A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels , providing post office boxes , and selling postage stamps , packaging, and stationery . Post offices may offer additional services, which vary by country. These include providing and accepting government forms (such as passport applications), and processing government services and fees (such as road tax , postal savings , or bank fees). The chief administrator of a post office is called a postmaster .
39-666: A postal worker is one who works for a post office , such as a mail carrier. In the U.S. , postal workers are represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL–CIO , National Postal Mail Handlers Union – NPMHU, the National Association of Rural Letter Carriers and the American Postal Workers Union , part of the AFL–CIO. In Canada , they are represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and in
78-425: A hub and spoke model. Couriers services utilizing courier software provide electronic proof of delivery and electronic tracking details. In ancient history, messages were hand-delivered using a variety of methods, including runners , homing pigeons and riders on horseback. Before the introduction of mechanized courier services, foot messengers physically ran miles to their destinations. Xenophon attributed
117-600: A country-wide service is Australia Post. Australian Post operates quite differently to government departments, as it is government-owned enterprise focused on service delivery in a competitive market. It operates in a fully competitive market against other delivery services such as Fastway , UPS , and Transdirect . International courier services in China include TNT , EMS International , DHL , FedEx and UPS. These companies provide nominal worldwide service for both inbound and outbound shipments, connecting China to countries such as
156-461: A courier has changed; it is no longer a lengthy task of making numerous calls to different courier companies to request a quote. Booking a courier is predominantly carried out online. The courier industry has been quick to adapt to an ever-changing digital landscape, meeting the needs of mobile and desktop consumers as well as e-commerce and online retailers, offering end users access to instant online payments, parcel tracking, delivery notifications, and
195-461: A delivery deadline, loss of life from a delayed organ transplant). The courier business in Australia is a very competitive industry and is mainly concentrated in the high population areas in and around the capital cities. With such a vast mass of land to cover the courier companies tend to transport either by air or by the main transport routes and national highways. The only large company that provides
234-525: A message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are government or state agency employees (for example: a diplomatic courier ). Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature, specialization and individualization of express services, and swift delivery times, which are optional for most everyday mail services. As
273-433: A moment's notice anywhere in the world, usually via commercial airlines. While this type of service is the second costliest— general aviation charters are far more expensive—companies analyze the cost of service to engage an on-board courier versus the "cost" the company will realize should the product not arrive by a specified time (an assembly line stopping, untimely court filing, lost sales from product or components missing
312-524: A premium service, couriers are usually more expensive than standard mail services, and their use is normally limited to packages where one or more of these features are considered important enough to warrant the cost. Courier services operate on all scales, from within specific towns or cities, to regional, national and global services. Large courier companies include DHL , DTDC , FedEx , EMS International , TNT , UPS , India Post , J&T Express and Aramex . These offer services worldwide, typically via
351-520: A week (former USSR countries). Large couriers often require an account to be held (and this can include daily scheduled collections). Senders are therefore primarily in the commercial/industrial sector (and not the general public); some couriers such as DHL do however allow public sending (at higher cost than regular senders). In recent years, the increased popularity of Black Friday in the UK has placed some firms under operational stress. The process of booking
390-415: Is a $ 59 billion industry, with 90% of the business shared by DHL, FedEx, UPS and USA Couriers. On the other hand, regional and/or local courier and delivery services were highly diversified and tended to be smaller operations; the top 50 firms accounted for just a third of the sector's revenues. USPS is mail or packages delivered by the government and are the only ones who can legally ship to mailboxes. In
429-402: Is identified by its PIN. Post offices coming under Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication, Government of India have a history of one hundred fifty years. Private courier and delivery services often have offices as well, although these are usually not called "post offices", except in the case of Germany , which has fully privatised its national postal system . As abbreviation PO
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#1733092813490468-464: Is instead known as a sorting office or delivery office, which may have a large central area known as a sorting or postal hall. Integrated facilities combining mail processing with railway stations or airports are known as mail exchanges. In India , post offices are found in almost every village having panchayat (a "village council"), towns, cities, and throughout the geographical area of India. India's postal system changed its name to India Post after
507-837: Is the special product of a co-operative arrangement between China Post and Alipay , which is the online payment unit of Alibaba Group . It is only available for the delivery of online purchases made using Alipay. Within the Municipality of Beijing, TongCheng KuaiDi (同城快递), also a unit of China Post, provides intra-city service using cargo bicycles . International courier services in India include DHL , FedEx , Blue Dart Express , Spicexpress and Logistics Pvt Ltd , Ekart , DTDC , VRL Courier Services , Delhivery , TNT , Amazon.com , OCS and Gati Ltd . Apart from these, several local couriers also operate across India. Almost all of these couriers can be tracked online. India Post , an undertaking by
