Residents in Titchfield are anxious that proposed changes to the Post Office in the village could mean a reduction in service along with less privacy and security.
The Post Office is planning to close the two existing security-screened counters at the branch, based in the One Stop shop in The Square, and instead have one open-plan till on the retail counter in the main shop with a weighing machine.
Some customers have said they are worried this new-look Post Office would not be in the best interests of consumers and could create longer queuing times at the already busy branch.
The deadline for customers to send feedback on the plans to the Post Office is today (January 9)
Matt Forster, one of the managers at the Queen’s Head pub, said he only received an email about the changes this week and he added he did not think villagers had been well informed and consulted.
“It’s a well used post office and it seems a very strange way of doing things,” he said.
“It seems a very short period of time to be consulting on these plans.
“It sounds like it’s going to be hard work for the general customer. It’s one of the few small places you can go to get your car tax. On the other hand if all you want in the shop is your paper you could find things running very slowly while people use the Post Office services.
“You could be in the shop for quarter of an hour instead of two minutes. It seems illogical.”
Villagers are also worried the store will become congested and be difficult for customers with mobility scooters and families with pushchairs.
A spokesperson for the Post Office said: “We understand how important having a Post Office is to residents in Titchfield and believe that modernising the branch and extending the opening hours will make it easier for our customers to do business with us and also secure services for the future.
“This consultation about an ‘onsite’ change to the Post Office network is being carried out in accordance with the Code of Practice for changes to the network, as agreed with Consumer Focus, the national consumer organisation.”
If the change goes ahead the branch would be open from Mondays to Sundays from 6am to 10pm. The current opening times are Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 5.30pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 12.30pm.
The proposed changes to the branch are part of a three-year investment programme, that will see around 6,000 branches (about half the Post Office network) converting to new-style branches. The investment marks a commitment to no more branch closure programmes.
The branch will need to close for approximately four days while the refurbishment takes place – probably during February.
People can email their feedback to comments@postoffice.co.uk