Royal Mail Parcel Collection Service

Royal Mail is introducing a parcel collection service

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...s-up-service

On the one hand, this seems sensible, given the prevalence of online shopping and the current difficulties around contact with others. On the other, my understanding is that, in its wisdom, Royal Mail's management doesn't intend to create new jobs as part of this process. To think that a time-consuming process can be introduced without affecting the existing service, under which delivery staff are already stretched, is ludicrously over-optimistic. I wonder too whether the logistics and staff are in place to manage the myriad problems that will arise - I suspect not.

I had the leaflet advertising this and thought exactly the same.

It's a service that I would find quite useful as I currently work from home, so getting to and from the post office during the working day (something I used to do in my lunch hour when working at the office)is pretty much not an option. However, as you say, I don't think they have thought through the logistics of this service...time will tell.

Yes indeed. My Parcel Force driver is great (he even collects stamps), but he's very overworked. The postmen on their rounds change all the time, and the delivery service seems to operate on a shoestring, with little margin for error (illness etc). Things will go wrong, as they do with the existing non-Royal Mail collection services. My Hermes lady is fantastic, but Hermes's customer service isn't - and I suspect Royal Mail will run into the same difficulties unless it throws money and people into a really good back-up operation.