Coronavirus UK restrictions

Jay37

Boris Johnson has just announced new tougher restrictions on people's daily movements here in the UK. I have yet to discover any mention of Post Offices closing, but if going to the post office is not considered essential then what am I supposed to do with any potential orders? If I temporarily close my store will the active carts remain in place until the customer decides to cancel them, or will they expire automatically after a set period of time? And if I do close my store, can someone with an active cart still add things to it until such time as I can send it? So many questions, so much uncertainty...

WESTIEKATH

I was wondering the same thing. If you temp close your store no-one can place orders with you. I am going to find out exctly what is happening with PO tomoz and then will contact the customers with orders to see whether they would like to cancel them or hold them until I can post them.

Lawrence

If you close your store, carts remain, but customers cannot checkout. Hopefully the post office will update their position. Work isn’t banned, so it’s unclear if going to the post office would count as part of work.

Bricknation Toys

It's the perfect time to start using online shipping solutions like click&drop from royal mail.(https://parcel.royalmail.com/). You simply print the label and drop your mail in a letter or a parcel box so no need to wait in line at the post office. It is slightly cheaper than post office prices, takes less time and comes with online delivery confirmation on most services.

Jay37

Yes, I wondered that too. My nearest post office is part of the local convenience store, which does stock some essential food (bread and milk) but may be forced to close. There is a main post office in town that I could walk to, on my own, which could constitute my one daily exercise. Can customers continue to add things to their cart? For example if I add to my inventory while the store is closed?

Lawrence

Yes they can

Hoddie

Post Offices are remaining open. Sub-post offices can make their own decisions depending on their own health/staffing situations.

fitbricks

I think with kids being stuck in doors, Lego will be a welcome distraction for many - including adults.
I initially closed my store (social distancing/self isolation) because I have an underlying lung condition.
However, on reflection, I felt this was a knee jerk reaction.
I now believe that staying open with some careful planning and sensible restrictions will help families stuck at home, add to my currently uncertain income stream and also support Lawrence's income stream, as well as the affiliates.
I know it's not all about the money - far from it - but I feel its a double positive if families in isolation have Lego to play with and I have enough cash for essentials that keep my family safe and healthy.
Although this is subject to change, I will remain open for now with the following statement of restrictions:

*As a result of social distancing unless we have a huge backlog we are posting orders once per week.
*All orders are subject to delay from this point onward but for as long as our Post Office sorting centre remains open, we will continue to process domestic orders.
*To comply with social distancing, we have suspended all shipping that requires PO attendance. This will mostly affect international services and parcel shipping options.
*If your cart falls into one of the suspended shipping methods, you will be presented with the "request a quote" option. If I can ship your order without going to the PO, I will send you a quote. If not, I will send you a polite message to explain.

We hope you stay safe during these difficult times and can assure you that we take our hygiene responsibilities very seriously.
This situation may change at short notice - please check with us if you are unsure or need more information.

Lawrence

@fitbricks Glad to hear you're reopening, please ensure you update your dispatch time in your store settings to reflect your changes

carlptaylor

@fitbricks, i did the same with the shop; i think i'll follow your advice and use parcel drop / hermes where available or post boxes, using my daily exercise/walking the dog as the time outside.

WESTIEKATH

My Post Office is remaining open with restrictions in place. I am posting mine on the way to work (Tesco :'( ) but I am only posting every other day or third day if customers are willing, to limit the visits to PO. We have a Post Box in Tesco so posting low value orders in there so I am not making any unnecessary journeys!! Keep safe and well all.

brickadoon

Unfortunately my local Post Office/Village Store has closed temporarily, so we've had to close our store - we don't live close enough to another Post Office

Rich

Bricknation Toys

Royal Mail just had an update on international deliveries.

Royal Mail is currently not sending mail to a number of countries as there are no available transport links. Items sent will be held and you'll experience significant delays.

More details on:
https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5317/~/international-incident-bulletin

Here's the list of suspensions

Albania - On Suspension
Armenia - On Suspension
Bermuda - On Suspension
Bosnia-Herzegovina - On Suspension
Caribbean Islands – British Virgin Island, Dominican Republic, Cayman Islands & Haiti - On Suspension
Cuba - On Suspension
Djibouti - On Suspension
Equador - On Suspension
French Polynesia - On Suspension
Kuwait - On Suspension
Lebanon - On Suspension
Macedonia - On Suspension
Mauritania - On Suspension
Moldova - On Suspension
Montenegro - On Suspension
New Zealand - On Suspension
Peru - On Suspension
Philippines - On Suspension
Samoa - On Suspension
South Africa - On Suspension
South Korea - On Suspension
Sri Lanka - On Suspension
Taiwan - On Suspension
Tunisia - On Suspension
Turks and Caicos Islands - On Suspension
Zimbabwe - On Suspension