Post Office refuses to sell single Gold Medal stamps

kermitfrog

I'm sending a card to Australia which would cost £1.28 in postage, so I thought wouldn't it be nice to make up the amount with one each of the first two gold medal winners (the two female rowers plus Bradley Wiggins), plus 8p.

The Post Office however, had different ideas. They told me they could only sell the stamps in souvenir sets of 6 for £3.60. This would mean that if I wanted to go with my original plan, I would have to spend £7.20 in order to get the two different stamps.

I tried explaining to the counter girl that she would only ever have one broken set of 6, but she replied that she wasn't allowed to break them.

She then called her manager who repeated what she'd said. He told me that I could use the stamps any time, but since I hardly ever use First Class post, that would be a long time.

When I pointed out that this could be a PR fiasco when people wanted a souvenir of the Olympics but couldn't afford to buy 6, or perhaps foreign visitors wanted to send souvenir cards overseas and would never use the other stamps, the manager wasn't having any of it.

I ended up leaving the post office with a set of the women's rowing stamps and a sour taste in my mouth.

byjimini

Standard procedure. Daft, but there you go.

paddyrg

When I pointed out that this could be a PR fiasco

For very small values of fiasco. They offered to sell you stamps, you wanted them to split a multipack of special ones, they declined.

When you want hot cross buns, will Tesco open a pack of 6 to give you 1 because you don't want one of the ones sold separately?

£3.60, not really the end of the world, is it? Or if you can't afford it, you can't afford it, much like all the other things you can't afford.

Or am I really misunderstanding/missing something?

Azari

paddyrg wrote: »

For very small values of fiasco. They offered to sell you stamps, you wanted them to split a multipack of special ones, they declined.

When you want hot cross buns, will Tesco open a pack of 6 to give you 1 because you don't want one of the ones sold separately?

£3.60, not really the end of the world, is it? Or if you can't afford it, you can't afford it, much like all the other things you can't afford.

Or am I really misunderstanding/missing something?

You seem to be missing the rather obvious point that only making the stamps available in packs of six is going to p off customers.

System

They are souvenier stamps. I don't believe they will be used by many people for posting. People tend to collect these sets.

I do not believe it was a PR disaster. Bradley wiggins and the rowers won their golds on Wednesday. Its very impressive that less than 2 days later the Post Office have managed to issue celebratory stamps. in souveneir sets.

I imagine in a couple of days they will be available in singles as well

NBLondon

goater78 wrote: »

They are souvenier stamps. I don't believe they will be used by many people for posting. People tend to collect these sets.

......


I imagine in a couple of days they will be available in singles as well

Nope - the PO is only issuing them as the Miniature Sheet of 6 - which includes extra info in the border.

The precedent is the Ashes Minisheets which came with 2 firsts and 2 at 68p - at the time when a postcard to Australia was 68p;)

I suspect that after the Olympics they might bring out a combined sheet with the whole lot as a collectors item.

I think the OP might have a point that some people will think they can just go in and buy a couple of each one and then not bother. But I think there are more likely to be people who only want a particular stamp (because they have a connection to the sport or the medallist) and they will probably buy a set of 6. Collectors will already have subscribed to get the whole set.

Remember this is a great money-spinner for the PO - every stamp that is bought and never posted is profit

pimento

I no philatelist but I thought stamps were collected franked.

NBLondon

pimento wrote: »

I no philatelist but I thought stamps were collected franked.

Different people collect different things - some want them mint; some want them franked (actually sent through the post); some want them franked on the first day of issue.

Me - I buy them on eBay at less than face value and use them competition entries

paddyrg

Azari wrote: »

You seem to be missing the rather obvious point that only making the stamps available in packs of six is going to p off customers.

Much like other things that only come in multipacks then? Oh well. There are several things I want in my life which I cannot afford, finding it tricky to get excited for the OP.

Azari

paddyrg wrote: »

Much like other things that only come in multipacks then? Oh well. There are several things I want in my life which I cannot afford, finding it tricky to get excited for the OP.

Yes but the point with the PO is that ALL stamps, apart from booklets, come in 'multipacks' (called sheets) which are routinely broken up for sale. As there is no premium for the Olympics winner stamps they are just being uncooperative (possibly at a corporate level).

Anyway, I don't think the OP was wanting you to get excited, he was just having a vent.

mynameistallulah

Azari wrote: »

Yes but the point with the PO is that ALL stamps, apart from booklets, come in 'multipacks' (called sheets) which are routinely broken up for sale. As there is no premium for the Olympics winner stamps they are just being uncooperative (possibly at a corporate level).

Anyway, I don't think the OP was wanting you to get excited, he was just having a vent.

So the OP can have one from the other "multipack" (called sheets), yes?