Mail

I went to mail a postcard the other day and realized I hadn't seen any post offices.  I did a quick google search to find the nearest one to me and discovered Sweden no longer has post offices.  They dissolved then a few years back along with several other European countries.  Now, you conduct all your post office needs at your local grocery store.

I received a letter in my mailbox yesterday (should I mention entirely in Swedish) that told me I had a package waiting at the grocery store down the street from my apartment.   I biked over after my afternoon session and picked up a few essential groceries and this dilapidated box.  I sat it precariously across the front of my bike and walked it back to my apartment against the wind.  I felt like I looked like the men in Uganda hauling matoke (banana) to market - my body was bent over pushing both the bike, my food and the box as sweat gathered around my hairline.

Was it worth it?  I'll tell you in a few months when the sun has left and the temperature doesn't rise above zero making those winter sweaters shipped from America invaluable.

This whole encounter with mail has got me thinking about the future of post offices around the world.  In the U.S. I was always hearing about post office's limiting their hours or closing all together.  Will it only be a short time before you can pick up your mail while doing your grocery shopping there too?