Greeting Card Association suggests Tuesday or Wednesday as a better option
- Greetings card retailers suggest scrapping midweek delivery day instead of Saturday
- Greeting Card Association proposes Tuesday or Wednesday as alternative to weekend deliveries
- Royal Mail previously pushed for the option to drop Saturday deliveries
- Saturday deliveries important for small and medium sized businesses
- Suggestion to waive premium on delivery fees before big events to increase letter volumes
Greetings card retailers have suggested to the communications industry regulator that it scraps a midweek delivery day instead of Saturday if it must reduce the UK’s letter service. The Greeting Card Association (GCA) told Ofcom that stopping the delivery of standard letters on Tuesday or Wednesday would be less damaging than its original plan to axe weekend deliveries. In her response to the consultation, GCA chief executive Amanda Fergusson said: “In the unlikely case that the case for cutting a delivery day was proven, our members would prefer this to be Tuesday or Wednesday.” Fergusson said that Saturday deliveries were important to small and medium sized businesses, especially in the run up to seasonal events such as Mother’s Day or Easter, which fall on Sundays. She suggested another option could be reducing delivery days but waiving any premium on delivery fees in the week before big events like Mother’s Day to grow letter volumes. She warned that “the idea of a three-day per week [service] is completely unpalatable to our customers and wider industry”.
Factuality Level: 8
Factuality Justification: The article provides a detailed and factual account of the Greeting Card Association’s suggestions to the communications industry regulator regarding potential changes to the UK’s letter service. It includes direct quotes from the GCA chief executive and accurately reports on the response to Ofcom’s consultation. The information presented is relevant and does not contain any obvious bias, misleading information, or sensationalism.
Noise Level: 3
Noise Justification: The article provides relevant information about the Greeting Card Association’s suggestion to the communications industry regulator regarding the reduction of the UK’s letter service. It includes quotes from the GCA chief executive and explains the potential impact on small and medium-sized businesses. The article stays on topic and supports its claims with examples and statements from involved parties. However, it lacks in-depth analysis, antifragility considerations, and actionable insights, which prevent it from scoring higher.
Financial Relevance: Yes
Financial Markets Impacted: Greeting card retailers, communications industry regulator, Royal Mail
Presence Of Extreme Event: No
Nature Of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating Of The Extreme Event: No
Rating Justification: The article pertains to financial topics as it discusses the impact of potential changes to the UK’s letter service on greeting card retailers and the communications industry regulator. However, there is no mention of an extreme event or its impact.
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