UK postage rates

[HowardKennitby]

Heard something on the radio earlier today about Royal Mail wanting to put up the cost of 2nd class post by over 50%.
That will certainly reduce the number of crosswords I enter unless I can do them on-line.
Will such an increase affect many puzzlers on here?

[gingejbee]

When I heard it, it seemed to suggest that 2nd class is going to be dearer than 1st. How's that going to work? Or, didn't I hear correctly?

[HowardKennitby]

First will be going up too.

[daisya]

They put the postage up every year in April, but not heard this one and the hike they want to impose on us because we don't have a choice to use another service provider!!! It will not only affect puzzlers, it will affect senders of cards and people keeping in touch by letter to name just a few! Talk about pricing themselves out of business if this goes ahead...they are really playing into the hands of being privatised but isn't that what they've wanted all along? Sigh...

[Ann]

Beggars belief how high stamps can go! A birthday card is a now a present in itself!! Its the same with prescriptions, they rise higher and higher, how on earth do people under 60 afford it? I'm so grateful for my free ones now, a wonderful 60th birthday present!

[JonnyBoy12]

I have heard this very bad news as well. Is it possible to place a petition online to stop this obscene increase? There should be some law to stop this vile profiteering.

[sir.prize]

This is what Yahoo says:

The cost a second class stamp is set to increase from 36p to 55p from April.

[SpikeyBush]

Well on 31st March I will order a wheelbarrow full of second class stamps. Nine times out of ten they arrive as fast as first class.

If the price rises continue, then before long a minicab will be cheaper.

[Ann]

There was an article in the paper recently advising people to stockpile books of stamps before the deadline. As they only say "2nd class" on them you can use them whatever price they cost to buy. I'm off to get some tomorrow, may get all the ones for my Christmas cards too .................

[JonnyBoy12]

Is there nothing we can do about this then? I think that they have advised us to buy as many stamps as we can afford now to beat the price rise.

[Ann]

Haha - its perhaps a marketing ploy to get us to buy more stamps, then they won't increase the price at all!

[daisya]

I guess we'll be thwarted in buying before the increase which, by the way no one ever seems to oppose over the years...they will probably stop us buying so many at one time. I always buy lots before each April just to try and save the pennies (pounds really when it comes to it)...but how to stop this price increase seems impossible because most people seem not to care (majority of people that is).

[Buenchico]

Vile profiteering, JB12?
Royal Mail made a 120 million pound LOSS in the last financial year! That's why postage rates have to rise. Even so, UK postage rates will only be around the EU average (and far lower than countries like Norway and Denmark, where it costs over a pound to send a local letter).

[Caran]

I do a lot of crosswords but always use first class as I don't trust second class to arrive before closing date. I do 4-5 on a Sunday, another on Monday and others as and when. I will be stockpiling stamps.

[Ann]

Do you ever win any prizes carandrog?

[daisya]

Why have they made a loss?

[Jemisa]

Do as I do buy a book of 1st class stamps every week with my shopping on line at Tesco, you'll have a stock of them to carry you through a while.
I believe the increases start in April.
#
jem

[Caran]

But when you think about it bulk buying can be very expensive. A book of 12 is about a fiverish. 5 books £25 10 books £50, who can afford that on a pension?

[Ann]

Put like that car, really brings it home to you ........... its disgraceful.

[Caran]

Ann, not done too bad a few £25 prizes over the years and I did win Barebones a year or so ago. That was Giant Collins English Dictionary and Collins Thesaurus. Still waiting for the big one though.

[Ann]

Maybe they will soon be offering prizes of books of stamps !