A Stampless (Euro) Post Office

A friend of mine just returned from Spain. While in Madrid, he and a Spanish friend went to a big urban post office. It was not the main PO in Madrid but a large enough branch to have 6 or 7 clerks waiting on people.

They waited for service via a "take-a-number" system. They waited (for a while) and when they were waited on by the clerk, they asked to buy some stamps. My friend wanted to send postcards. Lo' and behold, the clerk was shocked at the request and said they didn't sell stamps. He said they might be able to find some at a cigar store or someplace like that.

HUH???

My friend said people were mailing packages via meter mail and doing other things, like filling out governmental forms and probably paying bills - but NO stamps.

And we silly Americans are complaining about the USPS just planning to close a few post offices. At least, (well, the last time I checked, anyway) we can still get stamps at the PO.

Strange alright.

Going to a cigar store to buy stamps is crazy. BTW - did the cigar store tell you to go to the PO to get cigars?

Chimo

Bujutsu

Spain is a strange country. They leased the sealing sealed paper (and stamp) monopoly to the Tobacco Trust. So, you should go to the tobacconist to get your stamps.
Nevertheless, they also sold stamps at post offices until someone had the "clever idea" that Why to use a stamp when you can put a printing saying "paid at the PO"? So, they stopped selling stamps on PO. But you need them when posting on a post box. Buying them, off course from the tobacco shop.
To make "things better", they keep on issuing a lot of commemorative stamps just for collectors (nobody see them on covers) and make a lot of money by printing customized stamps (charging 1.35 € for a domestic letter stamp, when the normal price is 0.37€).

I understand that people living in normal countries are surprised...

Thank you, Cursus, for that explanation. And that explains why my friend was told to go visit the cigar store for stamps.
It seems very backwards to me (and others), but I suppose it makes sense to those who live there.

Well, Spain it's a very backwards country, in spite of what Spanish say. That's why we, Catalans, want to break free from it.

I have read about that movement in Catalonia .. very interesting .... it seems like a lovely place.

It is, indeed (if you allow a Catalan to say this!); although somewhat small, for US standards. You can learn many things about Catalonia, just going through the "Barcelona and Catalonia Cinderellas" thread.

Over here in the Netherlands, all post offices have been closed a few years ago. All that is left now are small counters in supermarkets and tobacconist's where you can buy stamps (only in booklets of 5 or 10 definitives, sometimes if you are lucky they will have commemoratives as well) and have letters franked. But in that case you cannot choose, you will get a thermally printed meter stamp.
Apart from that the situation is pretty much the same as in Spain: lots of commemoratives and personalised stamps, only no-one ever sees them on a letter.

Interesting thread. It brings up several questions.
1. Is the catalog (whichever one or all) going to continue listing Spanish stamps, but with a footnote that they are now private issue (similar to the breaks for republic to independence, etc. that the use now)?
2. Does Spain still issue postal stationery (ie, postal cards or prestamped envelopes? and if so are these only sold at the tobacco shops.

Anyone know?

This will make the stuff even harder to get than Andorra stuff, which one can never find (the newer stuff can't even be had on ebay).

Just curious.

Just to make things clear. The Spanish PO keeps on issuing stamps (about 35 stamps since January 1st 2013). But You can just buy them from a few main PO, aside from the Spanish Philatelic Service. You can find some stamps at tobacconists, normally definitives, and just a few values. You, rarely see stamps on commercial mail.
You can also order personalised stamps at 1.3 € with a minimum order of 25 items. These stamps are valid for domestic mail (0.37 €), but you seldom see them circulated. Its goal is to get money from collectors.
The Spanish PO keeps on issuing stationery in order to get money from collectors ww.

In Italy and France, too, people since many decades are used to buy their stamps in shops and not at their post office. In Germany the Deutsche Post is gradually closing all its branch offices and letting do its front business to grocers or similar shops. Additionally a lot of private postal services not connected to Deutsche Post are opening and (sometimes) doing good business.

In some Western European countries, it was possible to buy stamps on a number of places in addition to PO. The strange thing is not to be able to find stamps.
I recall just last summer in Rotterdam (Holland) trying to locate a PO to buy a very modern FDC (the London 2012 Olympics issue), without any success. I've traveled around most of Europe and it's the first time that it happens to me.
I miss the time when we used to be proud of our Europe...

Interesting. So do any of you know if one can purchase Andorra postal stationery direct? For some reason this material seems hard to come by.

Andorra is a 2.5 h driving from Barcelona, 5 km from the Catalan city of la Seu d'Urgell, we go there for skiing, trekking or shopping (taxes are lower than EU ones).
I've been there a number of times.
At the French PO (downtown Andorra la Vella) you can buy a lot of philatelic/postal items including plenty of stationery (I've done it), like this one:





As for the Spanish PO, nearby the French PO, there was nothing for sale. They told me to contact the Madrid (Spain) Philatelic Service...

Cursus: Thanks for information. Years ago, when I was in L'Estartit (and BArcelona) I picked up stuff from the local post offices. Wish I could wander over there these days! So, is there a philtelic sales department within Andorra? Or does one have to go to the French and the Spanish postoffice philatelic sales department? Thanks agian for your help.
I noticed the French item was a cancelled item. Do they hand cancel all items sold, or can one get uncancelled mint items?

Hi Post! I hope that you enjoyed your time in Catalonia.

As for Andorra, in Andorra la Vella (Catalan for "Old Andorra"), the country's capital, there are two PO: the Spanish and the French. This is because Andorra has no postal system on its own; instead, Spanish and French PO, handle the postage. Nowadays, with the euro, this is very simple, but I remember the times when you'd to save some French francs to be able to buy French Andorra (as we call the French PO) postal items.
So said, there are two PO in downtown Andorra la Vella. The Spanish PO, on a dark side street (an ugly place, I must say!), just handle postage and place the awful "PO paid" postmark on anything. No philatelic department. They tell you, in Spanish, to go to the Madrid philatelic service.
By contrast, the French PO, a lightly place on the riverfront, has a full array of postal and philatelic items for sale. The assistants are very nice, speak Catalan (they're Andorran, not French!). You can buy mint items, FDC's or have your items cancelled, as I did.

Please, tell me what Andorran items do you need, and next time that I'm in Andorra (perhaps in May or June) I'll do my best to get them for you.