[LINK] UK Royal Mail sale - AusPost outlet general retailing

[Robin Whittle]

Jan wrote of the UK Royal Mail:

> I wonder if they are also experimenting with some of the digital 
> services Aussie Post is? Or turning their post offices into sundry 
> stores? I was in our local this week and saw everything from a 
> barbecue grill to a jellyfish aquarium. That is not a joke.

Today I saw at the local Australia Post outlet (formerly thought of as a
Post Office) a shelf of chocolates, jelly beans and I think bottles of
Coke.  This was between two of the three counters for serving customers.
 For years there has been shelves full of knick-nacks, impossibly
inexpensive inkjet printers, cellphones, memory cards, stationery, CDs,
DVDs etc. etc.

I guess some or most of these sweets and drinks were made in Australia,
which is not generally true of the non-postage items which cram our
"Post Offices" today.  The ubiquitous Reflex paper would be made from
local forests under questionable arrangements, such as clearfelling
established stands of trees:

  http://www.ethicalpaper.com.au

http://lilydale-yarra-valley-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/protesters-return-to-mount-st-leonard-logging-site/

http://melbournecatchments.org/learn-more/logging-industry-groups/australian-paper/

So this is Australian labour and Australian forests (including those in
catchment areas) being used for Australian Paper, which is owned by the
Nippon Paper Group . . . and I recall this is the only type of paper for
sale in these Australian Government controlled "Post Offices", many of
which are privately owned and run.


  - Robin