Posting times
I received a yoke from An Post yesterday, as I suppose most people did. It was one of those flyers that gives last posting dates.
There was a severe health warning at the top –
The moment you send a card, it’s Christmas
What?
So if I nip down to the post office today and post a card, I am going to arrive home and find the house all decorated, and Herself dressed as Santa lying pissed under the mistletoe?
I’m very glad they warned me, so this year I shall wait until midnight on the 24th December before posting anything. Just to be on the safe side, I won’t post anything until then, so if you are expecting a cheque, it’s not in the post.
Anyway, are they not aware that times have moved on a bit?
There was a time when we used to post all our stuff in November. All the begging letters looking for money used to head off to the relations nice and early to give them plenty of time to respond. But now we are in the era of electronic whatsits and that is ancient history.
According to their flyer, I have only three weeks left to save up for a stamp if I wish to send something to my cousin Bill who is busy cutting down the Amazonian Rain Forests. They reckon it will take three weeks to get to him. Are they not aware that I can send him an email that he will receive within a minute or two?
They really should buck up their ideas.
For those of you who are doing the sensible thing and sending off the usual “Hi, Hppy Xms, GD” then here are the last posting dates:
| Ireland | Dec 24th 23:59:55 |
| N. Ireland | Dec 24th 23:59:55 |
| Britain | Dec 24th 23:59:55 |
| Europe | Dec 24th 23:59:55 |
| USA/Canada | Dec 24th 23:59:55 |
| Central/South America | Dec 24th 23:59:55 |
| Australia & The Pacific | Dec 24th 23:59:55 |
| Rest of the World | Dec 24th 23:59:55 |
You must admit that that is quite simple. Believe me it is a lot less complex than the yoke I received.
At the bottom of the flyer, there is a competition.
Complete in 15 words or less:
This year I will be doing my Christmas shopping at the Post Office because……
My entry:
Security is shite and it is easier to rob than the bank.
Am I in with a chance?
The lead new story in my paper this morning was that our post office lost over 28 billion last year, No sense robbing them, they don’t have any money. Come to think of it neither do the banks.
Ooh, thanks for the posting times. I’m going to print them out and stick them on my fridge. You’re so useful, GD.
This year I will be doing my Christmas shopping at the Post Office because……
. . . the service is so slow I won’t get to spend any money
Well, thanks for the warning! With family on four different continents, it’s good to know. I have for years relied on electronic cards and photo sites to send my greetings. It’s easier and faster than the postal system here. Sending a card has got so expensive, that between buying the card, driving to the post office and sending it, I could almost fly to London. 🙂 I’m a procrastinator anyway, so these hours suit me fine – thanks Grandad!
Jim C – That was very careless of them. Have they looked behind the cushions? That’s usually where I lose my money.
E Mum & Tricia – You are welcome. I always endeavour to provide a public service.
Ian – That could be a winner too? I’ll send it on your behalf.
So are those missing 4 seconds the time it will take our wishes to arrive at the recipient’s phone/inbox/something?
Not that I’m going to be sending any. In fact any that are sent to me are going straight into the junk folder…
Yup, here’s ours… the very last thing I wanted to see today was a snowman telling me to hurry up and spend my money.
Well done on the competition answer: it’s winning material all right.
TheChrisD – I am assuming that the Interweb will be busy, so I have allowed 4 seconds for traffic delays, road closures and fog.
Susan – Aren’t they very generous giving us a free stamp?
The best thing ever is now being able to order stamps on line from the post office and have them mailed to you. No more standing in line for an hour. I could never figure out who was the most to blame. The dickheads in front of me, or the lazy ,slow as shit cunts behind the counter. Post offices suck the world over. There seems to be an international brotherhood of bone idle, ignorant post office employees. I went into a post office in Barbados. Beauty everywhere. Yet it sucked the same as the one in Salford,England. Or Shithole,Alabama, and Wankerrooney Australia.
Marvellous, first prize awarded… maybe you could write their new slogan for TV commercials !!
This, I surmise is a complete fantasy……
Ireland Dec 24th 23:59:55
N. Ireland Dec 24th 23:59:55
Britain Dec 24th 23:59:55
Four seconds to spare!!! Are you Santa?
If so, can I’ve a pony? If not, you must be the anti-Santa. Please take my next door neighbour’s stereo system. I can’t take any more Neil Diamond.
An Post has one of the worst management teams in the country, and it shows ever so often in public.
They are only beaten to the winning post by Eircom (who were No. 1 but have dropped to second place) and ESB, who are holding the top position now for at least two years.
Personally I do not celebrate Christmas, and since I have no family or relatives left, there is no-one who expects a card or present from me. So I guess I am safe.
But I am suffering for quite some time from “stupid postman syndrome”, which means that I get mail for other people, while not receiving some of the mail I am supposed to get. Ireland is trying to catch up with the Italian postal service, I presume.
15 years ago any letter from anywhere in Ireland to any other place in the country took one day. Now I have letters in the same town going for 3-4 days, and the record so far is a manuscript that was sent to me in a large Manila envelope. For the distance from Limerick to Waterford it took exactly 28 days (!!!), according to the date stamp. In that time you could walk the distance twice. So perhaps it is time to reintroduce the old-fashioned messengers on horseback to the service of An Post…