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The Daily PollTHE NEWS BROKE yesterday that the price of a postage stamp is set to rise soon.
Communications minister Denis Naughten brought a memo to Cabinet for permission to draft a piece of legislation that would remove the price cap of an An Post postage stamp.
Naughten said that this was to combat growing losses at the postal service.
In a statement An Post said it is making a loss of €12 to 15 million in 2016 and a much greater loss is envisaged for 2017.
This is down to ever-declining mail volumes, as more and more people stop sending letters in favour of email and other online alternatives.
Christmas is traditionally a time of posting out cards to friends and family, but along with other forms of post, these volumes are in decline also.
But what about you? Will you send a Christmas card (by post) this year?
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After failing to grasp texting, we tried email with my dear old mother. Nope :) She still sends cards, and you know when you see that card in the post box you have to smile.
@William Clay: of course your mum does its more real to that generation I have to send one to my older sister and some other elderly relatives because they expect them
I’m sending one to Mr Halawa, Cairo prison, Egypt.
Should take 24 hours if recent post is anything to go by.
No doubt he’ll appreciate a reminder of the auld country…
Yes I will send them and love to recieve them. Great to see some cards coming into the letter box instead of bills as usual.
I send them every year. There is just something extra special about getting a card in the post. That you just don’t get from an email or a text.
Increasing the price of a stamp is obviously not the way to regain losses. The higher the price, the less people will use the service. I love sending and receiving cards but will be forced to stop if they keep raising the price.
Soon the stamps will cost more than the card itself
@Eleanor O’Farrell: why are all state and semi state bodys loosing money when they are nearly all the most expensive in europe ????
Yes I will. But I actually make my own Christmas cards, so I’m not worried about the rising price of stamps, I’m worried about the rising price of glue-on sparkles. I need to use a lot of the stuff (otherwise the card looks tacky) and it’s just too expensive this year.
Sounds like it may be my last… I won’t be able to afford it next year.
Sure you won’t.
I’m very surprised at the amount of people that said no. I keep every are I receive and they remind me years after of the person who sent them.
With the cost of stamps? Are you mad?
@Liam O Sullivan: 1 wouldn’t hurt?
Christmas cards for ‘mature’ relatives only. Ever tried to teach an 80 year old how to use email?! :D
@Sharon Walker: Email isn’t quite the same as recieving a card in the post, someone has gone to the effort of sending you a greeting you will remember long after.
Support our rural post offfices or they will disappear.
@Chris Kirk: ‘ someone has gone to the effort of sending you a greeting you will remember long after’
You sure about that?
Why only December 25th then?
Personally I hate getting cards, always have even pre-internet. Annoying things that clutter my shelves.
Why put them on the shelves?
@oldschoolcelt: I am quite sure about that .
When our family send cards from Australia, US and New Zealand it will be remembered before and after 25th December. We would think that there was something wrong if they didn’t.
You’ll remember the card and the generic platitudes printed within?! Come off it. Many wont hear from card senders from one end of the year to the next until the next card with updated generic platitudes.
How can you “not know”?
I don’t know
Cos I haven’t asked my wife yet
Who knows?
Just like yesterday the photo shows out of date stamps.
Why do the Journal writers care so little about detail and accuracy?
Are you for real?
Of course I’m for real.
Are you okay with a news outlet publishing false and inaccurate information continuously?
Journal you should have “Moan of the Week” award. I nominate this as this weeks winner :-)
Once again just pointing out that they just slap up any old photo and hope readers won’t notice. It’s rather insulting really.
I didn’t notice cos I didn’t zoom in on the photo to see how old the stamps were. Life’s too short
@Dan Keane: Not having a go Dan but as rants go that’s a pretty funny and pointless one. Gave me a good laugh :-)
I know you’re not.
This is just another link in a long long chain of inaccuracies.
@Jimmyjoe – so basically you are happy to accept inaccurate news. Good for you.
It’s not news, it’s a lighthearted poll
The first four words are a bit of a giveaway – “The news broke yesterday…”
So, no, it’s not just a poll it contains news with a misleading and inaccurate photo.
probably the last year for most of a generation as an post are about to put the price of a stamp out of reach
I gave up sending Christmas cards a few years back, instead we make a few different donations to worthy charities. Over the years SVDP, Penny Dinners Cork, The Capuchin Day Centre, Simon and one or two others have benefited. It works good for me as I hate the dose of writing the cards and hopefully a few others get to have a slightly better Christmas than they might otherwise have had.
@Mary Cullinane: Do you ever wonder why you have few friends…..there are plenty of charity cards available, why not surprise someone and send them instead.
@Chris Kirk: I actually have lots of friends. I know there are lots of charity cards available but the charities I like to help are specifically aimed at those who are homeless and help other people who are in the unfortunate position of not being able to provide themselves with the basic necessities like a decent meal and a place to sleep each day. Each to their own Chris but don’t you worry at all about my lack of friends! A very happy and healthy Christmas to you and yours.
@Mary Cullinane, it’s a good idea but I’m sceptical about it too because I know of a company that sends an email to say they won’t be sending cards or presents but making a donation to charity instead and they don’t make the donation. Not that you do that but you get my point.
@Mary Cullinane: Thank you Mary and the same to you. I am sure that you do have lots of friends and why wouldn’t you. Many people I know however don’t give money to charities because you never know if the charities actually get the benefit over administration costs and give to one and you need to support them all. No Mary, life is far to complicated for that, I just buy a few packs of my prefered cards from the Irish Cancer Society.
@Paula Doran: Of course there probably are people who do as you say but thankfully I am not one of them and I’m sure my family and friends know me well enough at this stage to realise that I would not lie to them in relation to this or indeed anything else for that matter! also thankfully my friends are genuine people who’s friendship and love for me is not based on the fact of whether I send them a Christmas card or not. I have been doing this with a good few years now and it suits me and I have no doubt it also is of a little benefit to the charities involved so it’s a win win as far as I am concerned.
@Chris Kirk: I do a fair bit of checking out before I support any charity and while there is no 100% guarantee of where the money goes I try my best to pick those that have very few overheads and I try to help those who are most worthy (in my eyes) this time of the year. As far as the Cancer Society is concerned I believe they are a great charity and I have done fundraising and also voluntary work for them over the years, I just think of those unfortunate people sleeping rough and without anybody to care or show them love at Christmas and if I can do a little bit to help them then to me it is well worth the little extra bit of effort involved. I am no Saint believe me but I am blessed in that me and my family have always had enough to eat and a roof over our heads and I give thanks for that.
@Mary Cullinane: You are a good person Mary, wish that there were more lke you….
I am sending out 700 at the moment.
Na I’m far to mean
Yep. To beloved ancient rellies in Amerikay who think ‘Ipad” is what you do barefoot across the bathroom floor after exiting the bath actually no the shower (the last social/ tech innovation they truly got to grips with). Along with a copy of ”Ireland’s Own” rolled up in a mailing tube. And the annual copy of ”The Quiet Man” or possibly ”Ryan’s Daughter” on Betamax to let them believe things are the same in the old country as always.
I never did send them
Couldn’t be bothered.
Christmas cards are great, it is suppose to be unlucky to keep them but I do. When you have kept them then you have a record of people who in some cases have died since that card was sent. A bit morbid but it is a record of them in one way.
@Alois Irlmaier: If you know them that well to receive greetings from them, surely you must have a picture of them, and surely thats a better ‘record of them’ that a glittery card with religious or sentimental rubbish printed on it?
@oldschoolcelt: A picture is good but so is having something they choose to do and then sign it with their own hand, I think that is a nice memory of them to have, don’t you?
have your say