Titchfield villagers packed a meeting to hear about changes to the village post office – and were reassured about their concerns.
Around 75 residents attended the meeting at St Peter’s Church to hear a presentation by a Post Office representative on the proposals to change the branch located in the One Stop store in The Square.
A number of residents had voiced concerns about customer security and confidentiality when they heard the plans to remove the three security-screened service counters at the back of the store.
Mike Dalzell, who organised the meeting, said residents’ worries and questions raised at the meeting were answered and they were reassured by the Post Office and One Stop representatives.
He said: “If you go in and asked for £100 cash or to put in a large amount of cash, a member of staff would take you to a secure room at the back of the store to make the transaction and ensure you left ok. That is what they told us at the meeting.
“People were concerned about long queues, but now they will be opening for longer hours. So people could go and buy stamps at 8 o’clock at night if they wanted.
“It was not all doom and gloom. There was no nastiness at all. People accept there has to be changes”
He said a survey carried out over the past year revealed that customers’ use of the Post Office was not profitable for the One Stop.
Mr Dalzell added: “It averaged at 11 people per hour. It was not profitable.
“The footfall through there was not profitable enough for the Post Office to be using all that space in the store.”
The store will close on February 7 for the refurbishment work and will reopen with the new-look branch on February 15. During this time people are advised to use other branches in Centre Way, Locks Heath, Stubbington or Hill Head.
The branch will be open longer as a result of the changes – Mondays to Sundays from 6am to 10pm.