ROYAL Mail has revealed a huge shake-up to its famous red postboxes.
The postal giant has given its iconic design a makeover, and people are bound to hate it.
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Royal Mail has launched new digital postboxes which will be solar-powered and feature a larger posting slot to accommodate small parcels.
This is the first time postboxes will have larger slots.
To use the digital postboxes, customers will need to scan a barcode on their parcel and a drawer will automatically open for them to drop it in.
They can then request proof of postage using the Royal Mail app.
The app update uses 4G and your phone’s location services — all customers have to do is tap ‘services’ on the home screen, go to ‘proof of posting’, and follow the steps.
It marks the biggest change to postbox design in over 175 years — and many will hate it.
The solar panels are attached to the top of the iconic postboxes, which has completely changed their look.
The digital shift comes as part of Royal Mail’s drive to make it easier for people to send parcels without having to queue at the Post Office.
Five of the futuristic postboxes have already been trialled in Ware, Hertford and Fowlmere, with plans to roll them out more widely.
The new postboxes are not replacing existing ones – they are in addition to the traditional boxes.
But while the design might make life easier for online sellers or shoppers returning items, others may dislike the change for taking away the simplicity of a quick letter drop.
This is not the first time Royal Mail has revamped its services in recent years.
Back in 2018, Royal Mail redesigned postboxes so people didn’t need to visit the Post Office to send parcels — making them big enough to fit small packages as well as letters.
Then in 2019, it launched 1,400 parcel postboxes in 32 towns across the UK, converting existing postboxes to have wider openings and a secure design for pre-paid parcels.
Last year, Royal Mail made another major change to its services, rolling out parcel lockers for shoppers who regularly send or receive online orders.
And Sainsbury’s even jumped on board — partnering with Royal Mail to install parcel lockers across some of its stores.
Six lockers were installed in locations like Clapham, Kidderminster and Chislehurst to help customers send and collect parcels while they shop
Other Royal Mail news
The move comes as Royal Mail also hiked the price of stamps this week — leaving many households furious.
From Monday (April 7), the cost of a first-class stamp went up by 5p, now costing £1.70. Second-class stamps rose by 2p to 87p.
It didn’t stop there either — larger items were hit by even steeper price hikes.
Posting a first-class large letter up to 100g now costs £3.15, up from £2.60.
And first-class small parcels weighing up to 2kg rose from £4.79 to £4.99, while second-class jumped from £3.75 to £3.90.
Signed-for deliveries have also become more expensive.
Royal Mail bosses said the new postboxes would help support the growing number of people selling clothes and other secondhand goods online — as well as those returning unwanted items.
Emma Gilthorpe, CEO at Royal Mail, said: “In making this historic change to our postboxes, our goal is to maximise choice and convenience for our customers.”
Customers are using postal services less and less, particularly when it comes to using letters.
Twenty years ago, Royal Mail was delivering 20billion letters.
That number is now 6.6billion a year, and Royal Mail expects it to be 4billion a year in the next few years.
How are postage prices decided?
Royal Mail typically increases the price of stamps annually and this year the prices are rising in April.
The postal service typically provides customers with approximately a month’s notice before implementing price increases.
This year, the increase was announced on March 7, giving exactly one month’s notice before the new prices take effect on April 7.
Royal Mail said it is hiking the price of postage due to the decline in the number of people sending letters.
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