Birmingham Post Office

Grab a ticket and wait your turn… no you are not at the deli counter of your childhood you are at Birmingham post office…
The service here is pretty organised but can be slow so dont be planning to nip in do your postage… oh no… take light refreshments… maybe a feature length film and get comfy.
In fairness I was posting two bin bags of stuff but the place was noticeably understaffed so I felt a bit guilty to be sending so much! Not ideal as it cost a small fortune to do! Paying to feel guilty… hmmmm…
The staff I did meet were sound enough but if any managers are reading this you need to make sure a big order does not mess up your entire day…3* based on the lovely people I met… and also the royal memorabilia in the cabinet… that also made me smile a lot… why is it there… who knows… but I am just happy it is :)

Ah the Post Office. A necessary evil in my life. This soulless place is completed with a drab tired interior and the staff to match. «Service with a smile» is rare, so appreciate it when it happens. Because it’s a miracle.
The self service machines function well most of the time. Though the staff that look after this area are often very slow getting round to authorise transactions so if you can, do allow some extra time.
The counter service staff seem to a little more friendly and tend to hand out smiles and eye contact with wild abandon compared to their team members over at self service. It is such a shame that this is the experience I’ve had over the last five years but I’ve little choice than to visit as this is my local Post Office.
There are some packaging items, and stationery for sale. Not the most inspiring choice though practical I guess. There is also a photo booth of the functional not fun variety. But I don’t think passports and driving licences require quirky photos so I suppose that is good. Saves any confusion anyway.

As Post Offices go… This one is pretty good actually. Ideally situated just off Victoria Square, I believe it’s the largest Post Office in the City Centre. It offers all the services you would need, including a travel money service, a selection of collectable coins/​small gifts, insurance/​banking and a cash machine.
There are a number of counters (and normally plenty of staff), so you WILL have a wait (inevitable these days), but now there is a ticket system in place so you at least have some idea of how long that’s going to be. Plus, no more queuing! This branch has installed plenty of seats so you can sit and wait to be called.
I popped in to post a parcel to America this week. Obviously, being the festive season… It was packed. I took a ticket and was informed there were 15 people in front of me. When you get your ticket from the automatic machine, you select the service you require (meaning that people waiting for passport/​financial services aren’t in the same queue as people who just want to post something).
Posting things abroad is expensive these days, but the friendly and helpful member of staff I encountered made the pain a little more bearable. Once I was called, I scooted up to the desk to be greeted with a big friendly smile and was asked what I required. I explained I wanted to post a parcel and the guy gave me a sympathetic look and asked me to place my item on the scale. Yes… It was pricey. After going through the American import protocol (filling in the little sticker that pretty much renders any surprise gone for the recipient as you detail EXACTLY what is in the parcel), we had a chat about who I was sending it to and what I was sending. Not in a creepy way, just an interested one.
Whilst the exchange was going on, we got to the subject of upcoming travel plans. With two trips abroad planned (so far) for 2014/​2015, we got on to the subject of their various financial services for people going on holidays. Now, I am pretty clued up on currency etc — but he had some pretty good information about services I didn’t know the Post Office offered (and assured me he wasn’t on commission).
I left lighter in the wallet, but not too bothered about it. I did everything I needed fairly swiftly and without and hassle. The service I received was pretty fantastic and I left armed with information about things I very well may use in the future. I would definitely use this Post Office again rather than my usual JQ branch if I was headed into town.

Situated right off Victoria Square, this large Post Office has a lot to offer.
In addition to offering the standard services at the counters there is also a ‘post your own parcel’ area located to the left on the way in. It’s easy to use and there is staff on hand to help you if you have a problem. However, if your parcel is too large to stay on the scales, the machine can get temperamental and go back to the beginning which means you lose the parcels already ‘saved’ on there which can be frustrating. You can also post special delivery and signed for parcels here so that helps.
Also, one thing I didn’t know when I first went in, is that they operate a ticket policy for the main counters so you go in, take one and then go to the counter when your number is called. At busy times there are a lot of people waiting but the staff tends to work their way through quite quickly. There is a seating area so you can rest while you wait as well.

