Today, for the first time in 2006, with ⅞ of the year gone, I bought and used a stamp to mail a personal letter.

q1: Do you know how much it costs to send a letter anymore?

The stamp is a relic today to many like me. I send out maybe 10 text messages a day and make a similar number of phone calls, and e-mails as well – not to mention blog comments and internet chats. Everyone I know has a cell phone, or can reach me by phone or e-mail – and only secondarily by post.

q2: When was the last time you gave anyone a P O Box address?

Hope for the post office
I also send out official letters from the office – but this is still not good for the post office because messenger companies (who we use) work with physical/office addresses not postal box numbers and take our letters from office to office – that way clients are assured of timely and reliable deliveries which they can track.

I still rely on a mailbox though, to receive electricity, water & telephone bills (fixed & mobile), postcards, corporate annual reports & dividends, Kenya gazette, bank statements, magazines arrive every week and this I guess provides enough revenue for the post office.

a1: 25 shillings
a2: Can’t remember no more steamy letters in high school, but I should be sending out some success cards in November to relatives once I get their school addresses.