Do you think that Royal Mail will be around in 30 years?
Posted by Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 31 comments
Seems massively out of date and inefficient. Any one can post a letter through a slot. Silly cards when items not delivered rather than leaving like others and short depot hours for collection, Unreliable and dated compared to other systems IMO. Family member works at London office and says that workers take the piss and are all over the hill. Do you think it will even be around in the future with other delivery services out there and post declining?
Final-Imagination-27@reddit
They won't be around in 10 years... they literally serve no purpose. They don't deliver letters, I had a letter all about a cancer check, a full week after the appointment, luckily I also had a text and an email, prior (all clear, but a massive scare) next day parcels ALWAYS turn up 2-3 days later.
Just get rid, if they aren't going to do what they exist for, and nobody is going to force them to do it, then what use do they have?
Scarred_fish@reddit
Yes.
Given that no other delivery service is actually capable of delivering something, I think they've got a sound position.
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit (OP)
Strange in my experience almost all others are better
SpicyParsnip@reddit
How can you say that when no other company delivers mail?
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit (OP)
Parcels
SpicyParsnip@reddit
But RM also deliver mail, which no other company does, so yes, RM will still be about in 30 years unless the current owner manages to palm it back to the government somehow.
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit (OP)
Who cares about mail any more? My post infers its declining. Once boomers are gone, will anyone care about mail.
SpicyParsnip@reddit
Its already evolving, soon mail will be done on alternate days only, apart from 1st class which will still be daily.
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit (OP)
Fancy way to say it’s dying.
No-Locksmith6662@reddit
If companies will pay them to deliver piles upon piles of junk mail and “To the Occupier” letters through everybody’s door then I’m sure they’ll be around in some form or another for a long time to come.
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit (OP)
Surely that’s a declining service as well?
No-Locksmith6662@reddit
Paying a company to deliver your advertising through every door in the country, no electronic algorithms to pander to, no ability for the recipient to avoid it? Even though I despise all the rubbish that gets posted through my door you can't deny it is a genius marketing strategy. Even if a fraction of a percentage of the leaflets that get sent out get converted into a sale then that's an immediate profit.
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit (OP)
Online can micro barge based on tastes
No-Locksmith6662@reddit
Exactly. Based on tastes. Royal Mail goes to everyone, regardless of tastes so you're bound to snag a few customers who wouldn't otherwise have seen your ads.
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit (OP)
It’s a very dated method. Micro ads and analytics are much smarter way.
No-Locksmith6662@reddit
If you say so
diabiological@reddit
As an ex-worker absolutely yes, they will never embrace the concept of competition (because there isn't any) even if there was a nuclear and zombie apocalypse together it would not change a thing, they would remain there and yet annoyingly inefficient.
herne_hunted@reddit
The inefficiency is because they have a legal duty to deliver everywhere. They're losing money hand over fist delivering to out-of-the-way places whilst their competitors rake it in doing the easy deliveries where lots of people live close together. Try getting a DHL to Lundy.
Millefeuille-coil@reddit
First class stamp will be £45
themcsame@reddit
Whilst the saying 'too big to fail' is touted a lot for companies that certainly can fail. I'd highly suspect any risk of Royal mail going under would see a Government bailout.
They'll keep doing shit until they can par off the letters side of things to the Government or something, because it's unprofitable and Royal Mail want it gone.
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit (OP)
Can they rely on parcels when they are a poorer service than others except evri.
themcsame@reddit
Can't say I can relate personally. RM are just about the only courier that actually knocks or rings the doorbell and waits as opposed to just dumping everything outside the front door.
Arse ones round my end are Yodel (so many packages ~~get stolen~~ go 'missing' when sent by via Yodel), Evri (just generally shit) and Amazon (basically fly tips your packages at your door and fucks off without making a peep of sound).
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit (OP)
Some really bad ones but RM tracking is terrible. Also they seem reluctant to leave even small boxes at a property. I had to go to a depot for a gift of 8 chocolates from a photographer. Had no idea until I got it home after waiting 30 minutes and 20 minutes driving and parking.
ResplendentBear@reddit
It's already in the death spiral of rising prices and enshittified service. Same thing got Pizza Hut earlier this week.
I imagine given it's seen as a vital national service it will continue but with increasingly infrequent deliveries and spiralling prices.
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit (OP)
Is it a vital national service? Internet has been around for 30+ years and boomers are dying off. Surely other systems are placing whatever is essential in post?
ResplendentBear@reddit
I said "seen as". Change is always held back by the slowest and least able to adapt.
Rubberfootman@reddit
“Any one can post a letter through a slot”
Early_Enthusiasm_787@reddit (OP)
It’s true. Amazon pay by the parcel and are way more reliable. Yes it’s gig work but a better service.
Optimal_Collection77@reddit
I think it will be around but in 30 years it will be so heavily automated that you won't recognise it.
The final mile will be tricky so there might still be postman and women but it's going to be 1 person covering a massive area and paid peanuts. The rest of the place will be mostly automatically collected and sorted
Pocket_Aces1@reddit
Royal mail have been the default delivery service (for letters at a minimum), for decades. It would be an absolute catastrophe if they went into liquidation. Just like any private company that becomes an "Essential" service for the public, when in need, will get bailed out by the government. But don't worry, the hard working bosses will still be able to keep their bonuses year on year 👍
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