Royal Mail’s ‘neighbourly’ delivery service has a hidden cause

Staff unload vans at Royal Mail's sorting office in Filton, Bristol one of the biggest in the UK. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images
The Royal Mail’s decision to leave undelivered mail with neighbours fits in with its policy of closing delivery offices
From the Guardian, Comment is free
Monday 3 October 2011 10.09 BST
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Dogs v. Posties
There used to be a vicious old Boxer dog on my round. He lived at the end of a long drive with a gate. There was a post box outside where I used to leave the mail. Occasionally the owners forgot to close the gate and left the dog out. It would spot me as I was parking my bike, and begin padding in my direction, head down, growling, until it got close enough to launch itself at me.
From the LRB blog. Read more here.
Modernisation has put the snail in Royal Mail

Bikes for postal workers are being phased out by Royal Mail, slowing down delivery. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian
The amount of lost or delayed mail is no surprise – ill-conceived new working methods have slowed postal workers down.
From the Guardian Comment is free.
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Junk mail – the facts
A Panorama programme on postal junk was compelling, but didn’t mention that the market is skewed against Royal Mail
From the Guardian Comment is free
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Roy Mayall on You & Yours
A column written by Roy Mayall for the You & Yours programme on Radio 4. The item is 35 minutes and 20 seconds into the programme.
Listen to it here.
Royal Mail is not delivering

'Millions more have been spent on a fleet of new vans to replace the bikes the Royal Mail intends to scrap.' Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian
As profits dive, it’s clear this management isn’t modernising, it’s running the company into the ground – but why?
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- Roy Mayall
- guardian.co.uk, Monday 20 June 2011 18.30 BST
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Ofcom offers little hope to Royal Mail
Under Ofcom's proposals, 'Royal Mail has a monopoly of the work, while other companies get a share of the profits'. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
Royal Mail has a new regulator, but its proposals fail to protect the service from privatisation and unfair competition
From the Guardian, Comment is free
Friday 28 October 2011 08.00 BST
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