In message , at 15:47:39 on Tue, 8 Dec
2015, Neil Williams remarked:

The new Post Office has just two windows, plus a "parcels reception
desk". Normally they again have just two staff on duty. For whatever
reason the queues are now much shorter, although this may be a result
of them having institutionally dumped almost all the types of business
other than weighing and stamping letters and parcels.

Or because it is much more convenient for the majority of the
population to access Government services online rather than via the
post office. The future of the post office is in my view local shops
able to offer postal[1] services.

Almost all the ones round here are exactly that. Some sort of
convenience store with a couple of PO counters shoehorned in at the
back. The new one here is a "Costcutter".

[1] That assumes a postal service even has a future. It doesn't seem
to do anything a courier can't, other than universal service, which
could be offered in a different way.

Oddly enough there's only one of the various franchises of courier
drop-off in the town, so I use the Post Office Parcelforce facility for
that (despite otherwise preferring other parcel deliverers on balance),
as well as typically mailing things costing £1-£3, which are cheaper
than a courier wishes to deal with. Post Office also tends to much
cheaper for overseas things.

The thing I've used Post Offices for, other than mail, is getting an
updated photo Driving Licence and having them check passport
applications. If they weren't available to do those, someone else would
have to pick up those functions.
--
Roland Perry