normal post office postage going up !

[completerookie]

has anyone just heard the news, 1st class is going up
A first-class stamp will rise in price from 46p to 60p from 30 April
A second-class stamp will go up from 36p to 50p

wow - I wish I could put my prices up this much

[Mike Hughes]

I can't quite decide if I think the bosses at Royal Mail have been incompetent for the last 5-10 years or whether it's all part of the typical privatisation plan to rake in the money when they finally shake off the government hackles.

Probably a bit of both.

Mike

[leehack]

I've always felt that the price to send something first or second class is ridiculously cheap. What it costs them to send it has never really bothered me. If i can send something on one day, arrive 95% of the time at my destination the next day, i'd never personally expect to pay anything less than a £1 to do that.

I realise the % hike in price will take the headlines, but what you get for that 60p is really incredible in my eyes. To have been getting that service for 25p in years gone by was probably one of the best value services any of us have ever bought IMO.

Less and less mail is being sent, so they have cost cutting to do with less post to work with, that can only turn into price rises because they have to maintain a certain level of infrastructure to provide the service.

[saucysal]

We have been spoilt

I agree with Lee. We have underpaid for postage on letters for the past 100 years, and have got used to that. It isn't surprising that no other carrier has offered to deliver letters. I can remember when stamps were 2d - that gives my age away! In those days it was a Government service and wasn't supposed to make a profit.

The work/transportation involved in delivering a letter is much the same as delivering a package that somebody is paying £5 for.

Sarah

[Jan]

Stock pile stamps .. that's my advice, buy them from costco as well so that you get them cheaper in the first place

... and send less letters, email invoices whenever you can rather than post them or pop them inside the parcel, we only mail invoices to new customers and to customers that ask for them, we email by default, saves time, money and just a tiny little bit of the earth's resources.

Regards,

[mje]

Hope they are increasing it for the junk mailers too.

I use the Royal Mail everyday, go to the CO-OP with my plastic bag,queue for ages some days, flirt with Dawn, and personally have no complaints, the cost "is what it is" and gets passed on in full anyway.

For small stuff, there is no comparable alternative ?

[saucysal]

Yes, still cheapest for light stuff

In my case, the Royal Mail is still the cheapest way to send goods in UK up to 1 kg, even for First Class with 77p added for Recorded/Signed For. Above 1kg we find other carriers cheaper and with better tracking.

Sarah