This post office is located in Birmingham city centre, close by to the back entrance of New Street Station.
There are a number of self serve machines, that you can weigh parcels on and buy stamps from. If you are not confident in using these there are staff on hand to assist, or you can retrieve a ticket from the ticket machine to be served by a real human being which I much prefer.
If you require bubble wrap, envelopes, packaging and sticky tape you can purchase here.
They have also recently extended their opening hours, and now stay open until 6:30pm which can be very handy.

For years, I would avoid the main post office, especially at peak times, and go to a small local one.
That’s before they bought in self service machines and it’s probably not overstating that it has changed my life somewhat.
It may not be any quicker at the self-​service machine, seeing as I’m not a trained PO professional but I pretty quickly learnt the order the questions are going to come up on the big touch-​screen in front of me to select what sort of postal service I need.
You will be very unlucky if you have to wait in line here as there are plenty of machines that mostly work. If there is anywhere you may have to wait in line is if you need a ‘proof of postage’ receipt or are sending by any traceable service (recorded deliver, special delivery etc.) but otherwise your stamps are printed along with your receipt in seconds and you pop your post in the box and go.
Even better, the post office is now open until 6.30 each week night. It is almost empty for the last hour as no-​one knows about late opening. Until now that is.

I much prefer this post office to the old one by WH Smiths.
The queuing system with seated waiting area makes things a lot easier if you’ve got heavy bags or packages and the self-​service section is really easy to use.
As you would expect they stock various packing materials, selotape, cards and all those last minute things you need to help with whatever you’re posting!
I would strongly recommend using the self-​service machines as they are easy to follow and much quicker than waiting for the counter service. If you’re not comfortable using them just ask one of the helpful members of staff and they’ll talk you through it — well worth doing for future uses!

Handily situated about 2 minutes walk from where I work I quite often find myself nipping in here to mail my letters and parcels.
If you’re in a hurry to sort out your postage there are several self service machines available and there are staff on hand to help the technophobes who aren’t sure which buttons to press. I tend to use these machines when sending out cards to relatives in Ireland and I need air mail stickers as well as the appropriate postage.
The staff on the floor are quite helpful as I went in for a passport form and when I couldn’t see one on display the lady who I spoke to went and fetched me one from out the back.
If you want counter service be prepared to wait a bit during peak times such as lunchtime. Admittedly the wait is not as long as when the ticket system was first introduced. There is a large seating area so you can have sit down and sort out last minute addresses or sealing envelopes whilst you wait. The majority of people I tend to see using the counter service during my visits tend to be people who sell on a certain auction site.
The only grumble I have about using the counter service is that the staff sometimes seem a bit robotic for example they’ll ask what service you want and I’ll say for example recorded delivery, which they will sort out very efficiently and promptly but there is no small talk from them and they will always try and push a Post Office product ie credit card on you. Seems they’re more focused on targets than a personal touch don’t know if its coincidental with the new ticketing system but you’re left to feel like you’re just a number to them.

I remember first going to this post office when they were changing for the new ticket system and it was chaos. Nobody knowing what to do, waiting times were forever and they seemed to have employed more people to manage the self service machines than they had behind the counters. It was like a scene from a disaster movie but without the competent rugged hero guiding everyone to safety. Now that the Brummies have gotten used to their new techno overlord, the post office runs quicker and smoother than any others I’ve been to. Get a ticket, sit down and finish your address labels and before you know it you are at the counter and done. You can even bypass human contact entirely with one of the many self service machines. Sure, this place lacks the friendly face and homely feel of a local village post office but let’s be honest, they’re last places you’d want to hang out and chat all day, right? Take your eBay package, get it mailed out and get on with your day with minimum fuss. You can do that here and you don’t even have to indulge in the chat about the weather.
There’s a stationary shop inside too just in case you don’t have everything already wrapped and ready to go, but if you are as efficient as this place you will already have it together. You probably have printed labels too. Long live the robotic post office!

I was a bit skeptical about the new system employed at this Post Office a couple of years ago but now I’m a firm fan. It’s so much better to be able to go in, take a ticket then sit down and chill for a bit while you’re waiting. It gives you time to write any addresses or finish off any packaging too if you’re a bit all over the place like I am.
They have lots of new self-​service machines and a large-​ish, well stocked shop area which is convenient but I’d still recommend buying your supplies in Poundland instead.
The waiting times are usually not that long. Just make a note of how busy it is when you visit then adjust your timings accordingly.