ago (or so) Royal Mail sent out a little leaflet about the change to the system of stamps, introducing 'large letter' stamps. I personally think it would save us a fortune to repeat this and remind the general public about how to use the system. I will try and keep the sarcasm to a minimum because for many of the students calling in at the Customer Service Point this may be the first time they have ever posted anything, so I smile sweetly and point them in the direction of the Post Office. But to the young woman who couldn't be bothered to walk that far, and when D told her it could be paid by the recipient (failing to point out that only 10% of people pay for surcharge items), decided to drop her student finance application into the post box without a stamp, tough luck pet, you won't be getting any money any time soon. So between October and December (rather than pressuring myself to do it in one month) I will be posting regularly on subjects of postal service interest.

Stay safe. Be kind. Post early this year.