One of our landlords wrote to all retailers in major centre yesterday reminding us that we need to stay open until 10pm. Their note talked about how traffic this Christmas is up on last Christmas.
The government owned Australia Post shop opposite my newsasgency closed at 5pm as usual. Their lack of support fellow retailers is appalling.
my shop is in a strip in a country village, which includes a licenced post office.
normally i do go and buy stamps for 55c and sell them for 55c the rest of the year, but i thought i would try something new this christmas.
i have no stamps and let people go 25meters to the LPO to be reminded that they are hoplessly slow (que out the door).
the LPO is my biggest threat. if someone with a little bit of business sense was running it, they could squash my newsagency in stationary and cards/wrap.
i figure if the towns population loath going into the LPO then they will come into my store for a reem of reflex $3-4 dearer because it is easier and friendlier.
but im open to constructive suggestions on this.
peter
We are in a very similar situation. People come to us all the time for stamps for cards that we have sold etc. We like to pride ourselves on our customer service and think we have an edge over Aust Post. My thought on reflex is let them sell it for a little above cost… they have to sell twice as much as us to make the same money as us!! The other big advantage is we will run accounts for customers to book stationary up they won’t. I let him supply the schools and hospital, thats fine but i know for fact for the price he sells it to them for he makes .40 cents a ream… And lastly… it amuses me that he runs an add in the local paper for back to school…No exercise books, scientific calcultors, quality pens, staplers, and more….
Australia Post isn’t government-owned.
Jurien, Australia Post is 100% owned by the federal government. Out of their retail network, 865 stores are also government owned. The rest are licenced.