Will the post office closing affect you significantly?

LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of post offices may be closed under cost-cutting plans due to be announced next week, according to reports on Saturday.

Newspapers said up to a fifth of the national network, or 3,000 branches, could be scrapped to stem losses caused by the loss of government business and a rise in competition from the Internet and email.

Why do you suppose this was publicized during the holiday season?

I reluctantly opened a bank account when Tony Blair and his cronnies forced many of us pensioners to stop having our monies paid by book at the Post Office each week. I have to admit it was a good thing for me, I find I have saved money while not having the cash in my purse I am not tempted to buy little things that I really don't need. I use the facilities of the shops that do goods using my card and pin No. and cash back. I live in a village without any hole in the wall facilities so it woks well. I no longer have to wait till 9am for the Post Office to open and then queue along with 20 odd others and as I have a computor I can keep a check on my spending 24 hours a day with on line banking I can also use the facilities of the 24 hour shops so I'm afraid losing our Post Office is not a campaign I shall be joining as I feel I have a much better service now.

I'd be lost if my local post office closed. Fingers crossed we are spared. As for holiday period - they always announce stuff like this over Christmas (as with rail strikes, etc).

They're not going to di it. All they've done it to relase this info in order to make other cuts more acceptable. It will look like the Gov't has backtracked and is making concessions, but it's really the other way around, they are getting exactly what they want and not taking any flak for it as Joe Public will think he's won. They do it all the time. What they're doing is softening us up for what they really want, thats why it's publicised just now, because most of us are using the postal service.

It already has! Royal Mail gave me early voluntary retirement after 18 years in the job and couldn't wait to get rid of people. Loyalty counts for nothing, only profits.

it wont affect me personally but it will effect a lot of older people who couldn't get to the next post office 5 miles away.

These closures will affect everyone , not only the Older People who really rely on the Post Office but even if you live within easy distance of a P O the demands and Queues will be Horrendous -- Plus the additional burden on the Staff and Management - Another Masterpiece by a Government Run by Idiots - Buffoons and Bunglers

If the sub post office closed in my area it would certainly effect not only myself but all the pensioners in the area its a very busy post office would be a sin if it closed as the nearest one is a bus ride away not nice in the winters in scotland

this countries going down the pan! government ultimately to blame but which one to run the country? they're all just as bad!
post office closure will affect a huge amount of people not least pensioners!

I don't think it'll affect me that much. I live in the city, and there are three post offices all within walking odistance or a few stops by bus. But I do think it unfair that the government is closing down all these PO's. Especially if rural communities are to be at the most disadvantaged.

Plus what about those who can't access more urban post offices? Surely the government can save some money from somewhere (namely the illegal war in Iraq and their ridiculous wages for sitting on their ar*ses all day doing nothing).

And I think the news was given out on a Saturday because no-one pays much attention to the news on a Saturday...the government is always trying to bury bad news...spineless tw*ts.