Steve Brine has revealed how Winchester’s new Post Office inside WH Smiths is starting to affect some small businesses in the city.
As reported in The Hampshire Chronicle, some are now using other branches - in one case as far away as Wickham - because they say the delays are costing them money. They are also upset that some post office counters in WH Smith are not being fully staffed. Royal Mail has admitted that it can be busy at times, but insists that it has enough employees at the High Street branch, and that all vacancies have been filled.
However, some traders disagree, including Robert Brown. He is joint proprietor of the Winchester Book Shop in St George's Street, which is 50 yards from WH Smith. He said: "It's almost right next to us, but time is money and I can't afford to stand in a queue for half an hour. used to post my books in the morning at the main post office, but now I tend to use the one near the Westgate or in Weeke on my way to work."
Simon Scantlebury from World of Beads in Parchment Street also avoids the new branch where possible. He lives in Waterlooville, but says he often stops in Wickham on his commute to avoid the central Winchester office. He said: "Certainly the queues are definitely longer without any shadow of a doubt.
"With the old main post office you could get in and out in five to 10 minutes, but not anymore. The thing is, we can't say to our customers that we're going to charge them a bit more because Winchester doesn't have a good post office. We can't pass on the cost to our customers if we want to compete. I think the post office needs to get more staff."
Prospective Conservative MP for Winchester, Steve Brine, has taken up the traders' case.
He said: "It is very worrying to hear from certain parts of the Winchester business community that the post office is starting to affect them. In the current business climate they need to spend every moment available running their businesses and serving their customers, not queuing to post their mail. The post office promised to listen to their customers in Winchester, and we promised to feed back to them how it was working out. This is another sign that things are not running at all smoothly."
A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We are concerned to hear a number of customers have reported lengthy queues at this branch. There are certain days that are busier than others, but we constantly review this to ensure the branch operates as efficiently as possible. There are currently no vacancies at the branch and we make sure we have enough counters operating to meet customer demand. Post Office Ltd and WH Smith continue to work hard to provide a good level of service to customers in Winchester."