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Near riot at post office
• IN view of the closing of small post offices you would think the large post offices would be fully manned to deal with the additional people. But this isn’t so.
Take, for example, the post office in Junction Road, N19, near Archway Tube – out of 10 serving positions you are lucky if four are open at any one time. It is possible to queue for up to half an hour. Monday is a particularly difficult day for the elderly, for pregnant women, women with young children and those with medical conditions.
The staff are courteous enough but each time I visit this particular post office there is the sound of the sighs of exasperation coming from the public about the snail-like progress of the queue.
Last year, when the queue stretched out into the street there was almost a riot. One woman had to risk parking on a yellow line when she couldn’t find a parking place and did get a ticket in the end because of the long wait. Another heavily pregnant woman looked on the point of collapse.
Both women gave vent to their feelings to such a degree that additional staff suddenly appeared from out of the back office. For the first time that year all 10 positions were manned. I don’t wish to blame the staff as I don’t know what additional duties they have besides their counter work. There are notices up warning the public about swearing and threatening staff members but the patience of the public is liable to snap again.
Of course this isn’t fair on the staff.
Many people would rather confront the senior management responsible for the cutbacks.
Name and address supplied
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