SingPost Considering Bigger Letterboxes For S’poreans So That They Can Leave Parcels Instead of Delivering Them

By
Zhi Hao
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The other day, I attended my first intellectual convention, where figures from all walks of life gathered to discuss life and its many intricacies.

“How can we curb global warming?” one asked.

“What’s the secret to immortality?” another pleaded.

“Why do we throw our used towels away after showering, even though we’re supposedly clean?” I questioned.

There was a brief pause, during which all of them looked at me. “Sorry?” one asked.

“I mean… it’s true, right?” I shrugged. “If we’re clean after showering, why do we throw used towels into the washing machine?”

They stared at me, before looking at each other. “That’s actually pretty rational…” one slowly started. “I wonder why indeed…”

“Well, I know I threw mine away because I used it to wipe my ass…” another said cheerily, before slowly trailing off. “My donkey, you know. Ass. Hahahaha.”

Everyone started laughing, but they began shooting furtive looks at his hind.

“Also,” I said, trying to sound like the obvious intellectual I am. “Have you never wondered…”

They leaned in closer. The guy behind the ass dude was trying his best to focus on me.

“Why our letterboxes are so small?” I breathed.

SingPost CEO Considering Bigger Letter Boxes

If you’ve ever wondered the same burning question like the intellectual above did, I’ve got great news for you:

According to The Straits Times, SingPost group executive Paul Coutts has stated that the postal service company will be exploring a number of mail solutions for the future, with one being larger letterboxes.

Additionally, Mr Coutts has also expressed that SingPost’s currently in discussions with the authorities and stakeholders on increasing the size of both letterboxes and their slots. This is apparently to ensure that the infrastructure keeps pace with growing e-commerce volumes and accountability for non-trackable items.

“If a customer orders four to five packages and they arrive on the same day, trying to get those in a letterbox can be quite difficult,” he noted.

To put it into perspective, the current minimum internal dimensions of units in a residential letter box nest are 110mm by 270mm by 380mm. The maximum dimensions for packages, on the other hand, are 240mm by 340mm by 70mm.

This means that mall items sent through the postal service may be bigger than the receiving letterbox. In scenarios where items are too bulky for the letterboxes, or cannot fit because the boxes are clogged with uncleared mail, they’re sent for doorstep delivery.

Which we all know what’s going to happen. You’ll receive a collection slip instead #thankyouandylau

Rebuilding trust

Yet, perhaps such a move is not to be unexpected, considering all the fiascos SingPost has gotten itself into in the previous year. And Phil Coutts himself has certainly acknowledged that notion, emphasising the rebuild of trust after a string of high-profile service failures.

“Our group IT team is having an exploratory discussion with a couple of providers to see how we can do that. We are in discussions with regulators around this as well but that may take some time for us to work our way through,” said Mr Coutts.

In January, a postman was arrested following revelations that undelivered mail had been found. Subsequently, there were complaints about weak home delivery attempts, and to cap it all off the authorities handed the mail service a $100,000 fine for the failure to meet government standards in 2017.

In response, SingPost has directed the blame at the growth in e-commerce, which critics didn’t take kindly to, retorting that delivery issues have existed for years.

“I don’t think that we’ve neglected Singapore… the pain points that to some extent we’re experiencing today are some of the same ones that other postal organisations have gone through in their own home markets as they’ve gone global over the last 10 years or so.”

It has to be noted, however, that SingPost is required to hand in quarterly reports of its performance on several indicators for the delivery of local basic mail, which dipped below expectations in nine instances in 2017. The last time it failed to meet standards was in 2013, which contributed to a $10,000 penalty.

And so… bigger letterboxes?

Well, I gotta say; I wouldn’t mind a bigger one. With packages being directed straight to my letterbox, I won’t have to bother with all the incessant home deliveries and whatnot anymore.

Image: Giphy

But hey, as mentioned, it’s not a confirmed possibility. And so really…

I guess we’ll just have to wait to find out.

Image: Tenor

But to change all letterboxes in Singapore?

That’s going to cost more than a wall between Yishun and Sembawang. Who’s going to pay for it?

If you watch at least 10 minutes of brain rot content daily, you must know this:

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]