I guess that shouldn’t be a surprising statistic; about the only time an actual letter arrives in my mailbox it’s some kind of bill, or for somebody who lived here 20 years ago. But the shift in our buying habits has forced Australia Post to make some radical changes.
The ABC reports on the plans, which focus around the changes that we’ve made as a shoppping community. Letter sending is on the downslide — it’s that pesky email, you see — but there’s more than a few parcels piling up in Australia Post locations, largely because few of us have the time to actually go to an Australia Post store during work hours because they’re named for what we’re actually busy doing.
170 million parcels were sent in Australia last year, or roughly eight per person by count of population. I suspect I may have received more than my fair share, but in any case, that’s up ten percent year on year, a big jump given the wailing and moaning of the bricks and mortar retailers recently. But 170 million parcels that Australia Post can’t deliver because we’re not home and can’t get to them to pick up? That’s a problem.
The solution? Extended opening hours for specific parcel-only locations, as well as new parcel lockers with an SMS back-end that lets you know when your precious consignment of t-shirts or bacon has arrived. [ABC]
Image: Australia Post