As we in Australia know, Australia Post is running at a loss when it comes to 'snail mail' as so many people these days have chosen to go 'paperless' when it comes to bills, bank statements etc., and of course emails and mobile 'phone text messages have become the order of the day. as a means of keeping in touch with others. Consequently, many less letters are being sent than many years ago when it was often our own means of communication with others.
Australia Post have come up with a way of lessening their losses on snail mail and from 4 January next year stamps for normal letter are going up quite considerably, possibly to as much as $1 each. This would mean that concession stamps at 60¢ would indeed be a bargain. But wait!! There's more.
In the mail this past week we received a letter from Australia Post telling us that as of 4 January next year all letters carrying concession stamps could take up to two days longer than 'normal' mail to reach their destination. "Whoops" thought I "if anyone is having a birthday we must remember to send the card a few days earlier."
Then I read on to find that if a person using a concession 60¢ stamp wanted their mail to be delivered in 'normal' time then they could add a priority sticker to their envelope. The only catch there.....the priority sticker would cost 50¢!! That would mean if we used our concession stamp and wanted the letter/card to arrive in 'normal' time it would cost us $1.10....10¢ more than normal mail (that is if stamps from 1 January are going to cost $1).
My reaction to this .... we will continue using our 60¢ concession stamps always bearing in mind we must be on our toes and post letters/cards several days sooner than we would have done in the past.
P.S. This year to post Christmas cards within Australia it costs 65¢ so using concession stamps does save us 5¢. One can't help wondering though how long it will be before concession stamps go up and how much our Christmas cards are going to cost to post come December, 2016.
I think this is a complete dog's breakfast. I have no idea how they plan to ensure that only the entitled use concession stamps, and am not happy at the development of a 'class' system for our mail.
ReplyDeleteI don't look on it as a 'class' system as the concession stamps are only available to those who hold pension cards, health care cards, senior health cards, dept of vet affairs card or vet's repat card and you have to apply answering all necessary questions to qualify. I think it is one way of assisting those who perhaps need a helping hand. A very small gesture when you really think about it.
DeleteI have no idea if seniors will hand stamps to family member of friends but after the first 5 free concession stamps you can only buy 50 in a whole year and if they are used for Christmas and/or birthday cards it doesn't leave a great number over for other uses.
I am not sure it is the best solution but hope I've explained it a little clearer that before.
50? You get 50 a year? We're only allowed eight packets of five which is 40 here in SA.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteI had no idea this was happening in Aus Post...Am now fully acquainted with UK's 1st and 2nd 'class' postage, the latter being the equivalent, I suppose, of concession and taking up to two days longer (but necessarily) to arrive.
The Priorty sticker sounds like a rort for those who are probably the only generation left who will really use the postal system for its original purpose anyway! It's a dying thing, I fear... YAM xx
Yam I think the two classes of mail in the UK have been in for a number of years whereas the concession stamps for certain card holders have only been current since either 2014 or 2013.
DeleteWhen I read about the 50¢ for priority sticker making mail dearer than normal postage I was astounded. Not a lot of clear thinking went into any of this I feel.
I still enjoy receiving a hand written letter but I fear the art if quickly dying and it only happens from people who do not have computers. Oldies that is.
I enjoy being in touch with folk on the internet but it's still not the same and yet it is good as I meet such wonderful people, such as your good self. xx
Hari OM
DeleteNo doubt, that snailmail card in the post is still a delight, and I do maintain that with a handful of dear pals - but as you say, majority have migrated to the electronic media.
Yes the mail system in UK is over a century old I think, but it seems from what you said that OZ post is trying to emulate that to some degree. (I also note today that I missed out 'not' between 'but' and 'necessarily'... 2nd class can sometimes reach the same day as 1st... and vice versa!) Honestly, AusPost may be doing the proverbial foot shooting with this one!!!
I agree about meeting folk online with whom one builds a raport... I met Charlie dog and his mum when I was in QLD last week - they popped by here a couple of times I think - but eye trubs have prevented much blogging for Lynn, sadly. We hit it off like old mates! Same is true of Merle in Sydney. ... Just wish I had been able to fit in a trip Westwards!!! &*> YAM xx
Sounds like a mess to me....an institution fighting to stay alive
ReplyDeleteDefinitely fighting to stay alive although their parcel post section is doing well with so many people buying goods online. I think they are concentrating much more on parcel post although that too needs a bit of jollying up. They lost one of my parcels this year and the palaver in trying to get some sense out of it all was too much so I gave up. It was a book costing $23 and I couldn't be bothered pursuing the matter after messages back and forth.
DeleteI'm thinking it won't be too long before the concession stamps go up, once the public has got used to the price rise for regular stamps. I thought the concession stamps would be a good idea for me as I used to send off quite a number of cards, birthday and Christmas every year as well as weekly crossword competition entries. Now I only send a handful of Christmas and Birthday cards and I've mostly given up on the competitions, but I'll still use the concession stamps for whatever little savings it gets me.
ReplyDeleteI too have that thought re concession stamps prices going up some time next year.
DeleteWe too will continue to take advantage of concession stamps particularly if 'normal' letter postage does go up to $1. That then would be a worthwhile saving.