Shrimpsvoices

Sounds as though Homebase,is on the list to close. Surprised that The Range will not be taking it on as they have been looking for a,site in the area including Lancaster Let's hope that someone can take the Homebas store and still retain it as a DIY outlet . Other than Wickes there is no other quality DIY place in the area.

Just as concerning, if not more so, for Morecambe residents is the possible closure of the main post office...

https://www.beyondradio.co.uk/news/local-news/morecambe-post-office-at-risk-of-closure-under-radical-shake-up-plans/

redrobo wrote: ...they have been looking for a,site in the area including Lancaster .....

Hopefully the search is over!
A ready made DIY shop, in a prime position,
(soon to be) near the biggest Tourist Attraction in the North!

John L wrote:Just as concerning, if not more so, for Morecambe residents is the possible closure of the main post office...

https://www.beyondradio.co.uk/news/local-news/morecambe-post-office-at-risk-of-closure-under-radical-shake-up-plans/

Does anyone miss Lancaster Post Office? Most of what they did can be done online and there's local post offices offering services only the larger post offices were able to provide. I mainly use Stonewell PO, very helpful staff.

Brian Sheldon wrote:

John L wrote:Just as concerning, if not more so, for Morecambe residents is the possible closure of the main post office...

https://www.beyondradio.co.uk/news/local-news/morecambe-post-office-at-risk-of-closure-under-radical-shake-up-plans/

Does anyone miss Lancaster Post Office? Most of what they did can be done online and there's local post offices offering services only the larger post offices were able to provide. I mainly use Stonewell PO, very helpful staff.

They probably don't as it's now situated upstairs in WHSmith, so there's still a service available not far from the old place.

One Stop recently ended their association with the Post Office, so my local branch in the Lancaster Road store has closed, meaning I have to go to the main post office in town to be able to send certain parcels, which is inconvenient enough, but if it closes too then I think the only ones nearby will be Bare and Westgate, assuming they offer the same range of services... and don't close as well! Seems strange to cut back on services when there are probably more parcels sent and received than ever, thanks to the growth of online shopping, but that seems to be the way of the world... making life harder for everyone.

I do wonder how Royal Mail keeps going I keep thinking that they will be the next big organisation to go under.

Used to make me laugh when you used to go and collect a parcel from Fenton street you would hand them your card and they would look at you if you say do you really expect me to find it!

John L wrote:One Stop recently ended their association with the Post Office, so my local branch in the Lancaster Road store has closed, meaning I have to go to the main post office in town to be able to send certain parcels, which is inconvenient enough, but if it closes too then I think the only ones nearby will be Bare and Westgate, assuming they offer the same range of services... and don't close as well! Seems strange to cut back on services when there are probably more parcels sent and received than ever, thanks to the growth of online shopping, but that seems to be the way of the world... making life harder for everyone.

They're trying to push services out to postmasters instead of head offices, a result of the Horizon scandal.

John L wrote:Seems strange to cut back on services when there are probably more parcels sent and received than ever, thanks to the growth of online shopping

I think Post Office were very late to the party with online shopping and were behind the likes of Evri (previously Hermes, Collect plus etc), DPD, Amazon, etc., especially with things like Sunday deliveries, lack of live tracking etc., and had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the modern World to compete.

Lots of places accept parcels for, say, returns, such as Matalan and other supermarkets, lots of small garages and convenience stores accept Evri and DVD parcels, there are more and more Amazon lockers appearing plus other lockers for both receipt and return of online shopping parcels. Of course, places like M&S, Asda, etc have their own "boxes" in store for online returns of their goods.

Even post offices are starting to accept Evri parcels which is strange as they're competing against themselves, but I suppose it drives customers into post offices in the hope of buying other things.

Quite surprised the other day as we ordered something that turned out to be delivered by DPD, and we got an email giving us the option of having it delivered to the local co op if we weren't going to be in at the scheduled delivery time. Our son who lives away gets the option from DPD of having parcels delivered to a nearby garden centre if he's not going to be in.

Far more convenient to pick up and drop off from other places as they're usually open later at night and usually open on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, unlike post offices.

I think ultimately, it's the restricted opening hours of post offices that will kill them.

I've recently had to return goods to a supplier and used the home collection service of the Post Offfice and found them excellent even providing a return address label if I had no computer.

So credit where due. Arrived tocollect on stated time and tracking of package available.

Our local spar have started taking deliveries and it's chaos in there now it's more like a setting office than a shop.

I agree the lack of tracking killed royal mail DPD could give you a slot within an hour where as royal mail you used to have to sit in all day and then it wouldn't turn up!