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Post by allanorn on May 2, 2017 20:23:45 GMT
I was reading about Royal Mail (UK) and they have two different postcard/letter rates. First Class (domestic) is more or less guaranteed to get there next working day, while Second Class (domestic) has a guaranteed delivery time of three working days. First Class stamps cost a bit more for that guarantee plus some insurance (as of 3/2017 the difference is 9p). Royal Mail UK also has two classes for international mail.
Here in the USA that isn't the case: it's one class for letters and postcards, and a domestic letter will get to its destination typically within three working days. We have varying international rates based on destination, but those only come into play if it's a package or more than a one-ounce letter.
In this conversation, I'd like to ask: first, does your country have multiple classes of mail - and second, if you do, which one do you typically use and why?
For this discussion let's keep it to personal letters and postcards only, and you're free to ignore those circumstances in which it's not efficient to use a different class of mail. For instance: UK international delivery times for Second Class vs. First Class make it obvious that First Class is really the only way to go for a very small surcharge.
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Post by obakegaippai on May 2, 2017 21:04:43 GMT
I'm in the UK. I once contacted Royal Mail to ask whether 2nd Class mail travels by road, as opposed to air, but they said it's not that simple. I was asking because I'd rather not increase demand for domestic flights where possible, but it seems that there's no way to avoid it for sure, so I tend to send letters 1st Class. I've sent birthday cards via 2nd Class a few days in advance before, and it's *always* on those occasions that they manage to deliver it the next day! The one time you actually want them to take their time (I try to get cards to arrive on the day where possible) When it comes to international mail, I've sent post via Economy (by sea) before and it's always been treated as Standard (by air). A Post Office clerk once told me that 9 times out of 10, Economy mail gets put on a plane anyway! (FYI, the time periods you quoted are delivery 'aims', not guarantees; neither 1st nor 2nd Class are guaranteed to arrive within a given period. Also, the level of compensation (£20) is the same for both 1st and 2nd Class.)
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Post by allanorn on May 2, 2017 23:50:13 GMT
I'm in the UK. I once contacted Royal Mail to ask whether 2nd Class mail travels by road, as opposed to air, but they said it's not that simple. I was asking because I'd rather not increase demand for domestic flights where possible, but it seems that there's no way to avoid it for sure, so I tend to send letters 1st Class. I've sent birthday cards via 2nd Class a few days in advance before, and it's *always* on those occasions that they manage to deliver it the next day! The one time you actually want them to take their time (I try to get cards to arrive on the day where possible) When it comes to international mail, I've sent post via Economy (by sea) before and it's always been treated as Standard (by air). A Post Office clerk once told me that 9 times out of 10, Economy mail gets put on a plane anyway! (FYI, the time periods you quoted are delivery 'aims', not guarantees; neither 1st nor 2nd Class are guaranteed to arrive within a given period. Also, the level of compensation (£20) is the same for both 1st and 2nd Class.) I found it interesting that the UK provides insurance for First Class mail - we don't have that for letters/postcards or even Standard Mail packages (used to be called Parcel Post). That's interesting that international mail would be mostly Standard even on an Economy stamp; that can be a decent chunk of savings for a 20g letter (90p vs. £1.40). However, I guess there's the risk that it would end up on a boat and take 12 weeks to get somewhere! Has there been any discussion of going to one class of mail? I imagine the costs of running two classes may not be worth it.
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Post by obakegaippai on May 3, 2017 5:22:36 GMT
Has there been any discussion of going to one class of mail? I imagine the costs of running two classes may not be worth it. I've not heard anything about it, but I imagine the RM discuss all sorts of aspects of their operations on an ongoing basis. The RM is a part of British tradition, which a lot of people hold very dear, so I can imagine changing to one single class of mail would create quite the controversy!
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Post by allanorn on May 3, 2017 16:10:55 GMT
Has there been any discussion of going to one class of mail? I imagine the costs of running two classes may not be worth it. I've not heard anything about it, but I imagine the RM discuss all sorts of aspects of their operations on an ongoing basis. The RM is a part of British tradition, which a lot of people hold very dear, so I can imagine changing to one single class of mail would create quite the controversy! I don't know if it would, since it would be dependent on implementation details. The USA had distinct airmail service (vs. land-based) domestically until the 1970's and had two classes of international service (air vs. sea) until the mid-1990s. If most everyone uses second-class mail for most of their UK deliveries and Standard for international, there may be little resistance towards those level of standards. With online and/or card payment for most things, it's likely to be a small shift in expectations (at least domestically).
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Post by obakegaippai on May 3, 2017 21:35:12 GMT
I don't know if it would, since it would be dependent on implementation details. The USA had distinct airmail service (vs. land-based) domestically until the 1970's and had two classes of international service (air vs. sea) until the mid-1990s. If most everyone uses second-class mail for most of their UK deliveries and Standard for international, there may be little resistance towards those level of standards. With online and/or card payment for most things, it's likely to be a small shift in expectations (at least domestically). Trust me, there has been a lot of resistance when even relatively minor changes have been made (or even proposed) to Royal Mail. The reaction to the privatisation in 2015 shows how strongly people feel. It's a beloved, long established British institution - up there with tea and crumpets and Buckingham Palace - and there are a lot of traditionalists who balk at RM's attempts at modernisation or restructuring. Having two classes of mail is an inherent part of their offering, and I can't see it changing, even if from an outside perspective it would seem to make more sense to have only one. But, you never know what will come to pass, especially now that it's privately owned and faces stiff competition from other delivery companies...I guess time will tell.
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checkrail
Crayons
Posts: 20
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Country I live in is: ScotlandGB
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Post by checkrail on May 20, 2017 19:56:58 GMT
First and second class postal rates in Britain are relatively recent and were invented in the late 1960s, put into effect on 16 September 1968. Prior to that inland mail could be sent at Letter or Printed Papers rates.The idea was a revenue raising trick essentially based on the idea of charging a premium first class rate for what formerly was all part of the service. It is now sufficiently long ago for many people to think what is now First Class is a kind of premium service when in fact it was the other way round: First was orginally the standard service and Second a new deliberately deteriorated one.
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Post by allanorn on May 21, 2017 4:09:23 GMT
It is now sufficiently long ago for many people to think what is now First Class is a kind of premium service when in fact it was the other way round: First was orginally the standard service and Second a new deliberately deteriorated one. Interesting information. Amusing how time will do that to an offering; what was a lesser service offering choice becomes an economy/premium selection. I see it all the time in airlines, but I digress. From a business and even consumer perspective I don't have a problem with offering a lower class of service after the primary has been established, if the consumer demands it and it's acceptable and/or competitive. It's plausible that the ongoing concern could finagle the consumer into accepting a lower-grade option - the Beeching cuts could have been on everyone's mind in 1968, or postal rates went through the roof in years prior - but at least it exists and it's a relatively cost-effective option. Compare to the US Postal Service, where a letter is 49 cents but can take 2-4 business days to get to most places. If I want (better) guarantees, it's US$6-7 to get it there within 2-3 business days or ~US$20 to get it there overnight!
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