Royal Mail Parcel Drop off slashed to 2 hours a day

No primary category set

From this Monday, the 6th of April, your Royal Mail parcel drop off will need to be first thing in the morning if you use Customer Service Points at local Delivery Offices. Some will only open for two hours per day whilst others will open for four hours. All will be closed entirely every Wednesday and Sunday. Those who have a regular Royal Mail collection should be unaffected, but options for sellers used to using Post Offices or Royal Mail Delivery Offices are facing rapidly reducing hours during which they can drop off mail.

Delivery Office Customer Service Point are where consumers generally collect parcels and this will now have to be first thing in the morning. Online sellers who have recently being doing a Royal Mail parcel drop off will also be unable to despatch same day and will now have to visit their local Customer Service Point early in the morning.

Impact for Sellers

  • Opening hours from 7am to 9am or at larger locations 7am to 11am. You will need to drop off parcels early in the morning
  • Closed every Wednesday (and Sunday).
  • You will need to adjust your despatch times to take into account the changes
  • Returns will now take over a month (from despatch) to be returned if they aren’t collected by the consumer

Post Offices

Royal Mail say that they are working closely with approximately 11,000 Post Offices that remain open to provide another avenue – where appropriate – for you to access essential mail services. However, here at Tamebay we are hearing from an increasing number of marketplace sellers who’s local Post Office have indicated that marketplace parcels are no longer welcome.

Restricted hours are in operation at standalone Post Office’s and WH Smiths branches which are now only open from 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 12:30pm Saturday. All other branches (generally in local shops) are open at hours decided upon by the franchised postmaster and so opening hours can vary enormously.

Another alternative is Royal Mail Parcel Postboxes, but due to them generally being located outside Delivery Offices and with the now much reduced opening hours we suspect these Royal Mail parcel drop off boxes will quickly become full and unavailable for accepting further parcels.

Due to the restricted opening hours, Royal Mail will also now retain items for up to 30 days before returning them to the sender in order to give consumers time to collect them.

Royal Mail Parcel Drop off changes

“Customer Service Points – Temporary Change in Opening Hours

To protect the health and safety of our people and the general public, from Monday 6 April, we are changing the opening times of our Customer Services Points in our local delivery offices. Our largest locations will be open between 07:00-11:00am. All other Customer Service Points will be open between 07:00-09:00am. All will be closed on Wednesday and Sunday.

To support the Government’s advice to stay at home and avoid non-essential journeys, we urge customers to only visit Customer Service Points where absolutely necessary. As a reminder, we can also redeliver your item(s) for free. Schedule your redelivery here.

Longer retention periods in Customer Service Points

To give you longer to collect or have your item redelivered, we are temporarily extending the retention period to 30 calendar days from Monday 6 April before items are returned to sender.

This applies to the following:

  • Items we’ve left a ‘Something for You’ card
  • Items that have a ‘Surcharge to Pay’
  • Items that have a ‘Customs Charge to Pay’
  • Local Collect items where the parcel is addressed to the Customer Service Point”


– Royal Mail

22 Responses

  1. What a Stupid decision, if anyone’s RM DO is as busy as ours, then I hope they introduce a queuing system outside the door.

    As our Building reception is closed, we have to collect our post & drop of the parcels at the same time, to have to do this before 9am, will create a bottle-neck of everyone trying to the same thing within the 2hrs or more likely just before 9am.

  2. Stupid times, why couldn’t they open in the afternoon? Now I have to rush around like a headless chicken to complete and deliver to the sorting office in time.

  3. As always Royal Mail puts profit before people. These companies need to be held accountable for their actions during such a dangerous time. They also have these poor post people going door to door without any protection and not knowing what is waiting for them behind the front doors of people’s houses. They even have them delivering non essential mail such as leaflets for companies that are closed due to the outbreak of coronavirus. As stated earlier PROFIT BEFORE PEOPLE!!!!

  4. Hard to please everyone at least they are still opening for us to get parcels so we can get them nexr day instead of waiting 2 days for a redelivery. As for posting well i thought thats what post offices were for

  5. This may work for royal mail, but went to local sorting office saturday to pick up mail? Only to be told they havent even sorted it at 0830hrs I will have to go back Monday. Maybe 2hr morning slot for missed deliveries, and another for regular postbox pickups droppoffs in afternoon

  6. Good. Its right to keep staff safe. It is a very difficult environment to work in. Customers should try to be less selfish, understand the situation. Yes people have business to run, millions of people need an income too, including royal mail staff. But should they really have to risk their health, life and that of their family do someone can send a parcel when THEY want?
    It’s a positive move to making people safe.

  7. That makes no sense at all. Surely if we are all restricted to a small time slot, it will create larger gatherings of people queuing. We rely more than ever on the postal service during this time of crisis…what a time to introduce restrictions !

  8. Why don’t they use same measures supermarket use and they see more people in a day. Give them gloves an masks if needed. Keep distance.
    All those how dilivery every day are at similar risk going to all those houses. Yet we told parcels are OK won’t get infection.
    Other wise just shut up shop and stay at home suffer with rest of use.

  9. To all the Whinging arseholes stop your snivelling
    not being able to send a parcel ? Really???
    Think nurse or doctor or a food delivery driver
    SAM
    I dont know you but you have my respect

  10. As far as I`m concerned, anyone working in a public environment is a damn hero at the moment. Be grateful for being able to post anything at all folks!!

    Thanks for staying open at all Royal Mail workers

  11. The information in this post is incorrect, We drop off our post with our local depot – while the office is shut they are still accepting bags any time of day as long as you keep your distance from staff.

    We had this confirmed with the depot manager on Monday 6/4/2020.

    Anyone worried get in touch with your local depot and speak to the manager of that depot.

  12. It’s not a good idea as in this way offices will have more people at a time. Such a bad idea.

  13. Well I blimin better get seen if I’m having to rush there ar these ridiculous minimal hours after standing in the long que in the rain!!! This is ridiculous hours …just like supermarkets and banks have done there hours why cant post office do the same . Are there lives more important compared to supermarkets, NHS Staff or bank workers???

RELATED POSTS..

Royal Mail announces nationwide locker service with Quadient

Royal Mail announces nationwide locker service with Quadient

Royal Mail 2020 - 2024 Stamp Prices

Royal Mail 2024 Stamp Prices

Royal Mail green surcharge doubles in 2024 price rises

Royal Mail green surcharge doubles in 2024 price rises

Royal Mail drop off at Collect+ stores

Royal Mail drop off at Collect+ stores

Royal Mail to prohibit all bladed items from April

Royal Mail to prohibit all bladed items from April

ChannelX Guide...

Featured in this article from the ChannelX Guide – companies that can help you grow and manage your business.

Register for Newsletter

Receive 5 newsletters per week

Gain access to all research

Be notified of upcoming events and webinars