How long will post boxes stay in use?
Discussion
I had to post a birthday card this morning, and as I was walking the short distance to the post box - there are at least three within a 10 minute walk from my house - I was musing about the efficiency of postal collections.
A quick Google tells me that there are roughly 115,000 post boxes in the UK, and that Royal Mail delivered around 8 billion items last year.
Simple maths tells us that if every item had to be sent through a post box and that they were evenly distributed across all post boxes and six days of the week, then there would be an average of around 75 letters in each box each day.
Of course the overwhelming majority of that volume won't go anywhere near a post box though, as I would imagine almost all but a few will be things like bank statements and utility bills that go nowhere near a post box, plus older people who still send Christmas cards will doubtless account for some of those that are still sent clumping together in a short period.
I'd imagine there must be many post boxes that have nothing posted in them for days or weeks at a time, yet they all need to be checked daily and periodically maintained. Even if they're emptied by posties on their rounds, that presumably means they have to return to their depot any time they do find a letter, which presumably adds to the wage bill at a rate which isn't going to be covered by a single letter or two?
Surely a time is going to come not too far off where it just won't make sense to keep them going?
A quick Google tells me that there are roughly 115,000 post boxes in the UK, and that Royal Mail delivered around 8 billion items last year.
Simple maths tells us that if every item had to be sent through a post box and that they were evenly distributed across all post boxes and six days of the week, then there would be an average of around 75 letters in each box each day.
Of course the overwhelming majority of that volume won't go anywhere near a post box though, as I would imagine almost all but a few will be things like bank statements and utility bills that go nowhere near a post box, plus older people who still send Christmas cards will doubtless account for some of those that are still sent clumping together in a short period.
I'd imagine there must be many post boxes that have nothing posted in them for days or weeks at a time, yet they all need to be checked daily and periodically maintained. Even if they're emptied by posties on their rounds, that presumably means they have to return to their depot any time they do find a letter, which presumably adds to the wage bill at a rate which isn't going to be covered by a single letter or two?
Surely a time is going to come not too far off where it just won't make sense to keep them going?
I see your point, but I think we're a very long way away from removal of such a service.
Yes, they're emptied by postie on their round. They have to return to depot at end of round anyway, so no extra work or time.
Simply, as long as we've got posties doing rounds, post boxes will remain.
They really are quite charming things too.
Yes, they're emptied by postie on their round. They have to return to depot at end of round anyway, so no extra work or time.
Simply, as long as we've got posties doing rounds, post boxes will remain.
They really are quite charming things too.
Richard-390a0 said:
As long as any government agency e.g DVLA still want cheques or docs sent snail mail there will be plenty of business for post boxes lol.
You mean like this... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2nlym5y2jo
GliderRider said:
Postboxes would be a lot more useful if they could scan the stamp or preprinted label and either print a receipt of posting or send one to your phone.
Currently one has to queue at the post office, sometimes for ten minutes or more, just for that small slip of paper.
You can get a digital proof of posting in the Royal Mail App if you pre-paid the postage (i.e. didn't use a stamp).Currently one has to queue at the post office, sometimes for ten minutes or more, just for that small slip of paper.
https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/de...
Obviously the proof of posting only appears after it has been initally scanned into the Royal Mail system after it has been collected from the post box so there is the risk of it going missing between the post box and that scan, but better than nothing.
think greener, and Christmas cards are landfill or recycling, innit blud.Short Grain said:
I still use the post for tv competitions as that's free from the, usually, £2 charge for entering online, or by text.
So 85p not £2 - a saving I guess, but only if they actually include those postal entries in draw... (yes of course they say they do, but do they, do they really?)SpidersWeb said:
Short Grain said:
I still use the post for tv competitions as that's free from the, usually, £2 charge for entering online, or by text.
So 85p not £2 - a saving I guess, but only if they actually include those postal entries in draw... (yes of course they say they do, but do they, do they really?)
Just a bit of fun.Sway said:
Yes, they're emptied by postie on their round. They have to return to depot at end of round anyway, so no extra work or time.
Simply, as long as we've got posties doing rounds, post boxes will remain.
They really are quite charming things too.
I’m not sure the postie on his round empties it then, I know one and all he does is get the parcels, letters to the customers letter box after being in the sorting office first thing.Simply, as long as we've got posties doing rounds, post boxes will remain.
They really are quite charming things too.
Another person I know has a box right outside his house, usually around 4pm a postman Pat van rocks up to empty said box, if he’s a few minutes early he even waits until the time on the box.
I can’t see them ever going, it’s always nice when you see a really old one, queen Vic type era.
When I first started in business 20 years ago the post man used to bring a massive pile of post every day. Easily 20 items.
We used to buy stamps 500 at a time. They would last us maybe a month.
Then we started sending invoices by email, so did suppliers. Tax went digital, bank statements etc etc.
