Charles Ellson wrote:
On Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:39:53 +0000, Bruce
wrote:

Charles Ellson wrote:
Frank Erskine wrote:
Yes - _MOST_ people do confuse Royal Mail with Post Office Ltd
(formerly Post Office Counters Ltd) , which is a quite separate
organisation.

Separate as in wholly-owned by Royal Mail Group Ltd.

Post Office Ltd run the outfit with places where you can queue up, buy
stamps, queue up, bank, queue up, hand in parcels for delivery etc,
whereas Royal Mail are the folks who trudge around the streets most
mornings (or afternoons!) shoving stuff through letterboxes.

That is Royal Mail Group Ltd. which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Royal Mail Holdings plc.


In the past, the Post Office owned the Royal Mail. More recently, the
Post Office has been *owned by* the Royal Mail.

That's all about to change, or may already have changed. The two are
to be permanently separated.

Royal Mail is due to be privatised soon while Post Offices will remain
in the public sector. A ten year agreement has just been signed
between Royal Mail and the Post Office covering their new commercial
relationship as separate entities. In future, Post Office counter
services will be supported by the Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills.

"Supported by" ? I detect more meaningless HMG guff.


I apologise for my choice of words. My choice, no-one else's.

The word I should have used is "sponsored".

On 14/02/2012 10:23, Neil Williams wrote:
On Feb 14, 12:08 am,
wrote:

No idea. I just use the automated postal machines when and where I can,
mainly to avoid surly staff.

I use online services and the "print your own postage" service these
days. Covers most things except registered post and the likes.

Neil
Yep, that also works.

On 14/02/2012 06:29, Neil Williams wrote:
On Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:11:39 +0000, "
wrote:
The Royal Mail has undertaken a redesign of its branches. Instead
of
queuing in a line, you take a number from a machine for the type of
service that you require and approach a counter when your number is
called.

The Swiss do that, and it's a good system as it means you can prepare
paperwork more easily while waiting.

Neil

I think that the Dutch and Germans also do that.

schreef

: On 14/02/2012 06:29, Neil Williams wrote:

: On Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:11:39 +0000, wrote:
: The Royal Mail has undertaken a redesign of its branches. Instead
: of
: queuing in a line, you take a number from a machine for the type of
: service that you require and approach a counter when your number is
: called.

: The Swiss do that, and it's a good system as it means you can prepare
: paperwork more easily while waiting.

: I think that the Dutch and Germans also do that.

The queue ticket system is common in many European countries, including
Belgium, in all kinds of offices and businesses.

Colin Youngs
Brussels

Arthur Figgis schrieb:


There probably aren't all that many places where the situation arises -
there would generally be lights and barriers, or no safety systems at
all - but in general I think people would wait for a train.



Why?



Hans-Joachim

Am 15.02.2012 23:03, schrieb Colin Youngs:

: queuing in a line, you take a number from a machine for the type of
: service that you require and approach a counter when your number is
: called.

The queue ticket system is common in many European countries, including
Belgium, in all kinds of offices and businesses.

The other method is to ask (aloud) "Who is last?" and then look for
that person, and replying to the next arrival asking "who is last?".



Cheers,
L.W.

Lüko Willms wrote:

The other method is to ask (aloud) "Who is last?" and then look for
that person, and replying to the next arrival asking "who is last?".


That's too simple, Lüko, and in any case, we don't talk to strangers!

--
Alex

On Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:58:04 +0000, Alex Potter
wrote:
That's too simple, Lüko, and in any case, we don't talk to
strangers!

There is the similar barber shop variant, in which you are expected
to work out who is before you without a visible queue or asking.

Neil

--
Neil Williams, Milton Keynes, UK

On 18/02/2012 00:50, Neil Williams wrote:
On Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:58:04 +0000, Alex Potter
wrote:
That's too simple, Lüko, and in any case, we don't talk to
strangers!

There is the similar barber shop variant, in which you are expected to
work out who is before you without a visible queue or asking.

Or doctors, where you do that but while feeling ill, and often with a
language/comprehension barrier (until they started fitting LED screens,
hurrah).


--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

In message , at
00:50:46 on Sat, 18 Feb 2012, Neil Williams
remarked:
There is the similar barber shop variant, in which you are expected to
work out who is before you without a visible queue or asking.

No, you don't need to know anything about the people who arrived before
you. All that's necessary is to know is that of all the people still
waiting, you were first to arrive (and therefore saw all the others
arrive after you).

The same is true at pubs where the staff are too incompetent to note the
order of arrivals, and ask the customers "who is next".
--
Roland Perry