The TIME IS MONEY brochure from Australia Post is another example of this Government owned business using its protected monopoly to take sales from small business newsagents.
Nowhere on the glossy two-page brochure does Australia Post promote postal products.
This brochure is all about printers, ink, toner and office supplies. They are promoting this to the long suffering customers who have no choice but to visit the Government owned outlets.
Without the protection of the monopoly, Australia Post could not make these offers. Taxpayers are funding their ‘competitiveness’. It’s my view that Australia Post is operating outside what is permitted under the the Act of Parliament which governs its operation.
I think you will find that AP makes a large profit which is paid back to the federal government ie tax payers hardly a drain.
Sure stamps get people through the door, but a book of stamps gets you 45c profit on $5, our licensed post office would close if we relied on payments from AP for mail delivery and profits on postage.
About half of my customers present parcels placed in bags and envelopes sold by Woolies, office works and discount houses.
I sold a phone for $149 today and made $25 that would take a lot of stamps sales to match that profit.
We are 50kms from the nearest newsagency and are a sub-news agency. The QLD government control of gold lotto prevents our little town of 250 houses getting a terminal here as its not viable for them to put one in.
Is the government biased towards keeping this a newsagents monopoly ? I don’t loose sleep over it, I do whatever I can to keep my business relevant and profitable.