Royal Mail is shaking up its offering by introducing a brand new service which will see postal workers collect parcels right from your doorstep for the very first time.
The new service – which launches across the UK today – is known as Parcel Collect.
Put quite simply, it means people will be able to send parcels without the need to leave the house, as customers who make use of the service will be asked to pay a fee of 72p on top of standard postage costs for every parcel they send, with pre-paid return items only costing 60p each.
Royal Mail said the collection service was one of the biggest changes to the daily round of postal workers since the postbox was launched in 1852 and he first parcel post was introduced in 1883.
It comes as the national postal service’s response after it has struggled with the shift away from letters to parcels as firms rely more on email for routine communications and consumers become more comfortable with online shopping and returning items.
ADVERTISEMENT
So, how does the service work then?
Well, postal workers can now collect up to five items per customer per day, every day of the week (apart from Sundays) and packages must be no bigger than 61cm x 46cm x 46cm in volume, and 20kg in weight.
ADVERTISEMENT
We’ve launched a brand new parcel pick-up service across the UK!
‘Parcel Collect’ allows you to book a collection of items directly from your front door or a nominated safe place for a small fee.
Upon declaring the size and weight of the package, customers will then be able to work out the correct cost of postage for their item and print out a pre-paid label.
Items will be collected from the door, or from a safe place on the property chosen by the customer.
Customers will be able to make bookings only via Royal Mail’s “click and drop” online service up to five days in advance until midnight on the day before collection, and then the service will provide collection slots of between two and four hours.
ADVERTISEMENT
You can head to the Royal Mail website here, or use the Royal Mail app and opt for ‘Parcel Collect’ to use the service.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has accelerated the shift to online shopping – with restrictions closing non-essential high street shops for months during 2020 – and Royal Mail reported a £139m increase in total revenue in the five months to 30th August, as circumstances caused a surge in parcel deliveries.
Parcel volumes during that period rose by a third year-on-year, with an increase of 177 million parcels.
Trending
Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
Trending
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
21st October 2020 
