Stratton Stores and Post Office in Cirencester has employed four new members of staff to handle the increasing numbers of customers for both the stores and its Post Office, which reopened in May.
19-year old Amy White, who lives nearby, has been taken on full time, Mike Ponting, Joy Glynn and 17-year old Adam Mansell are currently working part-time but as the post office continues to get busier, manageress Kim Lafford-Taylor hasn’t ruled out more job opportunities nearer Christmas. The business now employs ten members of staff, four full time, to cover its opening hours of 7am – 10pm, seven days a week.
Kim said: “We are thrilled at how much support we are getting for the Post Office – it really is incredible. The weekends particularly are a hit with customers wanting to use the post office services ‘out of hours’. By the time I got to work at 8.30am last Monday there were four full bags of post waiting for the postman, all dropped off by customers over Saturday afternoon and Sunday.
Kim added that it was good to be able to offer employment, particularly to local people and new member of staff, Amy, says she is really pleased to be working so close to home: “I can walk to work and it’s great serving so many friends and neighbours as well as passers-by.”
Last month Stratton Stores and Post Office had to defend publicity on its newly-reopened post office publicity as customers keep coming in and telling staff their signage is wrong.
Kim Lafford-Taylor doesn’t mind putting them right: “Some people have come in and told us that the post office can’t be open from 7am-9pm seven days a week because it’s not allowed – but we have to tell them we are and we can – there really is no law against it. If we’re open, so is the post office service as all our staff are trained.”
Since reopening on 9 May, Stratton Post Office is now serving 1400 customers a week, and is hoping to install a second post office terminal to meet demand.
Post Office services available at Stratton Stores:
- First and Second Class mail
- stamps and postage labels
- Recorded Signed For and Special Delivery post
- Home shopping returns
- Inland Parcel Services up to a 6kg weight limit
- Royal Mail International Standard and Priority mail
- Printed Paper and Small Packet up to 5kg weight limit
- International Signed For and Airsure
- pension and benefit payments, including Post Office Card account withdrawals and green giro cheques
- rod fishing licences
- personal and business banking withdrawals and deposits via chip and pin
- postal orders
- key recharging
- electronic bill payments
- swipecard bill payments
- e top-ups
- e-vouchers
- pre-order travel money