Post Office queue - a different view of East Dulwich

[Reg Smeeton]

Where would you go in East Dulwich to find the best representative sample of current East Dulwich residents? Looking at the threads that dominate the forum, you might think it was the clientele of Green & Blue or the diners at Tandoori nights. But standing in the queue at the (recently spruced up) main Post Office today I saw a very different group of people - diverse in age and ethnicity, and in affluence too. Not many nine-to-fivers in there of course, maybe not many active forumites, but if you want to see who East Dulwich really is, perhaps the Post Office queue on a Saturday morning wouldn't be a bad place to start.

[Mick Mac]

The Post Office may not be a good representation Reg.

I have been in ED nine years and I don't remember ever having been in there. There must be many others who rarely darken its door.

I think the Post Office (as distinct from the postal system) will eventually die out in the High Street.

[Reg Smeeton]

Fair point, but then I'm going to guess many in the PO queue have never been to Green & Blue or White Stuff. I can't claim the PO is all that representative, but it certainly represents a different and still significant part of East Dulwich.

[candj]

We've been in ED only 8 years (minus 18 months living abroad) and I've been in the EDPO a handful of times as I try to avoid the place at all costs (the last time was when standing in the queue, a member of PO staff tried to sell me electricity or insurance or something and I told him they should concentrate on distributing the mail to the right addresses).

We've only ever bought wine from Green & Blue and without a doubt neither me nor any family members have been in the White Stuff! Bleck!

[Mick Mac]

I can't afford to shop in Green and Blue - I drink too much wine.

But I'm never drunk enough to write a letter. So I don't go the the PO either.

I think Reg is getting at the point that he saw a different side of ED today. I'd agree the post office may represent people who are not perhaps "internet familiar", this may include a disproprotionate amount of people who like to deal with a "face" when completing forms etc and who buy gifts in a shop before posting them, rather than buying online and having them posted direct, or those who prefer the written letter to the email. Or people who take real foreign exchange out before going on holiday rather then trusting their debit card in foreign countries.

I think these practices that keep the Post Office busy, will continue to decline over the next few years.

[redjam]

The Post Office queue is hardly representative - it cuts out all office workers for a start, as most of us who work in offices use their company's own postal system if we want to sneakily send a parcel (um, well I do anyway). I'd have thought Somerfield's on a Saturday afternoon would be more typical - which of us hasn't popped in there when we've run out of an essential?

[TheePope]

I look forward to the day that there is a post office for middle income professionals only.

Only joking.

What's the point of this thread, I'm not sure I undertand?

[Mick Mac]

Yes very funny TP. I have edited my post above for fear of more abuse.

[ruffers]

I'd go for a Londis queue - nice old mix of middle class urbanites and, erm, not....

[marianne1]

Dear of oh dear - perhaps you came into contact with some of the council tentants waiting for their benefits? God forbid! Swine flu, TB oh my god. Perhaps you should stay away from queues in the post office and just stay on line. Avoid any bodily contact. Perhaps you should move to Dulwich Village or Hampstead if you can afford it!!! Jeez, mixing with the common people ..... yuk!!!

[Peckhampam]

TP asks what is the point of this post. It seems to me very important to remind forum users of the ED residents who do not have access to the internet, to cars or often even to bank accounts. This may mean old people or people on benefits or low wage. Post offices are incredibly important to them (and pretty useful for us if we want to post a parcel or registered letter!). Perhaps we should be using the undoubted power of the forum to try to help ensure that the post office does not disappear rather than just for lobbying for which flavour of ice cream scoop provides!

PS the Tiramisu flavour was great.

[Mick Mac]

PP - If there is a need for it, it will stay. If not, it might not, but its an integral part of the high street for many (hence the queues) so I'm sure its safe for a long time to come.

[*Bob*]

Sepia 1970s fittings and flickering fluorescent tubes. The snaking queue of angry people with something better to be doing. The out of order photo booth. Every V except a V85. Speak into the microphone to the face behind the bulletproof glass. Till.. number.. four.. please..

Why does something so essential have to be so universally dismal?

[reggie]

spot on Pam

Peckhampam Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> TP asks what is the point of this post. It seems

> to me very important to remind forum users of the

> ED residents who do not have access to the

> internet, to cars or often even to bank accounts.

> This may mean old people or people on benefits or

> low wage. Post offices are incredibly important to

> them (and pretty useful for us if we want to post

> a parcel or registered letter!). Perhaps we should

> be using the undoubted power of the forum to try

> to help ensure that the post office does not

> disappear rather than just for lobbying for which

> flavour of ice cream scoop provides!

> PS the Tiramisu flavour was great.

[Mark]

Peckhampam Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Perhaps we should be using the undoubted power of the forum to try

> to help ensure that the post office does not

> disappear rather than just for lobbying for which

> flavour of ice cream scoop provides!

...or use it for both.

[TheePope]

My original post was a flippant response to a previous thread about schools, and the rather curious tone of this thread which seemed to register shock that there might be, gasp, people that use a shabby old post office!

I'm surprised anyone wouldn't find a post office useful, and yes there are always queues but that's because they offer about 4 billion different services, which is what makes them useful!

I just find the whole tone of the first few posts rather curious and at worst somewhat patronising.

[matthew123]

They used to have a stamp machine both outside and inside the Post Office on Lordship Lane - as a result they now have a lot more people needing customer service.. was it a ploy to secure their future?

[????]

feel the worthyness people, feel it

[TJ]

Surely ED Sainsbury's is the most accurate barometer?

The moxon's / Rose posse shop there and i bet even the Iceland Posse swing by regularly for something that lived once.

[Mick Mac]

TheePope Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> My original post was a flippant response to a

> previous thread about schools, and the rather

> curious tone of this thread which seemed to

> register shock that there might be, gasp, people

> that use a shabby old post office!

>

Its alright TP, we got the gist.

[candj]

Sorry TheePope, certainly mean to sound patronising! I meant what I said and I don't use that PO because I find it rather gloomy and would rather use the one near to my husband's office which is much bigger and has faster moving queues. Alas!

[siousxiesue]

Just like a friend of mine used to go to Argos last thing on xmas eve, so the old post office will supply you with a dose of an argument, a near punch up etc, I know cos I use them! Tuesday there was a spat between a young woman and an older man, and someone had a go at me because I had gone to the currency desk without joining the main queue!

[J. McNulty]

An exercise in cultural anthropology this is not. Really, who cares.

[KalamityKel]

Reg are you saying, from your experience, that it is a good or bad representation of East Dulwich?

I mean has it altered your view of the area to the positive or negative? :)

[Reg Smeeton]

I use the post office regularly (to post parcels among other things) and have done for years, so this was not intended as a sudden revelation. I was merely reflecting on the fact that standing in the Post Office you get a different impression of East Dulwich from the one that dominates the forum. Unlike many people, it seems, I quite like the Post Office, except on those occasions when the queue extends to the door.