546-433: Is used, together with GPO for General Post Office and LPO for Licensed Post Office. There is evidence of corps of royal couriers disseminating the decrees of Egyptian pharaohs as early as 2400 BCE, and it is possible that the service greatly precedes that date. Similarly, there may be ancient organised systems of post houses providing mounted courier service, although sources vary as to precisely who initiated
585-539: The Holy Roman Empire . The British Postal Museum claims that the oldest functioning post office in the world is on High Street in Sanquhar , Scotland . The post office has functioned continuously since 1712, during which horses and stagecoaches were used to carry mail. Rural parts of Canada in the 19th century utilised the way office system. Villagers could leave their letters at the way office which were then taken to
624-539: The Middle Ages , royal courts maintained their own messengers who were paid little more than common labourers. In cities, there are often bicycle couriers or motorcycle couriers but for consignments requiring delivery over greater distance networks, this may often include trucks , railroads and aircraft . Many companies which operate under a just-in-time or "JIT" inventory method often use on-board couriers (OBCs). On-board couriers are individuals who can travel at
663-540: The Pack-Station for package delivery , including both drop-off and pickup, in 2001. In the 2000s, the United States Postal Service began to install Automated Postal Centers (APCs) in many locations in both post offices, for when they are closed or busy, and retail locations. APCs can print postage and accept mail and small packages. Courier A courier is a person or organization that delivers
702-638: The US , Australia , United Kingdom , and New Zealand . Of the international courier services, the Dutch company TNT is considered to have the most capable local fluency and efficacy for third- and fourth- tiered cities. EMS International is a unit of China Post, and as such is not available for shipments originating outside China. Domestic courier services include SF Express , STO Express (申通), ZTO Express (中通), YTO Express (圆通), E- EMS (E邮宝), Cainiao Express (菜鸟) and many other operators of sometimes microscopic scales. E-EMS,
741-530: The United Kingdom by the Communication Workers Union . The US Postal Service employs around 584,000 people. The bulk of these work as: The phrase was not very often used until a spate of workplace violence incidents by postal workers in the mid-1990s made headlines; the incidents led to the coining of the phrase " going postal ". Post office Before the advent of postal codes and
780-518: The 1650s, shortly after the legalisation of private mail services in England in 1635. In early modern England, post riders — mounted couriers —were placed, or "posted", every few hours along post roads at posting houses (also known as post houses) between major cities, or " post towns ". These stables or inns permitted important correspondence to travel without delay. In early America, post offices were also known as stations. This term, as well as
819-468: The 2000 A.D., post offices would collect fees for radio licenses, recruitment for government jobs, and the operation of public call telephone (PCO) booths. Postmen would deliver letters, money orders, and parcels to places that are within the assigned area of a particular post office. Each Indian post office is assigned a unique six-digit code called the Postal Index Number , or PIN. Each post office
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#1733092813490858-621: The Indian government, is the largest courier service with around 155 thousand branches (comprising 139 thousand (90%) in rural areas and 16 thousand (10%) in urban areas). All couriers use the PIN code or postal index number introduced by India Post to locate delivery address. Additionally, the contact number of the recipient and sender are voluntarily added on the courier for ease of locating the address. The history of courier services in Bangladesh dates back to
897-403: The UK every day. In fact, from 1988 to 2016, UK couriers were considered universally self employed, though the number of salaried couriers employed by firms has grown substantially since then. However, since the dawn of the electronic age the way in which businesses use couriers has changed dramatically. Prior to email and the ability to create PDFs, documents represented a significant proportion of
936-504: The UK same-day courier market stems from the London Taxi companies but soon expanded into dedicated motorcycle despatch riders with the taxi companies setting up separate arms to their companies to cover the courier work. During the late 1970s small provincial and regional companies were popping up throughout the country. Today, there are many large companies offering next-day courier services. There are many 'specialist' couriers usually for
975-645: The West, making a Wells Fargo office in every camp and settlement a necessity for commerce and connections to home. Shortly afterward, the Pony Express was established to move packages more quickly than the traditional stagecoach . It illustrated the demand for timely deliveries across the nation, a concept that continued to evolve with the railroads , automobiles and interstate highways and which has emerged into today's courier industry. The courier industry in United States
1014-475: The advent of private courier companies in the 1990s. It is run by the Indian government's Department of Posts. India Post accepts and delivers inland letters, postcards, parcels, postal stamps, and money orders (money transfers). Few post offices in India offer speed post (fast delivery) and payments or bank savings services. It is also uncommon for Indian post offices to sell insurance policies or accept payment for electricity, landline telephone, or gas bills. Until
1053-712: The business. However, over the past five years, documentation revenues have decreased by 50 percent. Customers are also demanding more from their courier partners. Therefore, more organisations prefer to use the services of larger organisations who are able to provide more flexibility and levels of service, which has led to another level of courier company, regional couriers. This is usually a local company which has expanded to more than one office to cover an area. Some UK couriers offer next-day services to other European countries. FedEx offers next-day air delivery to many EU countries. Cheaper 'by-road' options are also available, varying from two days' delivery time (such as France), to up to
