I tried Royal Mail’s new digital post box and they are unusable

18 of Royal Mail’s new ‘post boxes of the future’ were introduced to Swindon at the start of this year, and have sparked considerable debate about accessibility.

The change has been labelled Royal Mail’s “biggest redesign in its 175-year history”, and features a solar-panelled top, a QR code and scanning machine.

Royal Mail claims the new post boxes offer a “convenient way” to send small parcels without needing to go to the post office.

Armed with a friend’s birthday present, I went to test out just how easy they are to use.

The digital post box, which now accepts parcels, was difficult and confusing to use (Image: Newsquest)

As a 25-year-old woman who grew up in the 2000s, I have spent a lifetime teaching older family members how to use QR codes and apps. I assumed I would have no issue using the new post box as a ‘techy’ Gen Z.

Immediately upon arriving at the post box near Ellendune Community Centre in Wroughton, I realised I was wrong.

Instructions on the box say to “press the button to activate the scanner, scan the label’s barcode, and then pop the parcel in the drawer.”

The first issue was obvious – I did not have a parcel label or a barcode and I did not have access to a printer to print one off.

Determined not to give in and go to a post office, I asked a friend to print off my parcel label (extra admin time spent on the Royal Mail website) and returned again for take two.

Instructions on the post box were small and confusing (Image: Newsquest)

For proof of posting, I had to scan a QR code to download the Royal Mail app, and answer a series of questions about my parcel.

This took 10 minutes stood outside battling poor signal and confusing questions.

I had no idea how much my parcel weighed and was adamant I wasn’t going back home again to pull out the scales.

In the end, I took an educated guess, and couldn’t help thinking this would be easier in a post office with a scale and someone helping me scan my parcel.

For me, the new digital post box was a manageable but unnecessary faff. For my grandparents, it would be unusable.

Even if they could navigate the digital challenges of downloading the app, scanning the barcode and figuring out small print instructions, the time it took stood outside was enough to make anyone’s feet tired.

For posting regular letters, the post box works exactly as before.

I can see no issues, although I do think the replacement of crocheted post-box toppers with solar panels is a shame.

When it comes to posting parcels however, I’ll be sticking to my regular post office.