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Customers who waited up to three-quarters of an hour to be served at Wick’s temporary post office this week have insisted that the town deserves better.
“It’s a sad state of affairs,” one woman said as she stood in line with at least 30 others outside the van at the riverside car park in the fading daylight on Tuesday afternoon.
Those in the slow-moving queue who spoke to the John O’Groat Journal expressed no animosity towards the operator of the mobile service but were united in their belief that Wick needs a long-term solution.
The van is visiting four days a week following the recent closure of the town’s last post office branch, within the card and gift shop Best Wishes in Bridge Street. On Tuesdays the opening time is limited to one hour.
Wick community councillor Wendy Campbell waited three-quarters of an hour to post two parcels and a birthday card.
As she emerged after being served, she said: “We’re very lucky today because it’s dry – but it’s cold, and it is taking too long.
“In summertime you wouldn’t mind so much.
“I feel quite sorry for the lassie that’s on the van. Everybody is here with parcels, so it takes that much longer.
“It’s better than nothing, but we do deserve something a wee bit better.”
Mrs Campbell, a retired businesswoman, pointed out that Post Office Ltd had made plenty of money out of Wick over the years.
“They knew the Bridge Street branch was shutting so I think they could have jumped in and done a little bit better for the public,” she said. “It is a town, it’s not a village.
“It’s not good enough. If you wanted a passport or something I don’t know how you would go about it.
“They could have done something about it a bit quicker, or else put something in temporarily – certainly not a van in wintertime, in the north of Scotland.”
It’s a sad state of affairs that this is what Wick has come to.
Fiona Gunn was nearing the front of the queue just before the van’s scheduled closing time of 3.45pm and was feeling “cold and frustrated”.
She said: “It’s a sad state of affairs that this is what Wick has come to. I’ve been here since three o’clock to post one parcel. I’m just gutted.”
She did not blame the operator of the mobile service, saying: “It’s not their fault.”
But she added: “I was brought up in Smith Terrace with a lovely post office at the bottom of the street.”
One man who had been waiting at least 20 minutes felt it would be sensible to open a post office within the town’s Royal Mail base in Green Road.
He said: “It is a nuisance because in the time I’ve been standing here I would have been quicker going to Watten post office.
“I think we’re just going to have to suffer it, unless they open up the place in Green Road. I’m pretty frustrated.”
One woman in the middle of the queue said: “I feel sorry for those that are not so willing to stand outside when it’s cold and wet. I’m okay standing here, but there are people that this is a real inconvenience for.
“I feel sorry for them, really, and I just hope we get something in place soon.”
Another woman, who had come in to Wick from Reiss and was near the back of the queue, said: “I think we really do need a permanent post office that people can use five days a week.
“It’s dry today, it’s not even too cold because it’s not windy, but on an inclement day people will get drenched through.”
A man sitting in his car nearby said: “People have been waiting for 20 minutes or half an hour and just leaving. It’s terrible for a town like Wick.”
It is understood that the van closed its doors around 3.50pm, five minutes after the scheduled time, and customers who were still waiting were turned away. One woman who was among them said later: “There was no animosity – they’ve got scheduled hours and limited time available.”
She added that she might try again the following day.
The mobile service is being provided by Glyn Jackson, who already covers a number of rural communities in the same way.
It began visiting Wick on November 3 and the opening hours are Tuesday, 2.45-3.45pm; Wednesday, 9am-3pm; Thursday, 9am-1pm; and Friday, 1.30-3.30pm.
A Post Office Ltd spokesperson said: “We acknowledge that a mobile post office service for a town is not ideal. However, we have pulled out the stops to ensure that Wick was not left without any service whilst we continue to look for a permanent solution, following the resignation of the postmaster.
“We are extremely grateful to postmaster Glyn Jackson for adding Wick to his mobile post office service that already provides service to many rural communities. Glyn has adapted his routes to provide as much time serving the Wick community as possible. There are four visits per week.
“Glyn and his wife Joy provide a great service and they are well liked and respected by their existing customers. These are extraordinary times and we thank new customers at the Wick mobile service for their patience.
“We continue to look at ways to increase service provision in Wick as soon as possible. In the interim, alternative post offices include Watten, Lybster and Thurso.”
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