Until a few weeks ago, my local post office was in Hampton Place, Brighton.

It was always busy but the staff were invariably patient and helpful, particularly with those of us who belong to the bewildered segment of the community.

I live just five minutes' walk away and even with a queuing time that could stretch to 15 minutes, a round trip to that office to post some of my numerous overseas packages would take at most 25 minutes.

The only busy road to cross was Upper North Street.

On Saturday, in the late morning, I walked to my currently nearest post office, Ship Street, along crowded pavements and across four busy roads to join a queue of people snaking around inside as it was three times longer than the waiting barrier. As only three of the serving stations were manned, the wait was quite long.

Packages posted, I returned home. Time taken altogether was over an hour. Is this progress?

-Margaret Leeds, Brighton