BACS payments became the norm.
The cheque book ended up in a drawer gathering dust.
By maybe 2018 our post was down to one or two items a day, sometimes nothing at all.
When I retired a couple of years ago it was more like one delivery a week. I was going to the post box once every couple of weeks. At the start it was daily, sometimes twice a day.
We used to buy stamps 500 at a time. They would last us maybe a month.
Then we started sending invoices by email, so did suppliers. Tax went digital, bank statements etc etc.
BACS payments became the norm.
The cheque book ended up in a drawer gathering dust.
By maybe 2018 our post was down to one or two items a day, sometimes nothing at all.
When I retired a couple of years ago it was more like one delivery a week. I was going to the post box once every couple of weeks. At the start it was daily, sometimes twice a day.
lancslad58 said:
"plus older people who still send Christmas cards !
Why just older people ?
I don't know why, but a lot of people of working age and below seem to post on Facebook that they're making a charitable donation instead.Why just older people ?
Given that even poverty spec cards and second class stamps are likely to set you back around £2 each to communicate a message to people you're often in regular contact with anyway, it does seem perfectly logical to me, but I do wonder how many people actually make the charitable donations!
Similarly, when I was brought up in the Seventies, things like always sending thank you letters for birthday and Christmas presents was absolutely drilled into me by my mother, but that was a time when it cost a bloody fortune to phone long distance!
Today, she would still get the hump if she didn't get a thank you letter, whereas I would probably get alarmed that I'd inadvertently offended a family member if they thanked me for a gift via snail mail rather than calling to say thanks as part of a chat!
gotoPzero said:
When I first started in business 20 years ago the post man used to bring a massive pile of post every day. Easily 20 items.
We used to buy stamps 500 at a time. They would last us maybe a month.
Then we started sending invoices by email, so did suppliers. Tax went digital, bank statements etc etc.
BACS payments became the norm.
The cheque book ended up in a drawer gathering dust.
By maybe 2018 our post was down to one or two items a day, sometimes nothing at all.
When I retired a couple of years ago it was more like one delivery a week. I was going to the post box once every couple of weeks. At the start it was daily, sometimes twice a day.
Yep, my first office job involved opening the post, could take up to an hour each day to open and sort it all.We used to buy stamps 500 at a time. They would last us maybe a month.
Then we started sending invoices by email, so did suppliers. Tax went digital, bank statements etc etc.
BACS payments became the norm.
The cheque book ended up in a drawer gathering dust.
By maybe 2018 our post was down to one or two items a day, sometimes nothing at all.
When I retired a couple of years ago it was more like one delivery a week. I was going to the post box once every couple of weeks. At the start it was daily, sometimes twice a day.
When I started at my current company, about 8 years ago, we'd be sending all invoices out by post. We'd spend thousands a month on franking, and it sometimes needed 2 people to carry it all out to the sorting office round the corner. Nowadays it all goes by email. Likewise incoming mail has reduced from hundreds to half a dozen items a day.
ETA: Obviously this is business items, so doesn't directly affect post boxes, but the principle is basically the same.
I notice that most post boxes now say they will be collected at 9am but actually the Postie comes at some random time during the day.
It used to be that each box would have an accurate time listed when it would be emptied.
I imagine that broken boxes in suburban areas won't get replaced, or switch to being emptied every other day etc.
Or just move to a system like in other countries where you leave you outgoing mail for the Postie to pick up as they drop off your incoming letters.
It used to be that each box would have an accurate time listed when it would be emptied.
I imagine that broken boxes in suburban areas won't get replaced, or switch to being emptied every other day etc.
Or just move to a system like in other countries where you leave you outgoing mail for the Postie to pick up as they drop off your incoming letters.
Truckosaurus said:
I notice that most post boxes now say they will be collected at 9am but actually the Postie comes at some random time during the day.
It used to be that each box would have an accurate time listed when it would be emptied.
I imagine that broken boxes in suburban areas won't get replaced, or switch to being emptied every other day etc.
Or just move to a system like in other countries where you leave you outgoing mail for the Postie to pick up as they drop off your incoming letters.
Yep - our's says 9am but it gets emptied when the postie does his rounds (11am-2pm) It used to be that each box would have an accurate time listed when it would be emptied.
I imagine that broken boxes in suburban areas won't get replaced, or switch to being emptied every other day etc.
Or just move to a system like in other countries where you leave you outgoing mail for the Postie to pick up as they drop off your incoming letters.
I had to post something the other day, i had to google where the nearest post box was, ive lived here over 4 years and never needed one before.
Only post i get is either junk mail oh and council tax once a year, and tv license threatening letters.
40 years ago it would be a few everyday
Only post i get is either junk mail oh and council tax once a year, and tv license threatening letters.
40 years ago it would be a few everyday
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