Post Office denies scaling back services at Aylesbury store which has doubled its opening hours

The Post Office has denied scaling back its services at an Aylesbury store, saying changes have allowed the shop’s opening hours to double.

Concerns have been raised regarding the layout changes at the Post Office located inside the Morrison’s Daily store Jansel Square.

One resident has claimed the service offered at the store in the Bedgrove area of Aylesbury has been significantly scaled back since the shop was taken over by Morrisons.

Previously, the shop had operated as a McColl's store before becoming a Morrisons Daily outlet in 2023.

It is claimed that the store’s Post Office was operated by two members of staff at peak hours prior to the layout change, and is now worked on by just one person at a much smaller counter.

The Post Office does not accept this characterisation, claiming the layout change is beneficial to customers as it allows the service to remain open for double the hours.

A spokesperson said: “The retail store, where Jansel Square Post Office is based, has recently been modernised. There is now a Post Office counter alongside the retail counter. This allows the Post Office to be open throughout the opening hours of the Morrisons Daily store. The new opening hours are now Monday to Saturday: 6am – 10pm; Sunday: 7am – 10pm. This means that the opening hours have doubled, making it more convenient for customers to visit. The same range of Post Office services are still available.”

One resident said: “There are a lot of older people in this area, and some of them don’t have cars, or are not able to walk. So they really rely on that Post Office.

"I’m slightly worried that it could disappear altogether, if there’s only one person manning the Post Office and she calls in sick. For those people it is going to be difficult because it means a trip into town.”

The resident fears older less tech-savvy customers may be forced to travel on public transport to the Post Office in Aylesbury town centre, which is often, in his experience, even more busy than the one in Bedgrove.