Leader - No way for the Royal Mail to treat customers
Once it was viewed as one of Britain's great institutions. Today its reputation lies in tatters. The Royal Mail used to be a source of national pride, an employer with great traditions that cared for its workers and its customers.
Once it was viewed as one of Britain's great institutions. Today its reputation lies in tatters.
used to be a source of national pride, an employer with great traditions that cared for its workers and its customers.
Its behaviour in recent times, however, has been that of a Johnny-come-lately shark.
Not content with increasing the cost of posting letters by up to 39 per cent, it is indulging in sharp practices to make sure it protects all of its profits from that shocking rise.
Savvy shoppers – and, no doubt, those from April 30 will no longer be able to afford to post a letter – have been stocking up on stamps before the price increase.
That has led to a run in local shops with sales volumes increasing by up to 500 per cent.
Ocado and Asda are among those who have reported a shortage.
You might have expected Royal Mail's response to be simple: print more.
Most retailers, when demand increases, move to satisfy by increasing stock.
The Royal Mail, however, operates in a different world. Rather than increase supply, it has introduced a form of rationing.
Retailers have been told to limit the amount sold to customers.
We know that the Royal Mail has faced problems with the rise of the internet and increased competition. But penalising customers and retailers marks a sorry day in its once-great history.
Such sharp practices are distasteful in the extreme.
Pensioner puts best foot forward:
You have to admire the chutzpah of 79-year-old Bridgnorth woman Marjorie Waterhouse.
Stuck on the side of the road, having missed her bus from Shifnal to Telford, and not wishing to part with £11 for a taxi ride, she opted for the only option available to her: to walk to Telford.
At a time when obesity is on the increase and couch potato-ism is at an all-time high, plucky pensioner Marjorie showed the rest of us how it is done.
A member of the get-up-and-go generation, Marjorie put her best foot forward and has since raised huge sums for charity.
She is a true inspiration to us all.
