Price of A Stamp

It was a crumbly friend's birthday last month, I purchased a nice non-sarcastic card and my grumpy old man was despatched to post it - on his way to the bookies.

Because in distant times the local post box was set on fire, grumpy always takes mail into the Spar/post office at Winthorpe. This occasion was no exception, he duly handed over 50p and left the card with the person behind the post office counter.

A week later I phoned the birthday girl to tell her that the weather was wonderful, the sea was sparkling in the sun and we had a lovely sea breeze ... I do this to people because I can and because I'm nasty.

She thanked me for her card and said that she'd got it just the day before, making it a week late. She'd received a card from the Royal Mail, telling her that there was unpaid for mail waiting at the sorting office - which due to their greed and stream-lining - was now miles away at Ilkeston, rather than Heanor.

Off they went to fetch it ... it cost her £1.50 plus petrol to simply collect a 50p - I'm cheap as well as nasty - birthday card, which had already had the correct postage paid for. Grumpy went to the post office in Spar to tell them, and to be fair they've since reported it to the area manager and given him his 50p back. And if my friend gets her £1.50 back I'll be sure to mention it.

Hmmm, because of the extortionate price of postage, I'm thinking of getting a year's supply of birthday cards and giving them all out in January when we're at home - or even better (meaner) I'll dish them out with Christmas cards for the recipient to save until the required time ...