Christmas Gifts: UK Royal Mail strike: Shops warn customers not to buy Christmas gifts online

As the dispute over wages, jobs, and conditions at Royal Mail continues to escalate, workers there will begin staging strikes in the month of December. Thursday is the fourth of six strike days planned for the holiday season among postal workers. As a result, there are delays in the delivery of mail and packages.

Numerous big shops have their own distribution networks or have agreements with courier companies. Waterstones, the largest book retailer in the United Kingdom, warns consumers on its website that Royal Mail strikes are expected to cause “some delay in our estimated delivery schedules”.

The CEO of the bookstore Waterstones stated, “This is our recommendation, as postal strikes delay package deliveries, companies advise consumers to purchase in-store rather than online if they want to receive their Christmas gifts on time”.

Andrew Goodacre, the chairman of Bira, stated that the best way for consumers to ensure they receive their Christmas gifts on time is to purchase them in person. Mr. Goodacre told the BBC, “In order to ensure that people receive your Christmas gifts on time, we recommend that people should visit stores”.

Royal Mail has neither confirmed or denied if strike action would affect Christmas post, although it is possible given that there are six further strike days before December 25.

FAQ:

1. What are the postal strike dates?
   Strikes have been announced for December 14, 15, 23, and 24, four of the busiest days for pre-Christmas deliveries.
2. Are Royal Mail delivery offices open during the strike?
   Royal Mail delivery offices and customer service locations will be closed. Because post offices are distinct from Royal Mail, they will be open as usual for bill payments and banking, however some services, such as letter mailing, may be interrupted.