Post Box in Singapore
As a traveller, it’s been a tradition of mine to send postcards from the places I visit to my friends back home. They do the same for me when they travel. It’s an inexpensive way to give them a souvenir of my travels, and it’s also a great way to share my adventures and update them of what I’ve been doing.
Unfortunately, with the advent of technology and high speed Internet access, many people would eschew sending mail by post. Instead, they’ll rely on Facebook status updates, Twitter messages and Instagram photos. I am not innocent of these practices, because admittedly, it’s really convenient.
But I hold fast to the old-school way of sending mail. Snail mail, as it is fondly called, in reference to the length of time it gets from point A to point B.
Of all the countries in Southeast Asia that I’ve gone to, I am most impressed by Singapore’s postal service. Back home, I would have to troop to the nearest post office in order to send my mail. In most cases, these post offices are far from where I live and there are no convenient satellite offices that I can go to. The upside is I can do everything I need to from there, but much time is lost in the commute.
Singapore is different. For one, postal boxes can be seen all over the city state. I took a walk once from Central Boulevard to Marina Bay and I spotted three mail boxes. Exploring the city later during my stay, it was easy enough to spot these portals, so I knew I wouldn’t have trouble sending off my postcards. It was also cool to see that some had unique designs on them, making them all the more eye-catching.
Adapting to Change
Singapore Post has adapted to the growing digital world. Where other postal services are struggling along, Singpost has embraced the changes and used it to their advantage. Aside from offering the usual courier services, Singpost offers online shopping where customers can choose from a quarterly mail-order catalogue or from their partner website the CloutShoppe. I wasn’t able to try this service, but it is pretty ingenious.
Singapore Post also offers financial services, which took me by surprise. A post office handling money matters for their customers? The financial services offered by SingPost is geared towards helping its customers build funds for future and emergency use. They also offer line of credit and personal loans. It’s good to know that it isn’t just the banks that you can go to for help.
Promoting History
You’ve probably heard stories (or at least, seen them in television or movies) about some folks finding their grandfather’s coin or stamp collection that is worth thousands or millions of dollars. That is not a far-fetched idea, particularly for stamps that are of limited edition or oddly enough, misprints. However, SingPost encourages the hobby of stamp collecting not for the monetary value, but because of the education you can get from these stamps. Did you know that a country’s stamp and philately can reveal much about its history, culture and even nature? The country also has its own Philately Museum. As someone who loves receiving letters and occasionally keeping stamps, this is a wonderful place for me.
I am truly overwhelmed by the variety of choices that Singapore’s postal service offers. But it fulfills my basic need: to send postcards. Simple enough right? For someone like me who is always on the go (meaning, exploring Singapore), I appreciate the fact that I can easily buy stamps from satellite post offices or self-serviced automated machines (SAM) that can be found all over. Best of all, some stores and shops actually sell stamps.
I managed to find one, buy the ones I need and stick them to my postcards. Sending them out was a breeze. And to my delight, friends reported that they go their cards less than a week later. How is that for efficient?
Photo by jeffedoe
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Article by Chris
Chris had a passion to contribute to society especially to fellow travelers like himself. He also had a passion for Southeast Asia and frequently visited. While brainstorming ideas, he decided that a travel blog dedicated to his favorite countries, Thailand and Singapore, could be more beneficial than any guidebook. Only one year later did the blog’s success bring in more writers, more countries, and more readers.
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