1092-518: The convenience of door to door collection and delivery to almost any destination in the world. The courier industry has long held an important place in United States commerce and has been involved in pivotal moments in the nation's history such as westward migration and the gold rush . Wells Fargo was founded in 1852 and rapidly became the preeminent package delivery company. The company specialised in shipping gold, packages and newspapers throughout
1131-1056: The country's logistics and trade networks. Couriers that operate across Bangladesh include Sundarban Courier Service (40% market share), SA Paribahan , Pathao Courier , e-dak Courier , RedX , Sheba Delivery , Janani Express Parcel Service , Delivery Tiger , eCourier , Karatoa Courier Service , Sonar Courier . Almost all of these couriers can be tracked online. Also international courier services in Bangladesh include DHL , FedEx , United Express , Royale International Bangladesh , DSL Worldwide Courier Service , Aramex , Pos Laju , J&T Express , and Amazon.com . International courier services in Malaysia include DHL , FedEx , Pgeon , Skynet Express , ABX Express , GDex , Pos Laju , J&T Express , and Amazon.com . Apart from these, several local couriers also operate across Malaysia. Almost all of these couriers can be tracked online. The main courier services available in Ireland as alternatives to
1170-680: The first use of couriers to the Persian prince Cyrus the Younger . Famously, the Ancient Greek courier Pheidippides is said to have run 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to bring the news of the Greek victory over the Persians in 490 BCE. The long-distance race known as a marathon is named for this run. Judah's king, Hezekiah, dates between 200 and 400 BCE, where several couriers brought letters throughout
1209-895: The land of Judah and Israel (cf. 2 Chron 30 ESV). Starting at the time of Augustus , the ancient Greeks and Romans made use of a class of horse and chariot -mounted couriers called anabasii to quickly bring messages and commands from long distances. The word anabasii comes from the Greek ἀνάβασις ( anábasis , "ascent, mounting"). They were contemporary with the Greek hemeredromi , who carried their messages by foot. In Roman Britain , Rufinus made use of anabasii, as documented in Saint Jerome 's memoirs ( adv. Ruffinum , l. 3. c. 1.): "Idcircone Cereales et Anabasii tui per diversas provincias cucurrerunt, ut laudes meas legerent?" ("Is it on that account that your Cereales and Anabasii circulated through many provinces, so that they might read my praises?") In
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1248-463: The late 1970s when private companies started offering delivery and parcel services. These companies played a crucial role in facilitating the movement of documents and goods within the country. Over the years, the courier industry in Bangladesh has grown significantly, adapting to changes in technology and expanding its services to include international shipments. Today, various local and international courier companies operate in Bangladesh, contributing to
1287-489: The national An Post system are Parcel Direct Ireland , DHL , UPS, TNT , DPD and FedEx. There are several international courier companies in Singapore including TNT, DHL and FedEx. Despite being a small country, the demand for courier services is high. Many local courier companies have sprung up to meet this demand. Most courier companies in Singapore focus on local deliveries instead of international freight. The genus of
1326-499: The nearest post office, as well as pick up their mail from the way office. In parts of Europe, special postal censorship offices existed to intercept and censor mail. In France, such offices were known as cabinets noirs . In many jurisdictions, mailboxes and post office boxes have long been in widespread use for drop-off and pickup (respectively) of mail and small packages outside post offices or when offices are closed. Germany's national postage system Deutsche Post introduced
1365-583: The other providing sturdy oxen for bulk shipments. The Byzantine historian Procopius , though not unbiased, records the Cursus Publicus system remained largely intact until it was dismantled in the Byzantine empire by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century. The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis family initiated regular mail service from Brussels in the 16th century , directing the Imperial Post of
1404-465: The post office, postal systems would route items to a specific post office for receipt or delivery. During the 19th century in the United States , this often led to smaller communities being renamed after their post offices, particularly after the Post Office Department began to require that post office names not be duplicated within a state . The term "post-office" has been in use since
1443-1103: The practice. In the Persian Empire , a Chapar Khaneh system existed along the Royal Road . Similar postage systems were established in India and China by the Mauryan and Han dynasties in the 2nd century BCE. The Roman historian Suetonius credited Augustus with regularising the Roman transportation and courier network, the Cursus Publicus . Local officials were obliged to provide couriers who would be responsible for their message's entire course. Locally maintained post houses ( Latin : stationes ) privately owned rest houses ( Latin : mansiones ) and were obliged or honored to care for couriers along their way. The Roman emperor Diocletian later established two parallel systems: one providing fresh horses or mules for urgent correspondence and
1482-438: The term "post house", fell from use as horse and coach services were replaced by railways , aircraft , and automobiles . The term "post office" usually refers to government postal facilities providing customer service. " General Post Office " is sometimes used for the national headquarters of a postal service, even if the building does not provide customer service. A postal facility that is used exclusively for processing mail
1521-490: The transportation of items such as freight/pallets, sensitive documents and liquids. The 'Man & Van'/Freelance courier business model, is highly popular in the United Kingdom, with thousands upon thousands of independent couriers and localised companies, offering next-day and same day services. This is likely to be so popular because of the low business requirements (a vehicle) and the lucrative number of items sent within
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